Glenn Thibeault was brimming with excitement on May 9, as the incumbent MPP for Sudbury opened the doors to his campaign office on Barrydowne Road.
Manning the grill and greeting supporters who stopped by, Thibeault was in high spirits, talking about getting out and knocking on doors.
"I logged over 14,000 steps today," he said, checking his FitBit on his wrist. "We were knocking on doors all over New Sudbury, meeting and talking with people in the community."
While he doesn't deny that there is a great deal of work involved with campaigning, Thibeault says he relishes the opportunity to be out speaking with constituents and discussing the issues that matter most to them.
"Day one is an opportunity for me really to hear from people without actually being part of the election. Hearing what their concerns are, what they want to talk about, or what they've been waiting to say." he said. "For me this truly is my job evaluation."
As a member of a Liberal part that has held power for the last 15 years, Thibeault says this election does present a unique party and his expects to have a fight on his hands.
"When you're part of a party that's been around for 15 years, people start to look at that and I'm reminding them of all the great things that we've done over the past three or four years with the Premier at the helm," said Thibeault.
"You look at all the things in the budget we've passed, here in Sudbury with the PET scanner, to one of the reasons I got into this was to fight for pensions and the Premier started that four years ago and now it's done. So it's reminding people of the past and the things that have made our province so great."
Speaking about his competition, PC candidate Troy Crowder and NDP candidate Jamie West, the Sudbury MPP holds them in high regard and is looking forward to election day.
"I applaud them for putting their names forward and getting involved in politics because we need good people, in all parties," said Thibeault. "We need that to be able to talk about ideas and make our province a better place."
