Tory minister says Slade is what Sudbury needs

Candice Bergen, the Tory MP who was minister of state for Social Development in the last session of Parliament, was in Sudbury on Friday to support local Conservative candidate Fred Slade.

Bergen, who was in Sault Ste. Marie earlier Friday, toured Dynamic Earth, Science North and the Living with Lakes Centre. While she has been here twice before, Bergen said she was struck at how beautiful the city is.

"It exceeds expectations,” Bergen said Friday, at Slade's Frood Road office. “You just sort of think of an industrial type of town. But there's been a lot of growth, and it's very pretty, very picturesque."

"Of course everyone wants to get their picture taken at the Big Nickel, so we went up there," Slade said. "She's on a whirlwind tour of Northern Ontario — she's off to North Bay as soon as she's done here."

Bergen said electing Slade would give Sudburians a voice in government should her party win reelection.

"We really would love to have Fred in Ottawa representing you folks here," she said.

"Fred has been part of Sudbury his whole life. He's a man of integrity, I think people who know him and work with him know the honour that he's conducted his business and his life with.”

She said Slade would deliver the kind of leadership for the riding that Stephen Harper has been giving the country since he became prime minister.

“And I think Sudbury wants an MP who isn't going to create conflict and controversy,” Bergen said. “They're looking for a strong, principled representative in Ottawa. Certainly that's what we have in the strong leadership of Prime Minister Harper. Fred, with those qualities, would be a great representative.

"He would represent this area very well, and I think the people would be very well served."

Bergen said the Tories have promised to make big investments in infrastructure funding, money that is being allocated fairly across the country.

"We don't make political decisions on infrastructure funding,” she said. “We have rolled out our infrastructure plan across the country. We've worked together with provincial governments of all political stripes. We've worked together with municipalities of different provincial stripes."

Slade said if he was in Ottawa, he would be in a position to ensure the city took advantage of funding and programs that would benefit residents here.

"There are opportunities out there, but people have to be aware of them, and people have to work hand-in-hand to make them realities," he said. "You can rest assured that if there's opportunities out there that will better the City of Greater Sudbury, I'm going to work hard every day for that."

With recent polls showing support for the Conservatives increasing, Bergen was asked whether the party more hopeful of being returned to office.

"Polls go up, and polls go down,” Bergen said. “I know what we're focused on and what Fred's been doing — going to the doors, talking to voters, hearing their concerns.

“Overwhelmingly, it's the economy. It's about jobs, it's about Canada's economic future in a time of global uncertainty, in terms of the economy."

And she said the Tories have a track record of keeping their promises, citing the gun registry as an example.

"I do want to tell law-abiding gun owners, that we are going to continue to stand up for them,” Bergen said. “We told them we'd end the long gun registry, we ended the long gun registry. Leadership is about keeping your word, sometimes in the face of opposition."