After serving as an advocate on behalf of workers in the Northwest for more than 25 years, Judith Monteith-Farrell, said she wants to go beyond advocacy and start making real changes.
Monteith-Farrell is running for the New Democratic Party in the riding of Thunder Bay – Atikokan in this year’s provincial election.
“When I was approached to run for the NDP, I gave it serious thought and I felt I had spent my life as an advocate for working people and I had done so quite successfully and thought I would like an opportunity to act as a person who would fix the systems that I saw were flawed,” she said. “No matter how much advocacy you do, if the systems are not working, I thought it was a good transition to try and fix those.”
Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Monteith-Farrell worked as a union representative for the Public Service Alliance of Canada for the last 25 years.
She has experience dealing with systems around disability, WSIB, pensions, and labour laws, as well as the impact of poverty and the health care system.
“A really compelling reason for me to get involved was the health care system,” she said. “It is getting worse rather than getting better. I saw a great need to have those improved, our hospitals and our access to doctors and medical professions and long-term care situations and mental health. Those are the things I really believe our area needs to work on.”
In order to improve health care, Monteith-Farrell believes more funding is needed, as well as more nurses and health care professionals working in the region.
This is the first time Monteith-Farrell has run for public office and she believes her years of experience advocating and bargaining on behalf of workers will serve her well when it comes to serving the people of Thunder Bay-Atikokan.
“Something I bring to the table is the ability to mediate and work with parties of all stripes,” she said. “I have a background in arbitration and mediation. Getting parties to agree on solutions and keeping their personalities out of it. I think that is an important thing in a politician, being able to work with different groups.”
