Federal Liberal candidate for Huron-Bruce opens volunteer centre in downtown Kincardine

Allan Thompson, the federal Liberal candidate for Huron-Bruce, was joined by more than 75 supporters, as he opened his first campaign volunteer centre in downtown Kincardine, Saturday morning.

Located at the corner of Queen Street and Broadway, across from Tim Hortons, it will act as the hub of campaign activity and a place where volunteers can sign up and get training. A second centre is expected to open soon in Huron County.

"I'm happy to be in Kincardine," he said. "I was born at the Kincardine hospital and grew up in nearby Glammis which has since been amalgamated into the Municipality of Kincardine, so I can say Kincardine is my home. I watched my first movie, 'The Shaggy Dog,' in Kincardine. And I had my first traumatic moment in Kincardine. I broke my wrist after falling off the back of a straw wagon, and had a cast put on. I was terrified to get the cast removed, because my sister told me they would have to cut it off."

In the crowd Saturday, were his wife, Roula El-Rifai; his mother, Eleanor; and his siblings, Tom, Gord, and Nancy.

Thompson told the volunteers that the campaign to defeat Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper's government is a fight worth joining.

“I think it’s time for us to start talking again about a just society, about what kind of Canada we want and what kind of person we want leading our country,’’ he said, "and what it means to be a Canadian. That's what the coming election is all about."

Thompson said everywhere he goes on the campaign trail, he hears from people of all political stripes who are sick and tired of Harper and his authoritarian style of governing. "People want a change."

And time-and-time again, Thompson hears from people in coffee shops, at church suppers and other community events, who are concerned about the growing gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" in Canadian society.

"People are worried about their future," he said. "At Mary's Restaurant in Lucknow, I met a young man, he's 22 years old and getting married. He works with his dad and they're self-employed. He's doing okay but he's worried about what the proposed changes are going to cost him.

"There was another man in Mildmay who works for Bruce Power. He's concerned about the proposed income-splitting. He doesn't need it, and says the money should go to help his daughter who is making $15/hour and struggling to raise three children.

"Sure, Tax Free Savings Accounts are a good idea, but a 70-year-old woman serving coffee at Tim Hortons, isn't too concerned about an extra $10,000 per year in savings."

This is why Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s plan for fairness for the middle class (www.liberal.ca/fairness/) is resonating with voters, says Thompson.

“Call it Robin Hood economics if you want, but I think there is something appealing, something Canadian, about the notion of those who have done well in our society, sharing just a little bit with those who are struggling.

"That's what I'm fighting for, and I'm asking you to sign up and join the campaign."