BarrieToday is running profiles, in alphabetical order, on each of the five candidates in the Barrie-Innisfil riding. For more campaign coverage, visit our election page.
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Housing affordability and the environment are two of the primary concerns Barrie-Innisfil Liberal candidate Lisa-Marie Wilson is hearing while talking to voters.
"We're also hearing a lot about the provincial conservatives and Doug Ford," said Wilson, a trustee with the public school board. "It's not really happy thoughts with what's happening with the Ford government."
If a Conservative government is elected, Wilson says Ford will be "off his leash to do whatever he wants."
On affordability, Wilson says a lot of people aren't able to make ends meet, from seniors to younger people.
If elected, the Liberals plan to reach out to other levels of government to solve affordable housing.
"The biggest thing you have to do is work with the provinces, because that is something that's also at a provincial level," Wilson said. "I would definitely be an advocate for that. Being on the front lines as a public servant, I'm definitely used to advocating for accountability and for transparency."
She says the Liberal platform "can bring people out of poverty and strengthen the middle class."
With so many issues intertwined, whoever is elected MP in Barrie-Innisfil will have to work with other politicians who may not have the same ideology.
"There's not so much we can so now with respect to the provincial government that we have in place and some of the cuts they are making," Wilson said. "However, the Liberal platform is about addressing all these issues and not making cuts and putting in services that people rely on."
Part of the Liberal platform includes a universal pharmacare program.
"People can have access to medication and not have to makes choices between food and medication," Wilson said. "Having a plan for these things is the first step and we're willing to invest, which is key."
The Barrie-Innisfil riding is also poised for substantial growth in the coming years.
"That's where we have to get our heads together and look at what can be done, and what can we do at the federal level, because Barrie has definitely blown up," Wilson said. "It's pretty well everywhere. You could draw a big circle within a two-hour span from the GTA and all of those places are expensive for housing.
"We do have a plan," she said, noting part of the solution is better transit in and out of the city.
On climate change, Wilson said it's important to give people accurate information about the Liberal carbon tax. She blames the Ford government for stickers the province has placed at gas pumps.
"Those stickers don't mention anything about a rebate and it was misleading and inaccurate," she said. "Some people are just misinformed and don't understand.
"We're putting a price on pollution and what that means is the biggest polluters are taxed," Wilson added. "Then all the money comes back in the form of a rebate, so Canadians actually benefit from that."
Wilson's campaign office is located at 72 Churchill Dr., Unit 1. For more information, click here.
The federal election is Oct. 21.
