Liberal candidates in Windsor-Essex got a boost Thursday from a provincial leadership hopeful.
Michael Coteau, MPP for Don Valley East and a candidate for the Ontario Liberal leadership, paid a visit to Windsor-Essex, first stopping in Essex for an appearance with Essex Liberal nominee Audrey Festeryga. Together they visited Schinkel's Meat Market to help promote the Liberals' plan to stimulate trade and small business practices locally.
"This is a critical election here in Essex," said Coteau. "We know that Conservatives may claim to be ‘for the people’ but their cuts hurt children and families. The NDP, for their part, has threatened to reopen NAFTA, which would plunge this region back into economic uncertainty. We need to elect strong, local Liberal candidates to ensure we choose to move forward as a country."
Festeryga grew up on a Wheatley farm and is now a Windsor-Essex lawyer. She said the NDP trade plan will do more harm than good locally.
"Our community deserve stability and a strong voice in government," said Festeryga. "This Liberal government renegotiated NAFTA and successfully signed trade deals with Asia and Europe, deals that Conservatives could not get done and deals the NDP would risk."
Festeryga is running in the riding against NDP incumbent Tracey Ramsey. Other challengers are Chris Lewis of the Conservatives, Jennifer Alderson of the Green Party and William Capes of the People's Party of Canada.
Coteau was also expected to canvass Thursday with Windsor-Tecumseh Liberal candidate Irek Kusmierczyk and Windsor West's Sandra Pupatello. He is one of five declared candidates for the provincial Liberal leadership, which will be decided in March 2020. Ottawa South MPP John Fraser has been serving as interim Liberal leader since the resignation of Kathleen Wynne last year.
The federal election is Monday, October 21.
