NDP introduce their candidate

Nipissing-Timiskaming NDP candidate Dianna Allen talks to supporters following the official kick off to her campaign Sunday.

She may not live in the Nipissing-Timiskaming riding but NDP candidate Dianna Allen says she is very aware of the issues that face folks in the riding.

“I live in the Parry Sound-Muskoka riding and I’m on the riding executive there. I was actually invited to come and run here when we realised there wouldn’t be an NDP candidate otherwise in Nipissing-Timiskaming,” she tells BayToday.

“So I think of it as a neighbourly thing to do as our ridings are adjacent to each other. And I’m very well versed in the issues having worked for my riding association, I was absolutely delighted to be able to come here and make sure that voters here get the chance to vote Jack Layton and the New Democrats.”

Allen officially became the candidate Sunday afternoon during a party meeting and says her campaign will be centered in North Bay at OPSEU Union Hall, 573 Fraser Street, but that she is looking for space up north.

“I’m hoping that we might find an office in the Tri-Town area too because I would sort of like to settle in for a few days in each of those places and work out from there, but for sure this is my campaign headquarters.”

Blurring the lines between provincial and federal responsibilities Allen said the key election issues are the economy and health care.

“I think the concerns here are healthcare about the Health Integration Networks, about long wait times are going to be critical, I know that the NDP has a response to that problem and that we can make things better and that we can hang on to our universal healthcare system.”

“Another really important factor is jobs, this riding is similar to my riding in that so many jobs are in retail and services they are almost minimum wage that people cannot make ends meet and they have to do two or three jobs to be able to pay the rent and feed their kids that’s not acceptable.”

She says Jack Layton has promised that he will start green jobs that he’s going to be looking for money that he’ll get from taxation plans to invest in manufacturing where there’s a need.

“For this riding there certainly is, I think that will make people look very positively at the New Democrats,” she adds.

“Locally I think we have a plan to tax the big polluters which means that ordinary householders aren’t going to be facing yet more taxes, that could mean that they couldn’t afford to heat their house this winter and that’s really serious, so I am absolutely positive that they will find the New Democrat plan for climate change the most acceptable. The one that will protect our pocket books that will generate funds not only to ensure that the big corporations pay their fair share but also to give us money to invest in jobs here.”

Although the campaign is set up in a union hall with strong union support Allen says the NDP like the Green Party is very much a grass roots organisation.

“We do not look for support from corporations or from labour unions we count on the average Canadian to hear our message, to see how common sense it is and to support us with their vote and hopefully with their donations.”