PETERBOROUGH-KAWARTHA CANDIDATE PROFILE: GREG DEMPSEY, LIBERAL PARTY

NAME: Greg Dempsey

RIDING: PeterboroughKawartha

PARTY: Ontario Liberal Party

AGE: 42

OCCUPATION: Human rights lawyer and diplomat

RESIDENCE: Otonabee township

WHAT IS YOUR PAST POLITICAL EXPERIENCE?

"My very first political experience was knocking on doors with Peter Adams in Peterborough. While serving Canada abroad I organized the first-ever celebration of the International Day of the Girl, and the return of the Kandahar hockey boards from Afghanistan. Most recently I volunteered in the 2019 and 2021 elections."

HOW WOULD YOU GRADE THE PROVINCE'S COVID-19 RESPONSE AND WHY?

"D

The pandemic caught everyone off guard. Yet as time passed, Doug Ford repeatedly put the interests of donors and big business ahead of our health. Protections were removed prematurely, resulting in more lock-downs and school closures. We witnessed the tragedy of longterm care. We played vaccine hunger games, and stood in the cold for a single box of rapid tests. We deserve a government that will instead follow science and work every day to keep us safe."

IF ELECTED (RE-ELECTED), I PROMISE TO...:

"Peterborough-Kawartha is an incredible place to live. But our community is struggling. Housing is unaffordable, the cost of living is skyrocketing, and the climate is in crisis. Last election Doug Ford promised lower deficits, lower gas prices, and buck-abeer. But even those unfortunate promises were never kept. Instead they made countless cuts, ignored the climate, and created chaos in our education and healthcare systems. Their new plan is to cut $1.3 from education and build a smoggy highway through the Greenbelt.

We deserve a provincial government that wants to address big challenges. That will fund education, not highways. Make transit cost just one dollar per ride. Help seniors stay in their homes. Partner with municipalities to build more housing. Support small businesses hit hard by COVID. Take real action to combat the climate emergency.

I've built my career on bringing people together, and I have the skills to be a great MPP. I will never be perfect, but I promise to build a better relationship with teachers and nurses, with PSWs and environmentalists, with small business and stakeholders, with parents, students and seniors. I promise to represent every single person in Peterborough-Kawartha. And I promise to be part of a better, more caring provincial government."