Stephen McCotter, federal Liberal candidate for Perth-Wellington was accompanied by MP Wayne Easter on a tour of the riding May 25. McCotter and Easter, who represents the riding of Malpeque, PEI, visited St. Marys, Mitchell, Listowel, Clifford and Stratford.
The day’s events culminated with the official opening of the McCotter campaign office at 75 Wellington St. in Stratford.
The tour included a visit to a dairy farm outside of Clifford. The farm visit was hosted by owner Dwayne Koeslag, along with his brother Ryan, father Gerald, and John Ellison, president of the Wellington County Dairy Producers Association.
Easter, who was National President and CEO of the National Farmers Union for 11 years prior to his election to Parliament in 1993, reflected on his past visits to the riding.
“I used to spend a fair bit of time in this area as president of the Farmers Union. It is a wonderful community. It is a very mixed community, with a strong agricultural base in this region along with Stratford nearby and all the arts and culture produced. You have such potential in this area with the strength of the agriculture base and how productive it is.”
Since his nomination as the Liberal candidate, McCotter has emphasized the need to bring more attention to the riding, and having a stronger voice in Ottawa.
“Mr. Easter has been representing his riding since 1993, working with his constituents to bring their voice to Ottawa. He is a terrific example of the efforts a Member of Parliament should be making on behalf of one’s riding. It is this type of representation Perth-Wellington needs and deserves. I was so pleased Mr. Easter joined us for a tour of the riding and the launch of our new campaign office in Stratford.”
During his speech at the campaign office launch, Easter looked ahead to the upcoming federal election, slated for Oct. 12.
“The question for voters in this election is: do we build the Canada we want or do we continue to lose the Canada we knew? We need a government that works for Canadians, not for an ideology. And that type of change starts in this riding by electing Stephen as your MP.”
McCotter thanked those in attendance, stating, “Our campaign team is great and growing, and opening our Perth County headquarters on Wellington Street in Stratford, with so many great local businesses as our neighbours, is an honour. It has been terrific day in the riding and we are so encouraged by all the supporters we met at every stop along the way.”
