Why do I want to be the NDP candidate in Nipissing for the third time? Those of you who know me know that speaking out on issues of social justice is something I do wherever I am. I carry a sense of responsibility for working toward social changes that will lead to fairness and equality for everyone. I sometimes do this very publicly, like through public forums and talks, but sometimes I take a less obvious, more personal approach, as in talks with family members, friends and colleagues.

In teaching Social Welfare at Nipissing University for almost 20 years I have come to see how my work there is also closely linked to my social democratic values. I have been very fortunate to be able to have a career that is consistent with the values and teachings of my Social Work training. I became a social worker because I wanted to help people in difficulty and contribute to the betterment of society.

The more I learned about the causes of people's difficulties and the role that government policies can play in creating these problems, solving these problems or making them worse, the more interested I became in politics. (You could even say that I "cut my political teeth " as a member of Senate at Nipissing University!)

It became clear to me that the New Democratic Party was the only party committed to achieving social justice in Canada and I joined the Nipissing NDP Riding Association. Before that I had "wet my feet" in one of Dawson Pratt's election campaigns and later I poked my head in on Lynn Bennett's campaign. Through all this time I was working on my doctorate, working at Nipissing and raising a family with my husband Steven Steinberg.

By 1995 I had almost completed my PhD when Mike Harris became Premier of Ontario and the Conservatives took over the government from the NDP. In the year that followed my sense of outrage over the damage that the Harris government was doing to public services and labour rights led me to serve on the Nipissing NDP Riding Association Executive as a Member at Large.

The next year brought a federal election campaign and I volunteered to be the Communications Director for Art Campbell's campaign. What a learning experience that was! I am proud to count Art, Lynn and Dawson among my teachers and role models. Please join me in thanking them for their dedication and contributions to the party.

After that election I remained determined and convinced that in order to provide Nipissing voters with a real alternative to the neo-conservatism being pushed by the Harris government the Nipissing NDP had to remain strong and active. I certainly didn't see the Liberals providing a social democratic alternative then and I don't now. John Lundy agreed with me. When John was elected President of the Riding Association I agreed to serve as Vice-President.

Since that time we have seen the Riding Association grow and prosper, with many new members serving on the Executive. Alan Sparkes, Dawson Pratt, Eunice Saari, Roy McMartin, Victor Boldt, Art Campbell, Sheila Davis, Durrell DePencier, Bob Burke, Steve Boyle, Kerry Vlach, Larry Patriquin and Naomi Wicks are some of these hard working and committed people. Many others have been involved in the last two election campaigns as volunteers in various capacities. Many of you are here tonight. I know that some of you will go on to become future Executive members and future candidates.

Having run twice as your candidate, provincially in 1999, and federally in 2000, it was only after careful consideration that I decided to seek the nomination a third time. I want to be the NDP MPP for Nipissing that replaces Mike Harris! Not only is being Nipissing's MPP the best job in town (as the number of people vying for the job indicates), an NDP MPP is what we need at this time. Let me tell you why.

The Conservative government's agenda over the past seven years has systematically and intentionally attacked and dismantled the public services that have been built in this province since the Second World War era. Whether we are talking about Health Care, Home Care, Schools, Social Services, or public utilities like Ontario Hydro and water testing services, the Harris government has done its best to undermine these services through underfunding, privatization and deregulation. Why? Because they say that they don't think that governments should be in the business of providing these services. They don't even seem to believe in government at all - Mike Harris was quoted at one time as saying that ''we are not the government". It makes you wonder why they would want to be elected doesn't it?!

The NDP, on the other hand, is the party that believes that governments have a responsibility to work for the public good.

We believe that the collective good means that not only is it desirable to have public utilities and public services - it is imperative that they be properly funded and supported through strong public policy.

We believe that a political party that isn't committed to following through with strong, fair public policies based on the principles of social justice and true democracy has no business being in office.

We only have to examine Howard Hampton's "Stop Hydro Privatization" Campaign over the last several months to know that it is the NDP that is committed to maintaining Ontario Hydro as a public electricity system, for example. Why? Because we know that higher Hydro rates hurt everyone. Can you afford to pay two or three times as much for your power? For many homeowners this could mean paying two or three hundred dollars a month for electricity, or even more. For some tenants it would mean that rents will go up to cover landlord's cost. For business owners it might mean thousands of dollars a year increases in hydro rates. Most small and medium sized businesses can't afford this and in the end would have to raise the price of their products. In the end we would pay more as consumers. Why should we have to?

The current Conservative government has no mandate to sell off Hydro to their corporate friends. The Canadian Union of Public Employees Union (CUPE) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union (CEP) have taken the Conservatives to court over this and are seeking an injunction to halt the sale on the grounds that they have no mandate from the legislature and no mandate from the people of Ontario. They know that higher hydro costs could lead to lay offs and job losses as companies strive to lower production costs. This is a perfect example of the causal link between a bad public policy and a potential social problem.

We know what happened at Walkerton when the Harris government made cuts to the Ministry of the Environment and privatized water testing. People actually died in Walkerton and many are still suffering with illnesses caused by bad water. We can't let that happen here in Nipissing or elsewhere in Ontario. We must insist on government funding to ensure that our water is safe to drink. It is the NDP that is committed to a safe drinking water act.

It was also the NDP Riding Association that demonstrated its commitment to acting on these issues by co-sponsoring a public forum in North Bay on the dangers of privatizing Ontario Hydro, Health Care Services and Water services in partnership with the North Bay and District Labour Council recently.

Whether we are talking about Ontario Hydro or water services, cancer clinics or the ONTC, we must act now to ensure that the public services that we have invested in and that maintain the health of our community and the health of our families remain in public hands.

Voting NDP is the way to ensure that you elect a representative that will speak out in the legislature for social, political and economic justice. For a government that will strengthen public services, respect public sector workers, work to end poverty and support equality and safety for women and children, uphold Aboriginal rights, increase access to affordable post-secondary education, protect and expand Health Care, secure labour rights and protect the environment.

For these reasons I am honoured to accept the nomination as the NDP candidate in this Nipissing by-election and ask for your support during the campaign and on May 2.

Thank you, merci beaucoup, chi meegwetch.

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