ACTUALITÉ / NEWS
Local NDP prepare for historic national leadership convention gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca Russell federal leadership convention.
leadership nominees he plans to cast his ballot for when the voting starts but he knows what kind of person he wants as the federal party’s next leader. “I think most of us would like to see someone like Jack,” McDonald said during a March 19 phone interview. “Someone who is a unifying force. Someone approachable and energetic as Jack was.” Layton died last year at the end of a final battle against cancer but not until he had led the federal NDP to its greatest triumph ever in the 2011 spring election, deposing the Liberals as the head of the Loyal Oppo- sition in Parliament against the incumbent Conservative government. MP Nycole Turmel (Hull-Aylmer) was named interim party leader in August after Layton passed away and has served in that post while leadership candidates Niki Ashton, Na- than Cullen, Paul Dewar, Thomas Mulcair, Peggy Nash, Martin Singh, and Brian Topp campaigned. The two-day leadership convention takes place over the March 24 weekend in Toronto. McDonald and at least one other delegate for the GPR NDP riding associa- tion will attend and vote in person but all party members are able to take part in the
leadership vote through online advance and on-site polls. Details on how to vote for one of the candidates during the leadership conven- tion are at www.leadership2012.ndp.ca. McDonald was still mulling over the choice of candidates at the time of his interview and indicated hemay hold off on his final decision right until the time for the first ballot at the convention. He has also refrained from talking to other local party members about which candidate or candi- dates he does favour. “I am hard-pressed right now between several of them,” he said, “and I’ve been trying to avoid stating a preference so as not to influence the membership.” He noted that this leadership conven- tion is already proving a significant event for the party as the venue has been changed to a larger facility to contain the huge number of confirmeddelegates expected to attend. “This is the largest convention in the history of the party,” he said. “We have a level of interest that is unprecedented.” Part of the reason for that, he agreed, is the party’s new political power as head of the Opposition.
McDonald is president of the Glengarry- Prescott-Russell NDP Riding Association and one of the group’s delegates to the March 24 weekend convention. He hasn’t decided in his ownmindwhich of the seven
The memory of Jack Layton is very much on themind of RobertMcDonald as he prepares to leave his home in Russell and head down to Toronto for the NDP
Tory MP says Grits don’t dig farmers gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca Ottawa
KIM’S GROOMING Dogs are my passion! He noted that the issue of “farm debt” is a real one but that when a farm is managed well and allowed to expand and develop, the farm assets increase in value and a farmerisapositiontofurtherimproveassets by upgrading equipment and/or expanding holdings more to make room for other crops with potential market value. “The farmer knows best how to manage his resources and assets,” Lemieux said, “and I don’t think they should have to be constrained.” reviewing a local media report on the new farm policy approved during the Liberal’s recent biannual policy convention in Ot- tawa. The Glengarry-Prescott-Russsell Liberal association was involved in bringing farm policy up during the conven- tion because of concern for the future of small family farms. Lemieux says the policy just proves that the Opposition party sees agriculture from an urban perspective. “Whenyoulookatourriding(Glengarry- Prescott-Russell) there are lots of medium-sized and large (family) farms and they are good farms. They (Liberals) don’t understand rural ridings. Conservatives hold rural ridings, because Conservatives understand farmers.” The MP questioned whether the the Liberals’ policy proposal would not hamper efforts of farm families in the riding and elsewhere from improving their economic situation through expansion of their holdings.
Pierre Lemieux is less than impressed withthefederalLiberalparty’snewpolicy on agriculture. The Conservative MP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell thinks the policy proves that the Liberals are out of touch with the concerns of farmers. “The Liberals don’t have a good understanding of agriculture,” said Lemieux during a phone interview. The Conservative MP had finished Share social housing costs vision@eap.on.ca L’Orignal Social housing is a big part of the regional budget and the counties want the province to take on a more equal share. The United Counties of Prescott-Rus- sell will support a resolution from the Rainy River Districtcalling on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to provide “appropriate funding” towards support costs for social housing programs inmunicipalities. The resolution also states that when the debenture payments period has ended on new projects the province should provide local governments with an equal sum of money for any future needed capital improvements. The resolution will go to the Associa- tion of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) for additional support.
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