NDP’s Holroyd pledges to be progressive option in riding

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This article was published 09/09/2021 (1704 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The NDP candidate for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa is a full-time student, but he’s making an effort to campaign as vigorously as possible.

Arthur Holroyd is carrying the party’s orange banner in the federal election. He’s studying education in Winnipeg and works for St. Amant, a non-profit organization that assists Manitobans with developmental disabilities and autism.

He doesn’t live in the riding, but has a connection through his brother who has lived in Dauphin and now resides in Neepawa. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Holroyd said he spent a couple of months living with his brother in Dauphin.

“I believe in the NDP’s vision,” he said in a Wednesday phone interview with the Sun. “I believe in Jagmeet Singh’s vision for the country — a vision of hope, optimism and fairness.”

He said his motivation to run in this election comes from Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s decision to call an election during a pandemic.

“I was so incredibly disappointed with how it was called and when it was called,” Holroyd said. “Any one of these crises would have been ample excuse to delay an election, but the Liberals doubled down and went for it. I couldn’t sit by and just let it happen. I wanted to make my voice heard and give the people in Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa the opportunity to vote for a progressive voice and a progressive party that’s not playing politics.”

While knocking on doors in the riding, Holroyd has had positive experiences talking to constituents from all corners of the political spectrum. Of all the times he has gone out canvassing, he said this campaign has been by far the best.

According to him, there have also been people reaching out online to inquire about his campaign.

“Something that I’m hearing on the doorstep is that people are concerned about reconciliation,” he said. “Making sure there is a nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples and communities that just hasn’t materialized yet. Another thing people are talking about is internet costs and phone bills. They’re much, much too high and the NDP has put out a promise to cap internet and cellphone bills because Canadians have been paying too much for too little for too long.”

The party’s website states that NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is promising, if elected, to work with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to force telecom providers to lower rates in Canada to below the global average. The party claims this would save the average family $1,000 per year.

The candidate believes that climate change is another big topic that matters to the people of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa during a year in which farmers have suffered severe drought conditions.

“I’m an educator,” he said. “I want to make sure the kids I’m teaching have a future, that we have a world we can pass down to the next generation. The NDP is committed to making sure that we tackle the climate issue but not at the expense of workers. We want to make sure our transition is a just transition, so we don’t throw workers under the bus.”

On COVID-19, he believes the pandemic has been handled fairly well federally, in large part because of his party’s actions.

“When the Liberals first introduced the (Canadian Emergency Response Benefit), they wanted it to be $1,000,” he said. “Jagmeet Singh and the NDP stood up and said ‘no, that’s not enough for Canadians to live on’, which is absolutely correct. A thousand bucks to live on is peanuts, it’s barely enough to cover rent. That’s not a solution.”

He believes COVID-19 vaccinations should be encouraged and proudly said he had received two doses of vaccine. When it comes to reopening post-pandemic, he warned against increasing activity before it can be done safely.

Since Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa was formed in 2015, it has been solely represented by Conservative MPs. Its predecessor riding, Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette, has only ever been represented by the NDP once from 1980 to 1984, when Laverne Lewycky was sent to Ottawa.

Asked about his chances of winning, Holroyd admitted it is a longshot.

“It’s 100 per cent an uphill battle, but I’m ready and willing to put in the work listening to folks and talking to folks as much as I possibly can,” he said. “That’s how change happens.”

Holroyd encourages anyone in the riding with questions about him or his platform to reach out by emailing arthur.thomas.holroyd@ndp.ca.

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