Volunteers cooked up corn as Liberal candidate Anthony Rota opened his campaign office Wednesday. Photos by Dennis Chippa.
Anthony Rota, like every other candidate this election, knows he has work to do.
This year, the Liberal candidate in the riding of Nipissing-Timiskaming is focused on making sure people vote.
It's the kind of message you give when you have several years to think about losing an election by less than two dozen votes, largely due to the fact that fewer Liberals voted.
Rota says that can’t and won’t happen again.
“It was a combination of a number of things. And to see that happening , we just don’t want to take the chance again.”
Rota and his supporters held a corn roast to open up his Trout Lake road campaign office Wednesday.
Rota says the secret to election success is to promise to work hard and to do the best he can, rather than making big promises, saying he wants to work to make everything a little bit better.
“It’s not about starting with grandiose ideas, it’s starting to get Nipissing-Timiskaming working well, and then moving on from there and making sure the people in Ottawa know about what’s going on in our riding so that the laws that are passed are reflective of what goes on here.”
Rota rallies his supporters by encouraging them to vote.
Rota says he’s hearing two things this time around from voters: concerns about jobs and concerns about environmental issues like the proposed Energy East Pipeline, which he says has to be changed.
“We can’t take a risk with that going into the watershed. We had the report that came out and that recommends changing it, so we cannot support a pipeline that goes under Trout Lake. One small spill and it can kill our water supply.”
On the economic side, the candidate wants to see more jobs that pay well, rather than a trend towards both precarious labour and low paying labour.
“When people aren’t working at well- paying jobs the economy doesn’t go ahead. People can’t raise families on low paying jobs. It becomes difficult for everyone. It’s time to turn that around.”
Rota’s campaign is also keenly aware of boundary changes that have brought the entire Nipissing First Nation into the riding, giving NFN voters a larger voice.
“It’s nice to have them all together. It’s something we lobbied for. It’s important because it creates more of a community. And when you are voting as part of a community it gives you a sense of empowerment and I think that’s important.”
With both of the other main party leaders already making an appearance in the riding to support their candidates, Rota was asked if the riding can expect a visit from Justin Trudeau.
“I am looking forward to seeing him in Nipissing-Timiskaming."
No word on when that potential visit may happen, but there is time.
The campaign, at least for Rota, is now officially underway.
