THUNDER BAY – Brandon Postuma says it’s time Northern Ontario has a voice at Queen’s Park, at least one that can make a difference.
Despite have two cabinet ministers, the Liberal government has closed ears when it comes to the region, said Brandon Postuma, who on Thursday was acclaimed to run for the Progressive Conservatives in Thunder Bay-Atikokan in the June 7 provincial election.
Postuma said the Conservatives, under new leader Doug Ford, are taking a different approach and see the North as integral to the province’s future.
“I made the decision to run because I’m worried about the future for my kids. I spent a lot of time in Ottawa when I was going to university and I saw the economic growth going on there,” he said on Thursday night before accepting the nomination, the acclamation coming after rival candidate Moe Comuzzi decided earlier this month to step aside.
“I’ve always wanted to be up in the North. The North is home and we don’t see that growth here. When I work with the PC party, what I see is potential. When I walk around Northwestern Ontario, I see potential. There’s just a disconnect right now between what people want in the North and the message that’s being sent to Queen’s Park.
Watching the Ring of Fire project stall is frustrating, but Postuma said the Conservatives, if elected in nine weeks, will work together as one to ensure all regions of Ontario hop on the prosperity train.
That means having the ear of the premier.
“For a long time people feel we’ve been left in the dark without strong leadership and also without an open ear at Queen’s Park,” Postuma said. “Right now we have this form of dictatorship that tells us what we want in the North, and we’re not really having our needs met or heard.
“We’re part of a team with Doug Ford. His ears are open, his eyes are open and what we see with him is he’s really curious and really interested in actually making Northwestern Ontario the economic engine for all of Ontario. And that’s something completely new.”
Postuma, who has served as riding president for several years, is taking his first leap into political candidacy, taking on longtime Liberal MP and cabinet minister Bill Mauro and NDP first-time hopeful Judith Monteith-Farrell.
Acknowledging it’s been decades since the Conservatives have elected a candidate in the riding, Postuma promised to make jobs and the economy his focus should he be victorious.
“I’m in my 30s, so I’ve never experienced it, but at one time Northwestern Ontario, they called it the Chicago of the North. We were going to be the economic engine for Ontario, and at that time Ontario was the economic engine for Canada,” he said. “There was potential and there still is potential. We just need to move on it.
“We just need to bring people together, we need new people, we need a new message and we need a fresh face to bring it to Queen’s Park and deliver fresh ideas.”
