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6 - Orono Weekly Times 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Years Wednesday, November 21, 2012 Humes comes back swinging This is Grant Humes' second time running for the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) in the riding of Durham. Last time the Liberals saw their worst showing they received less than 18 percent of the total vote in the 2011 election. Now with a federal leadership contest going on, and support aimed at the riding level, the Liberals seethe current byelection in the Durham riding this as their best chance of winning back the riding that was once held by former Liberal Member of Parliament Alex Shepherd. Humes says there are numerous issues people want to talk to him about when he knocks on their doors, "I'm hearing about the treatment of our Veterans, I'm hearing about the lack of accountability that the Conservative government including Ms. Oda has handed the people of Durham, and also hearing from our aging residents they are upset about the retirement age being raised to 67. "The poor treatment of Canadian veterans is deplorable. The issue here is that the Conservative Government has killed their disability pensions, and now our Canadian veterans would be getting one payment to live off of." Humes states, "If elected I would fight to reinstate the disability pensions for the Canadian Forces." Humes continued by saying, "Like many other Canadians, I think it's a sense of moral outrage that we have come to treat our veterans this way." Humes says he knows the importance of nuclear energy, "Growing up in Bowmanville, I lived in an apartment in the downtown. I would look out my window and see every third store papered up, and you could hear a dry wind of all the young people leaving town to get a job. In the 1980s I moved away. Since then I've seen the growth happen because of Darlington." "If any businessman in Clarington asks me what will I do to bring business and jobs to Clarington, I usually reply by saying building Darlington New Nuclear project is a start," Humes stated. "What people are looking for in their MP is a job champion, and how to get investments here and get their kids and grandchildren to work. Working for the Toronto Board of Trade for 31 years, the last decade in the role of Vice President, my job was to work with small businesses, and they are the people who create jobs. The small business that I worked with created jobs across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), so I know how business people think and how they look at investments. I think that having an MP that thinks with that lens, is a great thing to do as the chief job champion of the area." Over the past two months, pro-choice groups have criticized the government for trying to backdoor re-opening the abortion debate with Private Members Bill 312 and 408. Humes said the abortion debate is over and it's not time to move backwards. "I'm prochoice and always have been. We've settled this issue a long time ago, and it's time to move on from this question." Ian Batt, a former Conservative supporter from Prince Edward Hastings, drove down to Durham to help photo by Christopher Brown Grant Humes Grant out explained to The Times why he was helping Grant out "If you're interested in slowing down and changing the direction of government then you have to participate, and not complain about the lack of democracy." Batt said that Grant is the epitome of a good candidate, "He's not too flashy, what you see is what you get. He's also committed to the things that he believes in. He has a good resume to do a good job in Ottawa." "I'm feeling optimistic, I'm having great conversations at the door and I believe our message is getting through this time," Humes stated. High Profile Surrogates for Grant Humes: Bob Rae Interim Leader 2X (ONT Toronto-Centre), Scott Brison (NS-Kings Hants) Marc Garneau (QUWestmount-Ville Marie) Carolyn Bennett (ONT- St. Paul's) John McCallum (ONT-Markham Unionville) John McKay (ONTScarborough-Guildwood) Justin Trudeau (QUPapineau) Sean Casey (PEICharlottetown), Stephane Dion (QU- Saint-Laurent Cartierville), Kathleen Wynne MPP (ONT- Don Valley West) Ervin tries to make it two Virginia Ervin has something to say. At only 29 years-of-age, the youngest of the six candidates in the November 26th by-election, she has more election experience than any of the other candidates. She first ran as a Green Party candidate in 2004 and again in 2008. Ervin has stayed active in the community and within the Green Party of Canada between elections. Ervin says that since this campaign started, she has knocked on as many doors as she could and she's hearing positive things, for example, "I was in Port Perry, I knocked on a door and a woman answered. The woman said that she was a former Conservative in the last three elections but this time she couldn't vote for them, and was going to vote for the Green Party." Ervin said that the main reason the woman had switched her vote was because of Harper's recent announcement of a Free Trade Deal with China. Ervin says that the current Conservative government decision to increase the retire- photo by Christopher Brown Virginia Ervin ment age from 65 to 67 was a mistake, "We should have had time to review it, and if elected I would try and bring it back to discuss it a little bit further. I know a lot of people who will be affected by this decision, and they are not happy." Ervin stated. Ervin admits that the Green Party is seen as "a bunch of tree huggers," and that couldn't be further from the truth. She says, "The party is made of people from all difERVIN see page 7