NDP Names Provincial Candidate For LFL&A

Jeff Green | May 15, 2013

Dave Parkhill says that in his first run for provincial office under the NDP banner he was basically “like a lamb to the slaughter” but this time will be different.

“This time I feel I will be more like a soldier falling on my sword,” he said earlier this week after taking on the role of NDP candidate in Lanark Frontenac Lennox and Addington for the next Ontario election, whenever that may be.

The local NDP riding association held a meeting in Amherstview on Sunday to choose a candidate, timing the event so that if NDP Leader Andrea Horwath decides not to support the budget of Premier Kathleen Wynne, the local association will be ready.

“Not that I have any say in any of those decisions,” Parkhill said after the meeting, “but I think there won’t be an election this spring. Nonetheless I am looking forward to getting out to festivals and events this summer and talking to people in the riding about what they think about politics and the future they would like to see for themselves.”

Parkhill says he prefers minority governments because they can lead to a spirit of compromise, something he would like to see more of in provincial politics.

“We aren’t going to get anywhere in eastern Ontario by simply trying to knock stuff down. It’s time we stop throwing darts and started to advance an agenda for ourselves,” he said.

Dave Parkhill has been a paramedic for 23 years. He currently works for Frontenac Paramedic Services in Kingston, where he lives with his family. He previously worked in Frontenac County for the Parham Ambulance Service.

“I have always had an interest in social justice issues,” he said, “and stuff around Ontario Works is close to my heart. There are so many people stuck in the system who are just on the edge of being able to start working and get clear of it, but the system is not set up to help them take that step.”

If and when the next election comes, he said that he will use the experience from last time to help focus his campaign around positive issues.

“Whenever an election comes, the NDP will be ready in LFL&A. We have built a strong team throughout the riding over the years,” he said.