Election campaign pivot in Lanark Frontenac Kingston

Jeff Green | Mar 09, 2022

Drew Cumpson, the NDP candidate in Lanark Frontenac Kingston, had developed a strategy with his campaign team that he thought would give him the best chance at winning the election, which is now three months away.

Part of his strategy was to target incumbent MPP Randy Hillier, and one of the ways he was going to do that was to point out that, as a disabled person with a suppressed immune system, COVID denial, which Hillier has championed, could easily have deadly implications for people like him.

“I don’t think I have the same choice when it comes to masking as someone like Randy Hillier has. As a disabled person, I know the maximum risk that I can take. I will continue to wear a mask even after the masking mandate, and if people don’t want to wear a mask around me, they need to keep their distance,” he said.

But Hillier dropped out of the campaign last week, leaving Doug Ford as Cumpson’s main target.

“It has taken a couple of days to re-think what we are doing, and we are now getting a new plan roped in place. That is going to be to point out what Doug Ford has done, and what he is planning to do, to Ontario,” Cumpson said.

Doug Ford was always going to be a target for Cumpson’s campaign, but the pathway to winning the election for the NDP, by having the conservative vote split between Hillier and Progressive Conservative candidate John Jordan, is no longer open. The Conservative Party vote, which has approached 50% or more in recent elections in Lanark Frontenac Kingston, federal and provincial, will need to be chipped away for Cumpson, or Liberal Party candidate Amanda Pulker-Mok, to have a chance.

“The big things that I will be pushing are healthcare, affordable housing, climate change, and internet access,” Cumpson said. “In terms of healthcare, this riding will be interesting because of who is running for the parties.”

The Green Party candidate, Dr. Marlene Spruyt, is a recently retired Medical Officer of Health in the Algoma region. The Progressive Conservative candidate, John Jordan, the Executive Director of Connectwell, formerly the North Lanark Community Health Centre.

“We each are involved with the healthcare system in a different way. I come at it as a recipient of the system, and as an advocate, and they come from the professional side. It will be interesting to hear what each of us has to say.”

One thing that is important to Cumpson, is maintaining the $3 increase in wages that he is able to pay his caregivers. Cumpson is wheelchair bound and breathes with the aid of a ventilator. He receives direct funding to pay for the 24-hour care that he needs, and when COVID came, a temporary wage increase of $3 enabled him to pay $18 for 17.5 hours of care from Personal Support Workers, and $22 for the 6.5 hours of care he receives from a more specialised caregiver.

“I think it is only fair that I keep paying those wages to my caregivers, and retention may become an issue if I am not able to,” he said.

The other aspect of healthcare that he is focussed on is the potential for increased privatisation under a second Doug Ford term in office.

“We will be pointing out the implications of that, both provincially and locally in Lanark Frontenac Kingston, when the campaign gets underway,” he said.

The Cumpson campaign will have its kickoff at a Zoom event on March 27.