On Monday, Feb. 12, I attended the townhall at Laurentian University where Kathleen Wynne was supposed to be hosting a “student-focused” round-table discussion.
I share the sentiments of most people who attended and found Glenn Thibeault's introduction and Wynne’s question period to be uninspiring. With students clearly wanting answers from their government, we were left with six questions with responses that did not satisfy the audience. The questions focused on the Coulton Boushie trial, government support for part-time students, and the building of a French-language school.
Amongst the audience was the Conservative candidate, Troy Crowder, who used the event wisely for some free publicity and a jab or two at Wynne. His criticisms ranged from his hostility towards Bill 148 and the minimum wage increase, the lack of funding for health care and children’s mental health, and the failure of her government to address the strike that happened at Laurentian for one week and other Ontario colleges for several.
Noticing the absence of Jamie West, the NDP candidate for Sudbury, I called his campaign phone and received word back a few hours later. West was required to be at work and unable to attend during the day. However, it was apparent after a discussion on some of the issues I was hoping to ask the current premier, that West had in one way or another participated actively in addressing all of these issues.
He did so without being elected or having the media with him. After searching the West social media accounts, I found that Jamie had stood with faculty at LU during the strike, has advocated for appropriate health-care funding at demonstrations with France Gélinas, Nickel Belt MPP, and has worked for the Fight for $15 and Fairness that was able to bring the push for Bill 148 into action. After reviewing Crowder’s page, I have yet to find him take action on any of these issues.
So, while Jamie West was at work, unable to attend the round-table discussion, Wynne and Crowder were making promises they would not keep, and criticisms they give with zero credibility.
It appears to me that West has already spent his life breaking down political barriers and bridging partisan gaps to serve Sudbury and the province. His actions tell me that leadership in Sudbury takes more than a photoshoot, and Thibeault and Crowder do not fit that profile.
Nick Higgins
Political Science Student at Laurentian University