Duguay nominated for NDP in Brandon-Souris

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This article was published 28/09/2019 (2494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ashley Duguay has been nominated to carry the NDP flag in Brandon-Souris in the federal election.

Duguay said she is relatively new to Westman, having lived in Brandon for slightly less than two years, but said she has been interested in politics all her life.

“Getting involved with this process has really opened my eyes to see what needs to be changed, and I find the NDP has the best platform to address concerns for regular people,” she said.

Originally from Victoria, Duguay said she has lived all around the country, including in Petawawa, Ont., and Winnipeg. She said her family works in the military and recently moved to Canadian Forces Base Shilo.

Health care and affordability are the big issues in the riding, she said. One of the party’s most important platform planks is to create a national pharmacare program, which would provide free prescription drugs for everyone.

“It’s important for me because I’m on, for medial purposes, prescription meds for pretty much the rest of my life, and I’m just a regular person from a regular background,” she said.

In the campaigning she has done so far, Duguay said she has heard people are “hungry for change” from the traditional Liberal or Conservative governments.

While Brandon-Souris encompasses both urban and large rural areas, Duguay said she feels she can connect with people throughout the riding.

“I have a mixture of urban issues and rural issues and throughout my life, I’ve been able to connect with people. In this riding, I think it’s very important to reach out to those people in the rural areas — there are things that will be concerning them and affecting them … and it’s important to express to them what’s in the platform,” she said.

Incumbent Conservative Party of Canada candidate Larry Maguire won just more than 50 per cent of the vote in the last federal election in 2015. Duguay will face a variety of other candidates in this federal election, including Green party candidate Bill Tiessen, Liberal party candidate Terry Hayward, People’s Party candidate Rob Lussier, Christian Heritage party candidate Rebecca Hein, Maguire and two independents; Robert Eastcott and Vanessa Hamilton.

“I’m very excited to begin the campaign, not just in Brandon but going all over — Virden, Wawanesa — and expressing to people who I am, what I represent and how our party will make a difference and be better,” Duguay said.

The federal election is set for Oct. 21.

» dmay@brandonsun.com

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