THUNDER BAY – Marcus Powlowski is a medical doctor, has a law degree and for the past two years, has called the House of Commons home.
A back-bencher in Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s six-year-old government, Powlowski has had a front-row seat as the country navigated its way through a pandemic, a crisis that’s far from over.
Never shy about voicing his opinions, even if they might be contradictory to his own party’s public stance, Powlowski has shown a willingness to be critical of the government, including concerns about the lack of ventilators the country possessed during the early stages of the pandemic.
He’s spent the past two years working behind the scenes to help bring Afghan interpreters to Canada and at the local level, worked to help the local Alstom plant pivot slightly to make ventilators to ensure the country avoided a worst-case scenario in its hospitals.
“Having been there for a couple of years and done the job, I can really appreciate what a great job it is to have the opportunity to do. I certainly enjoyed the two years I’ve already spent in Parliament and I want to continue it,” Powlowski said, asked why he’s seeking a second term in office.
A political neophyte in 2019, Powlowski edged out Conservative Linda Rydholm and the NDP’s Yuk-Sem Won, who is running again in 2021, to help the Liberals win back the seat after then incumbent Don Rusnak chose to return to private life after a single term.
Powlowski said he’s still got a lot he wants to accomplish on the political stage.
As a doctor, the pandemic is front and centre.
“As it turns out, as someone with a health background, a law background, a global-health background, 99 per cent of the time as someone elected with that background, it wouldn’t seem like a good fit, but right now it’s the perfect fit,” Powlowski said.
“Right now it’s the right time and the right place to have my kind of background.”
Second on his list is having a say in how the country tackles climate change. It might even be his No. 1 priority and the dire picture being painted by experts around the world.
“And in Thunder Bay, a big issue at the top of the pyramid in terms of what’s important and not important is job creation. All the work we’ve done with Alstom to get the contracts for the street cars, to building ventilators there.”
He also pointed to funding provided by the Liberals for improvements at the Thunder Bay Airport, not to mention money earmarked for Heddle Shipyards to help build icebreakers. The feds have also increased FedNor’s annual budget to $100 million under his watch.
“These are all ways of creating jobs to improve the local economy.”
