Liz Rowley knows she won't form the next provincial government, but she is working tirelessly to at least raise awareness for her party. The Ontario Communist Party leader stopped by the St. Catharines Public Library's Central Branch on Oct. 1, to support St. Catharines candidate Saleh Waziriddin, one of nine Communist Party candidates vying for election Oct. 6. Rowley says the tour to the various ridings, which include larger cities such as Toronto, Guelph, Ottawa and Hamilton, is a good chance to raise awareness about the party and educate voters about the platform. "We won't be forming the next government," said Rowley. "We want to let people know who we are and what we're about." That's an important facet, said Rowley, who just days before her visit spent time picketing outside the offices of TVO in Toronto, to protest the exclusion of the Communist Party from TVO's election coverage. The Communists were also shut out from local debates, including St. Catharines, where Waziriddin wasn't invited to a St. Catharines-Thorold Chamber of Commerce-sponsored debate. "They are infringing on our rights to be heard," said Rowley, adding the electors have a right to see and hear from all of the parties on the ballot. "The public depends on them for accurate news and coverage of elections." She said the Communist Party meets the provincially legislated number of having at least two candidates, so she feels they have a right to be heard. For those who are hearing the Communist message, Rowley said they are listening with an "open ear." She said voters are opening their minds to the party's platform to try to curb corporate power, and create good jobs for people. "We're the party of the working people," she said. "We want to put peoples' needs in front of corporate greed." That would include, she said, repealing corporate tax cuts for the "giant corporations", such as the big banks, and trying to promote economic growth for the smaller and medium businesses out there. The party is about more than economic issues, she stresses. They also promote expanding social services and building housing, would rescind the HST, and they would introduce progressive tax reform based on the ability to pay. Rowley applauds the efforts of Waziriddin this election. Among his more notable issues addressed in the riding this election, was stepping up during a health debate and saying he feels public elected officials should be accountable for the 35 recent deaths from hospital-acquired infections in Niagara, as they were warned of this danger by nurses and unions. She said the candidates running across the province are strong, but feels the electoral system in Ontario works against them. She calls the first-past-the-post system "skewed", saying voters hesitate to vote for candidates in some of the fringe parties, even if they support them, on the basis that their party won't be voted to office. She does hope voters will consider the Communist Party on Oct. 6, however. "It sends a very strong message," she said. "People want change."
Credit: Scott Rosts, staff; srosts@grimsbylincolnnews.com
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