NDP Federal Leader Jagmeet Singh Hits Peterborough Since Infamous Incident on Prior Visit

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It only took 21 days for New Democratic Party (NDP) federal leader Jagmeet Singh to return to Peterborough on Tuesday since he was met with a protest following a campaign visit on May 10.

He accepted Peterborough’s invitation after City Council agreed to bring him back in their meeting Monday night. Protestors shouted obscenities and called him a ‘traitor’ following his visit to Peterborough-Kawartha NDP candidate Jen Deck at her campaign office.

“I've had lots of great experiences in Peterborough so I wasn't going to let one isolated incident in any way discourage me from coming back,” said Singh. “What happened when I was first here in terms of the folks that were in front of the office, that's not representative of Peterborough. There are people that are genuinely frustrated and angry and I think we have to listen to that frustration.”

In a small gathering at the Lift Lock, supporters and Deck welcomed Singh. The federal leader endorsed the Peterborough-Kawartha candidate as the next MPP during his time in Peterborough.

Singh reminded voters that his party wants to address healthcare, education and the housing crisis as ‘things that really matter to people.’

The provincial election is on Thursday. Deck is challenging current MPP and Conservative candidate Dave Smith.

The following are the candidates for the Peterborough-Kawartha Riding in the provincial election:

  • MPP Dave Smith (Conservative)

  • Greg Dempsey (Liberal)

  • Jen Deck (New Democratic Party)

  • Robert Gibson (Green Party)

  • Tom Morazzo (Ontario Party)

  • Rebecca Quinnell (New Blue Party)

  • Dylan Smith (None of the Above Party)

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NDP Leader Andrea Horwath Addresses Government Cuts in Campaign Visit to Peterborough

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The New Democratic Party (NDP) is making its final push this provincial election as leader Andrea Horwath came to Peterborough to support candidate Jen Deck and criticize opposing parties in a rally on Monday.

NDP Peterborough-Kawartha candidate Jen Deck (left) with NDP provincial leader Andrea Horwath during a rally at Silver Bean Café. Horwath last visited Peterborough on Wednesday in her first day back to campaigning after leaving COVID-19 protocols. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Supporters chanted the candidates’ names and phrases such as, “Stop the cuts!” as the women came to the Silver Bean Café during the final week before the election this Thursday. Both candidates criticized the Ford government and their alleged cuts and the Liberal government for creating a “broken system.”

"I'm certain that people know what's at stake in this election campaign and they know that many of the things that are broken were broken by the Liberals," said Horwath. "Things have gotten much worse under Doug Ford and Conservative cuts always hurt. That's what we're hearing on the doorstep."

Horwath says stopping the cuts to the healthcare system one of the party’s top priorities if elected including scrapping Bill 124 which caps healthcare worker salaries. She criticized the Liberal government’s handling of releasing vast numbers of healthcare workers during the pandemic.

Deck has been a teacher in Peterborough for over 19 years. She says the teachers have been working tirelessly during the pandemic and deserve better treatment.

"When I talk to my teaching colleagues, they are exhausted after three hard years," said Deck. "We need to start treating our educators with the respect that they deserve, they've worked their butts off to make the experience as positive as possible but it's been really hard and they've had a lot going against them."

Both Deck and Horwath oppose Ford’s plan for mandatory online learning. Deck says not all students have proper Internet to be capable of online learning and miss out on the full experience as a result.

“It's about community, it's about sharing and it's about playing well with others. These are not skills you can teach on a Zoom call," "You need to be looking eye-to-eye with the kids and teaching them those life lessons and modeling behaviour that you'd like them to emulate."

The provincial election is on Thursday. Deck is challenging current MPP and Conservative candidate Dave Smith.

The following are the candidates for the Peterborough-Kawartha Riding in the provincial election:

  • MPP Dave Smith (Conservative)

  • Greg Dempsey (Liberal)

  • Jen Deck (New Democratic Party)

  • Robert Gibson (Green Party)

  • Tom Morazzo (Ontario Party)

  • Rebecca Quinnell (New Blue Party)

  • Dylan Smith (None of the Above Party)

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Teacher Jen Deck Introduced as NDP Candidate For Peterborough-Kawartha In Provincial Election

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Teacher Jen Deck joins the NDP for the Ontario Provincial Election as she was introduced by party leader Andrea Horwath at the Peterborough Lift Lock Tuesday afternoon.

Jen Deck (left) with her dog Niko (middle) and NDP leader Andrea Horwarth (right) at the Peterborough Lift Lock. Horwath toured the Peterborough Tour Guild following the announcement. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Deck will be chosen as the NDP’s candidate for Peterborough-Kawartha at a nomination meeting this Thursday.

"We need change now," she said after being introduced. "The system has failed us. Covid has taught us that we need to in our public services, in our healthcare, in our public education so that we can survive the bumps in the road."

Deck has been a teacher for 19 years in Peterborough. She has taught the Young Mom’s Program at Peterborough Alternative & Continuing Education; Medically Fragile Learning and Life, Science and Family Studies at Crestwood Secondary School and served as president of the Elementary Occasional Teachers.

"Education was poorly funded going into the Covid pandemic," said Deck. "Our classes are overcrowded, we do not have enough support staff to help deal with dysregulation.

With her experience in the classroom, Deck has made education a priority if elected.

“We have students who struggle to regulate their behaviour more so now after Covid, after two years of chaos but this was in place before that,” she said. “This was a problem. We need more teachers, we need more education staff, we need to fund public education and we can't be playing with this idea of moving to vouchers or some kind of privatized education system because it will fail everyone."

Deck addressed healthcare and caring for small and medium businesses as other major areas of focus.

She will run against the following candidates for the June 2 election:

  • MPP Dave Smith, incumbent Progressive Conservative Party

  • Greg Dempsey, Liberal Party

  • Robert Gibson, Green Party

  • Tom Marazzo, Ontario Party

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David Tuan Bui