Winnipeg North Votes: Kevin Lamoureaux – Liberal

Winnipeg North Votes: Kevin Lamoureaux – Liberal

1. Why did you decide to run as a candidate for Winnipeg North?

I chose to run in Winnipeg North because it’s the place I call home. I want to be Member of Parliament to continue serving my fellow Canadians, to improve our quality of life, and to help build a better country. Winnipeg North has a vibrant history; newcomers came to the area and built their lives and formed a community. They built the foundations of our country’s identity. Unfortunately, that legacy is hidden to much of the world by the riding’s current reputation. I want to help rebuild. I want to be part of the Liberal team that will take back government and put the concerns of ordinary Canadians back at the top of the agenda.

2. What experience will you bring to complement your role as Member of Parliament for Winnipeg North?

Nearly twenty years in public life gave me experiences I never could have imagined when I first ran for office in 1988. Inside the Manitoba legislature, I dealt with policies, weighed their effects on people’s lives and voted as I felt was right. Inside my constituency office, I sat side by side with the people of my riding and heard their stories, I heard about how the decisions that we make, as elected representatives, affect their lives. I have learned the complexity of governance; I know how it impacts our daily lives. I feel that my experience will enable me to best serve the people of Winnipeg North and bring their concerns to forefront of government’s concerns.

3. What are the major issues you would like to stand for and why did you choose these issues?

Nearly twenty years in public life gave me experiences I never could have imagined when I first ran for office in 1988. Inside the Manitoba legislature, I dealt with policies, weighed their effects on people’s lives and voted as I felt was right. Inside my constituency office, I sat side by side with the people of my riding and heard their stories, I heard about how the decisions that we make, as elected representatives, affect their lives. I have learned the complexity of governance; I know how it impacts our daily lives. I feel that my experience will enable me to best serve the people of Winnipeg North and bring their concerns to forefront of government’s concerns.
What are the major issues you would like to stand for and why did you choose these issues?
Everyone has the right to feel safe in their own homes, and in their neighbourhoods. Working towards this is priority number one. Fighting crime, and delivering justice is important. Community policing has been cut, when it is essential that people feel that help is near. On the other side of the coin, it is important for people to have an alternative to crime. If elected, I will donate my pension as MLA to youth programming in the North End. In Parliament, I will fight for funding to provide more community centres, more programming, more opportunities for people to become part of society, instead of committing crimes against it.
I know that family is important to the people of Winnipeg North. That is why I plan to support the Liberal Family Care Plan that will allow people to stay home with sick loved ones, while protecting their job and providing an income.
Immigration is something that has always been important in my work, and I plan to be on the ground in Ottawa, and in countries like the Philippines to find solutions to better our immigration system.

4. Is there anything in particular you would like to change in Winnipeg North?

Winnipeg North is as diverse as the whole of Canada. I want to harness the strength of that diversity, to come together to find the solutions we need to build a better Winnipeg North and a better Canada. I want to acknowledge that there are two Winnipegs North: affluent suburban Winnipeg North, and the Winnipeg North that has been neglected for far too long. We must bridge that gap and draw on all our strengths for a better future.

5. Do you have any other comments regarding your candidacy?

I believe that government should make efforts to come to the people and not the people to the government. I believe in community centres, community health clinics, and community police offices; the decisions to close community police offices and to limit emergency services at Seven Oaks Hospital baffle me. After ten years of NDP representation both in Ottawa and in Manitoba, Winnipeg North has not benefited as much as it could have. If elected MP in Winnipeg North, I will fight for good, sound decision-making.

6. Why should the Filipinos in Winnipeg North vote for you?

I feel very honoured to be a sort of adopted child of the Filipino-Canadian community. I care passionately for the community, whose fiestas, dances and parties have become as common to me as grabbing a Timmie’s on my way to work. I believe that my years of service inside the Manitoba legislature stand as a strong record of my commitment. I believe that the time I’ve spent side by side with members of the community, working to reunite families, to have friends and family visit show my personal commitment to the community.