Liberal candidate Jesse McCormick is focusing his campaign on the top three issues facing the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo: climate change, COVID-19 and Indigenous reconciliation.
As a lawyer, McCormick has worked closely with the government, including on Parliament Hill with Catherine McKenna, minister of environment and climate change, and David Lamettei, minister of justice and Canada’s attorney general.
“I have spent most of my career working to advance Indigenous Reconciliation, environmental protection and finding that appropriate balance with natural resource development,” McCormick said. “I’m very well versed in that intersection between natural resources, environmental law and policy and the rights and interests of Indigenous peoples.”
McCormick said the 2021 wildfire season has underscored the importance of addressing climate change, and said he intends to fight for a national solution. On a more local level, McCormick said he would also advocate to ensure the region has enough healthcare workers and recovers economically from the COVID-19 pandemic.
If re-elected, the Liberals plan to invest $3-billion to hire 7,500 doctors, nurse practitioners and nurses over the course of four years and forgive more student debt to attract young practitioners to rural communities, he said. Promoting vaccinations is key to allowing the economy to recover, he added.
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A newcomer to Kamloops – his wife works as an ER physician at the Royal Inland Hospital – McCormick said he decided to run to improve the lives of everyday people in the riding and be a voice for them in Ottawa. A long-time Liberal, in 2019, he ran for MP in Ontario’s Lambton-Kent-Middlesex riding, where he said he came in a “glorious second place.”
“I have a strong belief in the guiding values of the Liberal Party and also the competence of the Liberal Party to actually follow through and implement the policy measures that are being proposed.”
These policies include the Liberal Party’s climate change policies, the recently announced affordable housing plan and $10 a day child care. McCormick asserts that the Liberal government’s records attest to their ability to successfully implement these plans.
McCormick grew up in London, Ont. as a member of the Anishinaabe people. Before becoming a lawyer, he said he learned the value of a hard day’s work by working as a labourer, dishwasher and Zamboni driver. He pledged to work with constituents on finding solutions.
“The best part of the job (is connecting with voters). In the context of the campaign, it’s knocking on doors, sitting down with businesses, reaching out to mayors and taking the time to understand the issues and challenges being faced by the Kamloops-Thompson Cariboo,” McCormick said. “Most importantly it’s the conversations you have every day with community members about what issues they’re facing and what they think are the best solutions.”
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