The Lucknow Sentinel, 1997-05-21, Page 8rage S -- Lueltnow Sentinel, Wednesday, May 21L,'
997
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;eckle wants voters to 's
by Cale Cowan
ith one term now under his belt, Huron -
Bruce incumbent Paul Steckle is encouraging
voters to stay the course.
The Liberal candidate says he has found his identity •• in
Ottawa over the last three and half years -since being
elected as a rookie MP in 1993. .
"I found that my ultimate responsibility lay with the
people.I represent in Huron -Bruce," he said recently,.
Looking back"'at the Liberals' first term, Steckle is hes-
itant to, suggest anything should have been done differ-
ently. Instead, he stands -behind his party and Jean
Chretien, while believing he was able to present the
needs of his constituents. -
He said that while serving with his colleaguesfrom
urban ridings, he was able to gain ' an appreciation for
'the rural background of Huron -Bruce,,
"The culture is different; the values are different," he
said, "It's not that wedon'tshare the same goals, it's
just that we know what it is to:: share with our neigh-
bors '
That, in a nutshell, is why 'Steeple is seeking a second
term. He believes he was given a mandate to present
'those rural concerns in Ottawa and "wants to continue.'
"I feelquite satisfied -that I have represented this rid-
Disenc
by Ron Wassink
an Johnstone is a dis
enchanted -Liberal.
That,: ' and the
Progressive Conservative.
Party is ;where: the New
Democrats come from;
she says. , . .
Johnstone, 43, of .Ripley
is the. NLP: candidate -in
'•the Huron -Bruce riding
• and she makes .it:no secret
that she. voted Liberal for
20 years and seven helped `,
incumbent: Liberal Paul
Steckle win his first feder-
al election three years .ago..
She was. a•volunteer ,in the
Steclde camp.
Hergreatest disappoint;
ment, she said.at, her offi
cial.campaign office open-.
ting in1incardine last
week was she encouraged
ing, given the commitments
I made to represent the peo-
ple,' he said.
"That will continue to be
my priority going into the
next mandate."
Steckle points to a more
flexible Liberal party that
has allowed him to speak out
on issues he feels need the
voice of Huron:Bruce, even
when it's in opposition to the
party.
The gun registration legis- Paul Steclde
lation, early in his terra,' Liberal
stands out.
"We remained true to ourselves, despite' the fact we
knew there would be consequences," he said, remem-
bering how he and three others were stripped of com-
mittee appointments as a reprimand,
But things have changed, Steckle says.
"I think now the prime minister probably has a greater
respect that there are members in the party that hold true
to their convictions." ' . '
As for what Steckle will take to Ottawa this time, he
a.
says he's biding his time during the campaign to hear.
what the voters tell him is important, . • •
Not surprisingly, he said a need for Canadian jobs is
quickly becoming a priority.
"It's a concern for all; of us but it can only be addressed
through .the larger issue of a stable economy," he said.
"The government itself cannot create jobs,"
That leads directly to other. Liberal priorities ofhelping
to stabilize interest rates, inflation and 'the Canadian dol
lar.
As well, he -says -another Liberal government returned
to Ottawa balance the budget in two years -- a year.
ahead of schedule -- and go to wont on the deficit..
Meanwhile, that sticky GST issue will be solved only
through the co-operation of the province's harmonizing .
with their sales tax,. Steckle said.
Larger issues like national unity will all fall into place,
Steckle says, when Canadians. begin taking a broader
view of their country:
"We need to take a more positive view of what this
country is all about," he said. "Weneed to look beyond
. the clouds and see the blue sky again.r
Steckle-is a former Stanley Township reeve and Huron-
County
uronCounty warden. He ismarried with two children and
was involved in the agriculture industry for 20 years.
He lives near Zurich.
anted Liberal turns to New
others' to vote Liberal in
the last election.
"-- The once -Liberal has
turned NDP because the
•Prime;:Minister Jean
Chretien's Liberals, failed
to live up. to their promis-
es. • ' -
She chose NDP over
Reform and Conservative,
because "we represent
ordinary Canadians; which
she says the other parties.
'don't: .
"It wasn't until the
Conservatives got into,
power that they started
cutting progralms'' •
The very programs she
has fought for as a volun-
teer - with the District.
Health -Council's mental.
health reform committee,
• a . volunteerwith the,
Wom•en's'
House, and
the founder of
Kincardine's.
palliative care
program:
She says the
Liberals
vowed to put
Canadians
back td work
in the: " last
election' cam.
' paign. They,
didn't.
:.
She's Jan J
also,
angry the.
Liberals are cutting• the
deficit "on the backs. of
ordinary Canadians:':
The .Liberals :' proms sed
to..abolislt- the GST They.
