To Whom It May Concern:
I am supporting Wayne Stetski in the nomination for the NDP candidate for the Kootenay Columbia region and I will be supporting him and actively assisting in what way I can in his campaign if he becomes the nominee for the next election. I have had an opportunity to learn about Wayne's background and work and I am very impressed by the work he has done in the past, particularly on environmental issues. I am also very impressed by the kind and confident way he quietly goes about problem solving for his constituents and the cooperative multi-partisan approach he has taken while working in Parliament in order to find solutions to some of the bigger problems in our country.
As we all know, we are facing two very difficult crises in Canada right now; one is the rebuilding of the Canadian economy as the Covid pandemic begins to be managed by increasing numbers of immunizations. The pandemic however, certainly revealed some bigger issues in the Canadian social fabric such as the treatment (or mistreatment) of elders in privately owned senior's care home. Another issue is the lack of sick pay for front line service workers in low paying jobs, as servers, grocery store clerks, workers in the “gig” economy and many others. These must be address, not just forgotten about.
The other crisis is of course, climate change and the transition to green energy and green jobs. This is a long term crisis which also needs immediate political leadership across all political parties and factions in Canada. So far, despite a lot of lip service and promises, no government in Canada has really led the way on this huge issue.
This is why I so appreciate Wayne's deep background experience and knowledge in environmental work, on social issues, in community leadership, in cooperative problem-solving with Indigenous people, and in working in Parliament on behalf of all his constituents.
I deeply believe it is politicians like Wayne who can and will make the huge effort needed to reset the Canadian economy and simultaneously balance Canada's economic recovery while working on solutions to climate change and a green transition.
This is NOT an easy balance to maintain. It requires tact, knowledge, understanding, communication skills and the ability to work with people from all walks of life. Wayne has these skills and therefore, I will be supporting his nomination for the NDP candidate in the Kootenay Columbia region, and for his election to MP in the future.
Sincerely,
Luanne Armstrong MFA Ph.D
