peterboroughndp.ca

I would like to sincerely thank all of our Peterborough NDP members, supporters, and friends.

We had a very active year with both a federal and a provincial election in the space of a few short months. It was very gratifying for us all to see the increased support for our party both locally and across the country and province.

Federally, we are poised to elect our new leader in March and support him or her in their bid to become Prime Minister Of Canada. This will provide a new direction of fairness for all citizens of our country; a fairness that includes a protected and enhanced Public Healthcare system, a proper safety net with real progress on the eradication of poverty in Canada , real progress on protecting our environment, an enhanced CPP for better pensions, and family sustaining jobs for all Canadians.

It was a privilege to represent the citizens of Peterborough as both the Federal and Provincial candidate. It was an honour to work with both Jack and Andrea who impressed everyone with their honesty, integrity and hard work. The NDP and fairness for all have a bright future here in Peterborough, across Ontario and across Canada. Please get involved and make this bright future a reality.

I wish you and your family all the best in 2012.

Fifty years ago, Walter Pitman was elected by Peterborough as the first New Democrat Member of federal Parliament. This community gave launch to a Party and a movement which would change Canadian politics forever. The budding movement to reform the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation blasted off after Walter's victory, and from Peterborough a new Party was formed that would spread across the nation

Under the leadership of the first NDP leader Tommy Douglas, many of the institutions Canadians take greatest pride in were shaped in cooperation with the Pearson minority government. Public healthcare, student loans, and the minimum wage were pioneered in large part by the bold step the people of Peterborough took.

On February 13th, we want to do far more than honour the successes of the past. We look to the future, we look to you, to help us ride history's progressive momentum forward to the next election

Andrea Horwath and the Ontario New Democrats are at the forefront of the issues that effect everyday families. The McGuinty government has failed to keep abreast of the needs and concerns of Ontarians. While giving away billions in corporate tax-cuts to the wealthiest companies, McGuinty chose to finance this vast wealth transfer by imposing the Harmonized Sales Tax on the wallets of everyday consumers. It's time for a government who puts the priorities of everyday families first.

This is going to be a fun letter to write.  And it’s going to be a little long.  Why? Because we’ve got some really wonderful victories to celebrate, and some good, strong events to look forward to in the coming weeks.

So, first, congratulations to Keith Riel, Marion Burton and Mary Smith! All three of our friends were successful in their recent municipal elections.  I’m really proud of the hard work they put into their victories - and of the hard work many New Democrat members contributed to their campaigns.

October has been a time for New Democrats and all residents of the Riding of Peterborough to celebrate the gains that Canadians have made.

The Peterborough Riding Association co-sponsored the October 18 Person's Day Breakfast at the Trinity United Church Hall. Person's Day marks the day in 1929 when the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in England ruled that women are legally persons under the British North America Act and therefore eligible to sit in the Senate of Canada. The breakfast was organized by the Peterborough Women's Events Committee. Peterborough Federal NDP Candidate Dave Nickle is seen in the photos below (click to enlarge).

The following Friday was Labour Appreciation Night, organized by the Peterborough and District Labour Council and co-sponsored by the Riding Association. Dave Nickle and fellow New Democrats were at the dinner and heard from guest speaker Sid Ryan, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour.