THUNDER BAY — With Conservative MP Eric Melillo announcing his intention to run for re-election in the newly named Kenora-Kiiwetinoong riding weeks ago, Dougall Media met up with both the Liberal candidates in the Thunder Bay riding to see if they’ve been thinking about their futures in federal politics.
During an interview last week, Dougall Media asked Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski if he is running again for his riding.
He said, “Sure, unless I get hit by a truck in the next year, in which case, I probably won't be.”
Powlowski, who is often praised as a person who doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, feels he still has gas in the tank left to drive the concerns of his riding to Ottawa for another term.
“When I started five years ago as an MP, I think I had a good education. I think I'm a hard-working guy.
"I think, as a doctor, I'm certainly used to having people ask me for their help, so in a way, it was kind of almost a natural extension of what I already did as a doctor. But five years later, I think I'm in a much better position to appreciate a lot of the issues,” said Powlowski.
Powlowski said for the last five years, he's been raising awareness of a long-standing issue affecting his riding's economy.
American Fishing guides have been boating into Canadian waters and fishing without proper business licences and permits.
Not only are they returning to America with a bounty of natural resources, but American anglers aren’t staying in Canadian fishing camps.
“We've been dealing with this for five years. The issue [is] fishing wars in the 1980s between here and the United States. . . I had to develop the kind of complexity of understanding of the problems. It takes time. I think after five years, I'm a lot better MP. I really enjoy the work,” said Powlowski.
Not only does he enjoy advocating for his riding, but also on the national and international stage.
Powlowski pointed out that across the country, he has been at the forefront of supplying medical assistance and campaigning to get more doctors into rural areas.
He has also boosted support for healthcare in Afghanistan and worked with the World Health Organization on pandemic preparedness.
“It's a fantastic opportunity really to serve the community. I figure I've got four more years. After four more years, I think I'll pass the baton to someone else who's a little younger than me. Hopefully, I win, but that remains to be seen,” he said.
On the other side of the partisan aisle, the official opposition has yet to announce a Thunder Bay-Rainy River candidate.
While on his ‘Axe the Tax’ campaign tour of Northwestern Ontario, Pierre Poilievre confirmed that no candidate in the riding has thrown their hat into the race.
However, he is hoping whoever runs has the same ‘common-sense’ ideals as the current conservative party.
Poilievre said, “We're going to let the people of Thunder Bay-Rainy River choose their conservative candidate.
"We're hoping that it will be a common-sense candidate who's a part of the community. It could be an electrician, a plumber, a police officer, a logger or someone who knows how to balance the budget and appreciates the value of a dollar.
“Someone who will respect the hunters and sports shooters and who will stand up for remote and rural communities in Ottawa rather than the other way around.”
Poilievre’s common-sense platform focuses on axing the carbon tax, reducing red tape around permitting, increasing addiction services, and supporting new housing starts.
Liberal MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North,Patty Hajdu, said she is just focusing on today rather than thinking about a pending election.
“It's a huge honour to represent Thunder Bay-Superior North and all the First Nations in the riding, as well as being the Minister of Indigenous Services. But I just stay focused on today. I have relationships with my riding.
“I was just out there yesterday, I was in Biigtigong Nishnaabeg First Nation.
"They were celebrating a one-year treaty between Biigtigong and Pic Molbert. That was very exciting to be at. So that's the kind of work that I do in my day-to-day, meeting with constituents, helping people with their different challenges as they arise and really, I think, essentially having a good time doing this job,” said Hajdu.
