Sudbury NDP candidate Beth Mairs was joined by about two dozen supporters at her campaign office Tuesday for the launch of her 2019 election campaign.
Mairs spoke with energy and passion while addressing the crowd, speaking about a need for change at the federal level.
"In my gut I know that if we send the same people back to Parliament, we can expect the same mediocrity, inaction and backpedaling on the issues that are so critical," said Mairs.
Issues highlighted by Mairs included the health of the planet, growing social inequality and the tattered social safety net that is causing suffering to many people across Canada and locally.
"So many people in Lively, in Sudbury, in Copper Cliff are struggling every day with few or no community supports to help them get ahead," said Mairs.
"New Democrats have demonstrated our commitment to a more equitable society by fighting for the underdog, for workers' rights, for the middle class, for middle income Canadians, for seniors, for youth, for the poor, since the inception of the party," said Mairs.
The NDP as a party can also lay claim to the title of underdog, as at the federal level, Canada has long been a two-party battle between the Liberals and the Conservatives.
"I hear at the door that the majority of Sudburians are fed up with the Liberals and the Conservatives and many have grown cynical about the entire political process," said Mairs.
"But I think we're in a moment in the history of our country where people who previously never thought of running for politics need to. Band-Aid solutions and half measures are not what is needed, not to combat climate, not to redress First Nations relations, not to take action on the deplorable levels of income disparity that we see in our country and in this riding."
A well-known and longtime community activist in Greater Sudbury, Mairs is looking forward to pounding the pavement and knocking on doors this election campaign.
She credited local NDP representatives at the provincial level, France Gélinas and Jamie West, for their mentorship and helping prepare her for the work ahead in the coming month.
"I was a community worker for many years, I've spent a lot of my time as a social worker out in the community knocking on doors and doing outreach, so there is something familiar about getting out there and getting a sense of the pulse in the community," said Mairs.
"That's exciting because the NDP message is being received, but it's also a little depressing because (of) some of the stories you hear ... but that galvanizes me to work harder to win the election, because I feel as though the people that are suffering are not getting the representation."
The NDP candidate says she's aware of her status as an underdog heading into this election, stating that the incumbent always has the inside track during campaign season, but added that many MPs rode a red wave as the Liberals swept into power in 2015 and this election will tell a different story.
"Many MPs rode that wave, so I think now locally we can ask the question 'who do we feel is going to serve us best? What are our interests?' In terms of my message, I think there's a whole lot of people in Sudbury that aren't getting the representation or the narrative that is their life," said Mairs.
Beth Mairs' bio, testimonials and more can be found at www.bethmairs.com.
