Dear friends and supporters:

            On behalf of our campaign team (Cheryl Nicholls-Jones, Wyndmill Hoskin, Ernie Hilts, Terry and George Glover, and Susan Hanna), I want to thank you for all the support you gave us in the recent election.

            We had a record number of people (over 40!) helping out in a variety of ways: cleaning old signs, putting up signs, delivering fliers, providing rides to the polls, etc.  We personally distributed over 9,000 fliers and placed over 400 signs throughout the riding. We had two great websites.

 As well as canvassing door-to-door, I marched in the parades at the Beeton and Elmvale fall fairs and spoke with voters there as well as at the Collingwood Great Northern Exhibition; made two short videos with Rogers Cable T.V.; plant-gated three times at the Honda plant in Alliston; spoke with a Grade 8 class in Tottenham; debated the issues in 10 all candidates meetings; greeted people at the Creemore farmers market and the Wasaga Beach Rec Centre; and responded to countless e-mails from voters and newspapers. 

            Our final tally in the riding was over 6,000 votes , which represents 11.2% of the total.  That means that 1 out of 9 people in Simcoe/Grey supports the New Democrats, something we should all be proud of and hope to improve.

            Nationally, we made real breakthroughs in this campaign:

• We elected our first Quebec MP in a general election ever;
• We elected our first MP in Alberta in 20 years – right in Stephen Harper’s backyard;
• We increased our share of the vote including in Quebec – where we have grown over half a million more votes since Jack became leader.
• We elected the largest Ontario caucus in our history – virtually sweeping Northern Ontario;
• And once more Jack Layton’s team has the largest percentage of women of any party.

We have a larger and stronger team in going into this parliament to fight for what matters to working people. Jack Layton has said that the very first thing the Prime Minister should do is reach out to the other party leaders to build a plan that Canadians would support. Our new caucus is going to roll up its sleeves and get down to work on the economy so ordinary Canadians are protected.

We can now take a rest for awhile, but our riding association executive hopes to organize meetings in the coming months to discuss how we can keep our presence alive and active in the riding. 

If you see any of our signs still left up, please take them down and call us to come and get them from you (705-322-2265).  

Once again, thanks for all your help and support.

Sincerely,

Katy       

Alliston Banting Memorial High School - October 2, 7:00 p.m.

Harper has taken Canadians to a place where everyday folks are being gouged by the big banks, big oil companies and big business. The gap between the corporate rich and the rest of us is growing wider and wider. Privatization is threatening universal access to health care.

Harper is willing to sell our precious water resources for a fast buck. He ignores the warnings of environmentalists because it gets in the way of making another fast buck.

Good jobs are going overseas. Mean spirited tactics are now the way to fight a federal election. We have lost our international reputation as a good global citizen.

Katy Austin is running as the New Democrat candidate in Simcoe/Grey because she wants to return a sense of decency to Canadian politics. “We need to protect our natural resources and our social safety net from the greed of multinational corporations.

We need to make minority government work through consensus and compromise among the parties. We need to behave with dignity in the House of Commons and spend taxpayers’ money wisely. We need to have the courage to take a made-in-Canada- stand on international issues. We need to return the role of our troops overseas to one of peacekeepers and not combat forces. Finally we need to protect the environment now for the sake of our children and our grandchildren.”

Sustainable Agriculture Outcomes

·         Reduced input costs for pesticides, herbicides and fuel, which are largely paid by Canadian farmers to multinational corporations.

·         An overhaul the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization program to enhance its effectiveness and overall coverage in protecting and stabilizing incomes for family farms. A New Democrat Government would abandon the present “one size fits all approach” and develop a program that meets the needs of the various farm sectors. 

·         New risk management strategies for grains, beef, horticulture and other sectors.

·         A permanent stand-by capacity to deliver assistance to farming industries and communities by establishing a permanent farm communities’ emergency support fund. This fund would provide assistance in addition to normally budgeted assistance.

Agriculture and Trade

• An end to export subsidies and dumping that have caused worldwide price distortions and have devastated rural economies around the world.
• An orderly marketing system in international trade and tariffs, providing fair prices to consumers and fair prices to producers. .

Safe and Stable Food Supply

• Investment in local and regional food markets and value added processing.
• Investment in research and market development for organic production. Banning of terminator seed technologies.
• The right to reuse seed will be a fundamental principle of Canada’s international aid development.
• Development of good food distribution systems in urban communities that build closer links between producers and consumers.

A Future for Agriculture

The long-term future of farming and food production depends on renewable energy sources and sustainable use of natural resources such as soil and water.

Actively supporting the transition to sustainable agriculture with investment and regulations to encourage ecologically sound food production.

The first two fliers were about getting tough on criminals. Their simplistic ideas come straight out of the USA, where crime rates are the highest in the world. What Guergis and her party need to understand is that the best way to deal with crime is to prevent it by helping people find meaningful jobs, education, child care and housing.

