Candidate: Richard Harvey

Richard Harvey knows a thing or two about dealing with tough times.

As the mayor of Nipigon, a post he’s held since 2006, the 50-year-old father-of-two has shepherded the North Shore community through mill closures and helped guide the town back on the road to economic success.

He’d like to bring that knowledge to Ottawa, one of the main reasons he threw his hat into the ring and decided to run federally for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2011.

His experience in the political arena certainly gives him a leg up on the competition he said, including incumbent NDP MP Bruce Hyer.

“We clearly see that people who have not been on the other side, working for communities, don’t understand the bureaucracy that can be there, don’t understand when something is working well,” Harvey said. 

“I have a better understanding of how this relationship works, about the needs of the municipalities and the importance of that relationship and that strong representation in Ottawa.

“The reality is that we need a member of Parliament who will be advocating for what the municipalities want. What we’ve seen over the last couple of years is a member of Parliament who has been voting against every penny that has come into our riding. That is a reality.”

Harvey was born in Port Arthur, the son of a country doctor, a fact he said taught him early on the importance of caring for those in need.

Over the years he’s done everything from running his own business to raising sled dogs to outdoor guiding, but says the political realm is his true calling.

“The reason I’m running is I look at my children and my desires for my children to raise my grandchildren here in Thunder Bay or in the region around here so we can be close together. Very much my commitment is to make sure we are getting an economy stimulated, getting it moving ahead,” Harvey said.

“But in order to do that, we clearly have to have somebody who will clearly express the voice of Thunder Bay-Superior North in Ottawa. I believe I’ve demonstrated that, that my commitment over the years has been to clearly advocate on behalf of my constituents, to go and fight for what we need and to get things done.”

The economy is his No. 1 priority, starting with the passage of the Conservative budget that died on the floor when the election was called.

“We need to reduce taxes,” he said, calling for a reduction in government. “Not reduce programs. We need to increase our programs and make sure we’re increasing the spending in health-care transfers, with measurable to make sure we’re getting good quality out of it.”

Harvey and his wife Judy, a nurse, have a daughter Moriah and a son Aidan.