The federal Liberals have a candidate in the Sudbury riding as Viviane Lapointe defeated Tammy Frick during a nomination meeting on July 5.
Lapointe hasn’t issued an official release as of yet, but did post to her Facebook page that she had won the nomination vote.
“We won the liberal nomination!!!!” Lapointe’s post reads. “I say ‘we’ because of the amazing team I had working with me. Thanks to everyone who supported me. Now the real work begins!”
No details on the vote have been released as of yet, but the president of the Sudbury Federal Liberal Electoral District Association did issue a statement congratulating the winner.
“On behalf of the Sudbury Federal Liberal Riding Association, I extend congratulations to the new Liberal candidate elected today at the Sudbury nomination meeting, Viviane Lapointe,” Marie-Eve Pépin said.
Pépin also congratulated Frick on her campaign, and highlighted the nomination process made “Liberal history in Sudbury” by being the first all-female nomination. She also thanked Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre, whose decision not to seek re-election triggered the nomination, for his work and said his team will help with the transition.
Lapointe is the current executive director of Community Living Greater Sudbury, and has held various senior bureaucratic posts in government and senior posts in the public sector.
In a release to media on June 22, she said those experiences make her a good candidate for MP.
“I’m honoured to be given the opportunity to represent Sudbury in Ottawa. I am also humbled by the prospect of filling the role that has been well served by others before me,” Lapointe is quoted saying in the release.
After stints in communications and marketing with the Canadian Olympic Association and Science North in the 1980s through to the early 1990s, Lapointe transitioned to government work, serving in a strategic communications role with the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines from 1991 to 1998.
She then moved to the public sector and provided strategic communication services to the Sudbury hospital system, serving as head of communications and community engagement for Health Sciences North until 2018.
She was the campaign manager for Patricia Mills during her 2018 mayoral campaign, which Mills lost to Brian Bigger.
In March 2019, Lapointe was named executive director of Community Living Greater Sudbury, which provides supports and services to people with disabilities.
“I view the job of Member of Parliament as one of advocacy. My approach is to listen, learn, and seek out the views of a wide range of citizens and leaders to shape the best way forward for our community,” Lapointe is quoted in the release. “Making sure Sudbury gets its fair share of federal funding and government support from Ottawa is what I will be focused on.”
A lifelong member of Sudbury’s Francophone community, Lapointe said she aims to make positive change in the community.
“I recognize how fortunate we are to live in Sudbury. It’s where I grew up and chose to raise my children. Over the years, I’ve built my life on the principles of hard work, integrity and compassion for those in our community,” she said. “Now I’m ready to extend that hard work to serve as Sudbury’s Member of Parliament. Already, I am grateful for the support shown for my nomination from a wide range of people who, like me, want to help make a positive change in our community.”
Politics can affect change, Lapointe continued.
“My collective experience taught me the influence politics can have in shaping communities, helping individuals, and affecting change. I will hold the interests of Sudbury at the heart of any issue or opportunity. I’m ready to serve our community.”
Defeated candidate Tammy Frick is best known for her work as executive director of Cinéfest Sudbury and Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION).
Frick, a lifetime Sudburian, has been running Sudbury’s international film festival for 26 years. The press release that announced her candidacy said she “is an accomplished and proud champion of the City of Greater Sudbury, contributing to a wide range of community initiatives.”