In the third flier, she contends that Stephen Harper has restored Canada’s good reputation on the international scene. The opposite is true! Canada is now seen as country which does whatever George Bush wants, a country which has reduced its overseas aid programs, and a country which will not agree that water is a basic human right.

Finally, Guergis claims that the Conservatives have the best ideas for improving Canada’s air quality. How can they be when their closest friends are the CEOs of big companies who are only interested in immediate profits, especially in the lucrative oil business? The cap-and-trade and carbon tax programmes which are proposed by the other parties in the House of Commons are well respected and being implemented by governments around the world.

So when Miss Guergis asks “Who do you think is on the right track ….?”, it sure isn’t her party!

Katy Austin,

Elmvale

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is to be praised for his heartfelt apology for the residential school system that tore native children from their homes and sought to assimilate them into white society. Harper credits NDP leader Jack Layton for convincing him of the necessity for the apology; over the last 18 months Layton spoke to the prime minister “with regularity and great conviction” and his advice was “persuasive and greatly appreciated.” In fact, much of the wording of the apology came from Layton’s suggestions in collaboration with Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples.

It was Liberal leader Stéphane Dion’s idea to allow native leaders to respond to the apology inside the House of Commons. Harper also agreed with this.

Finally, it was NDP press secretary Ian Capstick who cleared the way for Fontaine’s speech by explaining that if the ceremonial mace were taken off the table and the Speaker of the House sat in a regular chair, someone other than MPs could speak in the House.

Let’s hope that the parties will continue to work together to help First Nations people overcome the poor living conditions in their communities and to resolve long standing land claims settlements.

Katy Austin,

Simcoe Grey NDP

Today, New Democrats are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Donald C. MacDonald, a truly remarkable man.

Ontario has lost a great Ontarian and New Democrats have lost a great leader.  Donald was a rare individual whose legacy has many aspects, but the most enduring were his strength, integrity, irrepressible optimism and humanity. Much of what Ontarians enjoy today is a result of the work of Donald C. MacDonald.

Donald was not just a politician, he was a visionary.  As a lifelong New Democrat, Donald never wavered in his commitment to social democracy - he always put his principles first.  He was a true believer who never lost faith in the ability of people to build a better world. He was an exceptional grassroots organizer and tireless advocate for his constituents in York South who he represented in the Legislature for 27 years.  As Leader of the Ontario CCF (Co-operative Commonwealth Federation) and founding Leader of the Ontario NDP until 1970, Donald built the NDP to the point where it was positioned to form the official opposition in 1975 and government in 1990.

Donald was a fighter for equality who pulled no punches.  He was on the forefront on the battle for medicare, for better public education, for the rights of workers, for women’s equality, for the protection of prime farmland.  Donald will be remembered as one who fought against injustice and he always did it with dignity.   He was indeed, “the best premier Ontario never had.”

Even after he retired from public life, Donald continued to make an enormous contribution to his community.  He served in leadership roles on the Boards of the Learning Enrichment Foundation and York Community Services, two pioneering community agencies his vision and relentless determination had helped establish. Donald’s remarkable contributions to public life were publicly recognized as he was appointed Member of the Order of Canada in 2003 and the Order of Ontario

Donald always said that talk was cheap, especially when it came from politicians. In his last days, he must have been amused by the war of words between Ottawa and Queen’s Park. Knowing Donald, I am certain he would have demanded action and worked tirelessly to get it.

He was a remarkable man who will be missed - Ontario has lost a great individual.

Our thoughts are with Donald’s family and friends.

Just last week Kellogg announced it will build a new plant near Belleville providing 100 new jobs. As part of its strategy to aid the province’s manufacturing sector, the Ontario government is providing Kellogg’s with a five year interest free $9.7 million loan. Kellogg credits Ontario government support and Belleville’s skilled work force for its decision to invest in Ontario.

This is just one example of how we can make investing in Ontario attractive without having to reduce corporate tax rates and line the pockets of those who are already making huge profits, which is the only alternative Flaherty and Harper propose.

How about it, Ms. Guergis? Stand up for the many people in your riding who have lost their jobs in the manufacturing sector. Tell your bosses to support, not criticize Ontario.

Katy Austin

President, Simcoe/Grey NDP

The tax free savings plan is very popular with high income tax payers but does nothing for those who have no money to save. The program will cost the country $50 million in 2009 and at least $3 billion in lost taxes over the next 20 years. “If Flaherty is so eager to reduce Canada’s debt, why is he eliminating one source of revenue with which to do it?” asks Austin.

The Harper government has also cancelled its rebate program for people buying fuel efficient cars, one of its few attempts to address the issue of global warming.

There is no help in the budget to stimulate the manufacturing and the forestry sectors, and therefore little hope for new jobs that pay decent wages.

Only a pittance has been granted to the provinces to address the problem of crumbling infrastructure.

Defence spending will rise by 1.5%. “We should not be spending all this money fighting Bush’s war, ” says Austin. “We should be fighting here at home to reduce our own level of poverty. We need affordable housing, a national child care programme, a $10 minimum wage and improved access to EI benefits for those who qualify.”