BOQ Liberal candidate part of the new Liberals

Emilie Leneveu calls this a new Ontario Liberal Party.

The Bay of Quinte Liberal candidate in the upcoming provincial election appeared on the Lorne Brooker show Wednesday.

In the 2018 election, the Liberals won only seven seats.

The twenty-something Leneveu, who is the riding’s youngest candidate, says more than 90 per cent of the party’s candidates are running for the first time.

“More than 60% of us are women. And a lot of us are either younger individuals, entrepreneurs, a lot of nurses, doctors, artists and small business owners that create the fabric that is the Ontario Liberal Party.”

The Frankford native says, as a recent graduate of Loyalist College, she knows how difficult it is for young people to thrive at this time and how difficult it will continue to be if the province continues to invest in the wrong things like highways over education.

Leneveu adds increasing industry in the area would be a priority for her if she’s elected.

But, she says to attract new business and industry to the region, the skilled labour shortage must first be addressed.

“One of the things the Ontario Liberal Party is going to do is we are looking to give a $2,000 to anyone that’s looking to enter an apprenticeship and I’ve also been very focussed in my advocacy over the years to really making sure the programs that we have at our local institutions align with the skilled labour shortage.”

Leneveu says Loyalist College has been doing a great job at aligning its programs with the labour shortages in the area.

A Liberal pledge for $1 public transit rides will be in effect for two years and won’t be paid for through higher taxes.

“Our plan is fully costed with federal help but also taxing the rich, large corporations so unless you’re a large corporation making the top .2 per cent.”

The provincial election will be held June 2.