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Wednesday, November 21, 2012 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Years Orono Weekly Times - 5 Introducing Durham by-election candidates by: Christopher W. Brown christopher@oronoweeklytimes.com O'Toole feeling "upbeat" about his chances Upbeat is the one word that could describe Erin O'Toole's campaign to be the next Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Durham. In a telephone interview with The Times, O'Toole said, "We've run the best grassroots campaign in Durham. We have knocked on 12,000 doors and are very active in Clarington, Uxbridge and Port Perry." O'Toole states that he hopes that his campaign will be able to reach over 20,000 homes across the riding before Election Day on the 26th of November. While knocking on doors and reaching out to residents from around the riding, O'Toole said, "I'm hearing about jobs and the economy. People are worried about the economic cliff in the United States, and they are seeing the protests in Europe. Under Stephen Harper's leadership Canada has weathered the economic storm." "If elected as the next MP, my top priority will be jobs and the economy. I want to keep taxes low for families and seniors and increase their savings. The Harper Government has brought in numerous bills to help residents, including income splitting, and tax free savings accounts. Some of the measures are small but meaningful for Durham residents," according to O'Toole. "Let's make this crystal clear, I am the only candidate that has been consistent about refurbishment and Darlington's new build. I have worked around the energy sector and the new build will bring 20,000 more jobs to the area and thousands more after it's completed." O'Toole states that the other parties platforms on the issue of refurbishment would result in job losses to the riding. O'Toole said, "When Old Age Security (OAS) was introduced life expectancy was at 60 years old, now with advancements in medicine and technology, life expectancy for my generation is into the mid 90s." O'Toole went on to say, "We have a population that is in retirement for as long as they are in the workforce. The Harper Government made a decision to raise the retirement age from 65 to 67, which might not of been popular but was in the best interest for Canadians." O'Toole said that the major industry in the riding is agriculture and it's been an effective industry, "We have farms that are six generations old. Our farmers are becoming more efficient through different operations. Residents of Durham should be proud of our farmers; they can see where the food from around the country comes from." O'Toole pointed to Algoma Orchards as an example of great agricultural innovation and said, "In the last six years, I've seen Algoma Orchards go from primarily an apple grower to a processing facility that makes juices and baked goods from the apples that the company produces." Stephen Woodworth, a Conservative MP, put forward a Private Members Bill to set up a committee to define the definition of when life begins, which failed in the House of Commons by a vote of 203 to 91. O'Toole states, "I want to make it crystal clear that I would have voted against that motion. I'm Catholic, and I respect both sides of the debate. If elected I will have to represent all citizens of Durham, and in doing so I will not vote for any motion that would reopen the abortion debate." With less than a week until photo by Christopher Brown Erin O'Toole Election Day, O'Toole hopes that his campaign will be able to reach out to more voters and engage them, "I'm trying to be more accountable and more accessible for all the residents of Durham." High Profile Surrogates for Erin O'Toole: Peter Mackay - Minister of Defence (NS- Central Nova), Jason Kenny - Minister of Citizenship and Immigration (ALB- Calgary Southeast) , Tony Clement - President of the Treasury Board (ONTParry Sound-Muskoka), Ted Opitz MP (MP-ETOBICOKE CENTRE), Peter Van Loan Government House Leader (ONT York Simcoe), Julian Fantino - Minister of International Cooperation (ONT Vaughan), Steve Blaney Minister of Veteran Affairs (QU-LevisBellechasse), Tim Hudak MPP (ONT Niagara WestGlanbrook), John O'Toole MPP (ONT Durham) Online Party casts the net wide Michael Nicula says, "You can't be part of the political process if you don't play by the rules." The 42 year old father of one has passion in his heart and an eye on the prize. Nicula is the first ever candidate and the leader of the Online Party of Canada, a party that he describes as, "The only truly democratic party in Canada." Nicula found that politicians were not representing their constituents when in the House of Commons, "With the Online Party of Canada, politicians have to be representatives of the constituents they represent. Members of Parliament (MP) don't have an opinion under the Online Party, they must vote for what the majority of the constituents want." The one issue that he believes needs to be fixed is wasteful healthcare costs, "We are one Canada, we take so much pride in our healthcare system. Some doctors are charging 30 hours for only one hour they are working." Nicula says that the doctor can see up to 30 patients in that hour and they can charge each patient one hour of work for only seeing them for a short period of time. "With the Online Party, you will get total complete transparency; voters will be able to go to ministries or a MP's website to look at where taxpayers' dollars go. If a single dollar is paid for something, taxpayers should be able to see where it goes." Nicula stated. Nicula said, "Under the Online Party guidelines, any MP who steps down, retires or quits before the end of their term, will be forced to pay for the cost of the By-Election." He went on to say that there are certain reasons MP's wouldn't have to pay, "If an MP dies, their estate isn't expected to pay, or if the sitting MP acquires a certain health problem they wouldn't be expected to pay." Nicula stated that the people of Durham should try something different, "On photo by Christopher Brown Michael Nicula November 26th elect a brand new party, and elect the Online Party of Canada. By electing the Online Party it won't change the makeup of the House of Commons, but the change in the House of Commons would be revolutionary."