During a pizza party with supporters, Nickel Belt federal Liberal incumbent Marc Serré celebrated the first of two campaign office grand openings in Val Caron on Wednesday.
Located at 3020 Highway 69 N Unit 3, the office is situated a couple of blocks north of his constituency office.
His second campaign office grand opening, at 59 William Street in Sturgeon Falls, is scheduled to take place today.
At more than 30,000 square kilometres in size and encompassing 48 communities, Serré said the Nickel Belt constituency is big enough to warrant both offices, which will serve as campaign headquarters for the Sept. 20 election.
On Wednesday, volunteers were busy in Val Caron signing people up for lawn signs, of which Serré said he had 1,500 and counting, lined up alongside more than 100 large signs and close to a dozen highway billboards.
The heart of his campaign, however, is with personal connections.
“For me, connecting with people is fun,” he said between enthusiastically greeting visitors to his campaign office on Wednesday.
Doorknocking will remain an important part of the campaign, he said, and he has also lined up a few dates to stand at busy arterial roads in the constituency to wave at passersby.
Sometimes, people pull over and stop for a chat, which he said he’s always eager to do.
So far in the campaign, he said the issue of affordability has been brought up the most, alongside the environment, First Nations boil water advisories and the environment.
All of these topics are being addressed by the Liberal platform, he said, pointing to climate change as a key priority.
“But we need to do more, and that’s what I hope will get into the conversations in the election in the next few weeks, to know the differences between the parties.”
Serré was first elected in 2015, and said it’s been a constructive six years, with a number of federal funding contributions made in that time he looks back on as local success stories.
This includes broadened high-speed internet in Killarney, a splash pad in Onaping Falls and a therapeutic pool in Azilda, among other things.
Wednesday’s crowd of supporters clarified they were fans of not only the Liberals, but of the candidate himself.
Longtime campaign volunteer Mary Michasiw, who was on hand dishing out pizza, said her allegiance has shifted between the NDP and Liberals over the years, and that her choosing the Liberals this time around was in large part thanks to Serré.
“He cares about people, he cares about seniors especially … how they live and the dignity they spend their last years,” she said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been top of mind for everyone, she added, and it permeates almost everything.
“There are so many issues that I think are really important … but the focus is helping people resume normal lives,” she said, crediting Serré with carrying the empathy required for the job.
Retired politician Rick Bartolucci, who served as Sudbury’s Liberal MPP from 1995 to 2015, also attended Wednesday’s grand opening to lend his support.
“Marc’s a hard worker and he speaks the language of the people,” he said. “It’s critical in this age of politics that we have members who, one, understand the area they’re representing … and two, understand the critical issues that are concerning the people of the riding.”
The riding is both large and diverse, Bartolucci said, and every pocket is extremely important.
Serré, he added, advocates for every one of these pockets.
Bartolucci has been a part of federal campaigns since he was 14, said he is “much older than that right now,” and that the main thing that makes this election unique is the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s very difficult to run a campaign in COVID times,” he said, adding that Serré has managed to maintain a solid campaign while following all necessary safety measures.
Wednesday’s grand opening had people arrive at different times to ensure a limited number of people were gathered at the office, masks were on all their faces and hand sanitizer was available.
In Nickel Belt, Serré faces off against Conservative Charles Humphrey, New Democrat Andréane Chénier, Green party candidate Craig Gravelle and the People’s Party of Canada’s David Hobbs.
In Sudbury, Liberal Viviane Lapointe is competing with New Democrat Nadia Verrelli, Conservative Ian Symington, Green party candidate David Robinson and the People’s Party of Canada’s Colette Methé.
Elections Canada is expected to have the finalized slate of candidates online by Sept. 1. As of Wednesday afternoon, they listed Chénier and Serré for Nickel Belt and no candidates in Sudbury.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
