Minden-area family doctor to carry local Liberal banner under Mark Carney

Despite a busy family practice, Dr. Nell Thomas has put her name forward as the Liberal Party candidate in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes in what she calls the most important election of her lifetime.

Thomas, an environmental activist who advocates for staying safe and healthy in a warming climate, believes that the federal Liberals under Mark Carney have the best answers to deal with the key problems facing the nation. These problems include preserving and strengthening Canadian sovereignty, ensuring that Canadians have an opportunity for financial security, introducing housing and immigration policies that reduce newcomer burden on the nation and preparing for the inevitable energy transition in a climate changing world.

In an interview with Kawartha Lakes Weekly, Thomas made it very clear that the most important issue facing Canadians in this election is our future as a nation as we face new and worrisome threats from President of the United States, Donald Trump.

Thomas said that to prevent a take-over of Canada by the United States there needs to be a rapid building of Canada’s interprovincial trade, a growth in friendly business alliances with other nations, a fast tracking of policies and supports for small businesses and an enhancement of Canadian-focused infrastructure.

Thomas said that these steps will only be part of the answer to this crucial problem.

“A significant component of preparing for a hostile neighbour is supporting and growing Canada’s Armed Forces and securing our U.S. border and Arctic waters,” Thomas said. “Canada must also enhance surveillance and prevention of foreign election interference and the rapidly growing American right-wing propaganda and (misinformation) that threatens to replace fact-based, unbiased news sources.”

Regarding the issue of financial security for Canadians, Thomas said that supporting Canadian manufacturing and growing local jobs that will feed expanding companies such as the auto industry is an urgent focus.

“Canada is only as strong as its weakest,” Thomas said, “as rich as its poorest, and as healthy as its sickest. Everyone must have the opportunity to improve. That means guaranteeing security safety nets for the retired, the elderly, single parents and those with temporary and permanent disabilities.”

Thomas said Canada needs immigration policies that reduce newcomer burden on housing, health care, social services and employment, and that ensure immigrants to Canada can contribute to the economy as they always have in the past.

“Right now, ensuring a robust and independent Canada,” Thomas said, “means we will be more responsibly welcoming foreign trained workers, as we have always done to build this country.”

Thomas believes that housing is inextricably intertwined with the issue of immigration, and that housing is the single most important issue for voters.

She said that the lack of affordable housing in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes is preventing our growth, and as our population ages and they require more services, we will need the infrastructure to keep up.

Thomas touts the Liberal housing plan that promises to “supercharge” Canada’s current housing plan to make housing more affordable. Thomas said that the plan favoured by the Carney Liberals “engages all levels of government with urgency. His government will work to remove any tax or regulatory measure that impedes building the homes that Canadians need.”

Thomas said the Liberals are campaigning on a “housing first” approach that ensures that over the next decade four million homes are constructed making sure that everyone has a safe and stable place to call home.

The GP said this is possible by investing in new technologies that speed builds and lower costs, accelerating construction training and apprenticeships, cutting red tape, reducing fees and levies to decrease the cost of building and accelerating permit approvals by eliminating outdated restrictive zoning and permit laws.

Finally, Thomas supports the Carney Liberal plan to look for and support greener alternatives to fossil fuels including wind, solar and hydroelectric.

“(Green) technologies are rapidly improving,” Thomas said, “so the journey away from polluting oil and gas is in progress, but our dependence on oil remains. The cost in dollars and in climate change to extract fossil fuels is exponentially increasing as the easily accessible crude is becoming rare, while the cost of wind and solar have been dropping fast.”

Thomas adds that Liberal support for green energy sector jobs and training will likely continue to increase as a priority. Thomas points to already existing Liberal initiatives that subsidize heat pumps and energy saving home build and renovation programs as examples of Liberal party engagement on this issue.

“Mark Carney’s global track record for responsible environmental protection is extensive,” Thomas said.

When asked what she would like people to know about her party leader, Mark Carney, Thomas focused on his extensive business experience and the fact that he is not a career politician, like some.

“Carney acknowledges he is not a career politician,” Thomas said, “the opposite of (Conservative leader Pierre) Poilievre and that is exactly what is needed right now in these unprecedented times. I have this in common with our party leader. I am also new in politics, personally. This makes us most able to imagine a future with a fresh lens and a lot of passion.”

Thomas is looking forward to the campaign and the opportunity to speak to voters at gatherings like all-candidate meetings.

“I certainly would attend all-candidate meetings, and I hope we have a number throughout the riding so people can hear and understand from all the candidates what we stand for and what we will do for the population.”