,didn't, , • ;
"And they .'di'dn't, renege
tiated
NAFTA.
And it was
the fact she
v o. t e d--
L'tberal and
r
p o m o t e:d
i
L beral that'
she "feels
personally.
betrayed.
'.because .• I
told people.
to ' vote for
them,"`'
ohnstone, Johnstone.
NDP
• likes her
leader, Alexa
McDonough. •
"I think she's good, fair
and strong." • •
-If-'•elected, Johnstone says
she will represent all the,
people in the riding "not
the few."
She looks to Steckle,
who voted against .his
government in the much
debated'gun control bill.
As...far'.as ,she's con-
cerned; gun control isn t
the : issue he made it out to
be. ;:
"I talked'. to •500 people
• and only : one : asked about
gun. control People are
concerned "Steckle •voted
against the government."
She says people are
telling her the issues are
about jobs, future of edu-
cation andpoliti
cians." :There were .1.9:
million unemployed
Canadians:n95.1993and`15
mlli•.•
on in '
While the government
enic,crts
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s can
by Bev Fry -
olitics has always been
part ' of; Colleen
Schenk's family.
The 45 -year-old mother,
of three. from Wingham, is
running .for the Progressive
• Conservative Party. in .the
Huron -Bruce riding, in the
upcoming federal election..
'Schenk's father, Ed
'Donahue, of. Richmond Mill;
is helping her with, the cam
paign..Her son Todd, "now
1,8, was the, youngest dele-
gate in Canada, at the age of Colleen Schenk
14, in the federal leadership : Conservative
convention when Kim. •
Campbell was elected .leader of the
Conservative party. Her great-uncle,
Walter Powers, was Speaker -Of -The -
House in the: New Brunswick provincial
government in the 1930s and 1940s.
• Always a Conservative, • Schenk, 'a
trustee with the. Huron Board -of.
Education, said she believes Jean
•
Charest, leader of the federal.
Conservatives, is the best
person to.:lead Canada' into •
the••new millennium:'
.."This party cares 'about
people.• My -party and. my
leader are the only ones who
can keep Canada together"
Schenk has worked as a
volunteer with the Heart:and,
Stroke .Association, the
;Canadian. Cancer Society,:is .
a,'ember.°of.the board of
directors of Mothers Against
Drunk Driving, wa4s .
• involved with the Wingham
Figure Skating Club '• and' is.
heavily involved in a land-
scaping project with her church, Sacred
Heart, in Wingham, where she is also an
auxiliary minister. = '
"It's time for me to serve people in a.
broader scope."
She, said travelling across the riding,
--people-in -Huron' ,County' seem to be
•turn to page,1O
mikes s
s Refer
by. Dwight Irwin
ong Fines, 'Reform.
Party .candidate for
Huron -Bruce, is a
family, man. Fines and his
wife Margo have two chil-
dren, Mike.and Robin.
He knows the hard work
involved with being a parent
and feels, families should be
a priority in Canada, and the
Huron -Bruce riding.
"We will .give families a
-$5000 (income 1. tax)
deductible, and they can.
spend that money on food or
clothes for their families,"
Fines said. •
Fines, the. owner of Huronia Welding
and Industrial. Supplies'Ltd: in Goderich,
became a Reform Party member .seven
years ago. .
"I was a Conservative before, but When
• Brian Mulroney spent more Money than
Pierre Trudeau he lost' my vote, and ny
backing.
ould
� canI ate
says social spending was
out of control,. and that's
•thereasoning for the cuts, :'
she ;says the : opposite was
true:
"Ba ily they got the
provinces to do their dirty
.. work (cuts)."
•She says ,she will fight
for• fair taxes, high :quality
health care and honest',
'politicians.
In`. her speech to• party
:faithful, Johnstone says
the June 2''election is a
• chance "to expose' Liberals
for what they are .:;. deceit-
ful,"
Johnstone and her :hus
-band ;Gerd,, have three
• children, Al'eX, 14, Jalene,
10; and -Emma 7 ,
be priority.
•
Doug Fines
Reform
"I liked the :idea, of
politicians .being held
accountable for their actions, ,
and that's what the. Reform
Party does," Fines said.
If the riding wants to fire
their MP all they have to do
is collect: enough signatures
on: a 'petition, and the MP is
forced to resign and enter a
by-election. 1
If elected, Fines- said he•
will let the Huron -Bruce rid-
ing telt' the government the
important issues.
•• Some, of the Issues
which are important to .Pines . •
are taxes, jobs, and Quebec Amity issue.
"I think Quebec, should stay a part of
..Canada, and they should be equal. Having
• Quebec as a distinct society is a terrible
concept?'
Some issues which Fines feels are
important in Huron -Bruce are the cut-
backs to health care" and education, and
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