Born in Moscow before the fall of the Soviet Union, Andrea Khanjin fled the communist state as a child with her grandparents.
Chosen Thursday as the Progressive Conservative Party’s candidate in the new Barrie-Innisfil provincial riding, Khanjin said those early memories galvanized in her what kind of political system she did not want to be participant to.
“We tended to be anything but communism, really, because we fled that world,” she said during an interview at Cafe Cappuccino in downtown Barrie.
“I was born in Moscow during a very tumultuous time,” Khanjin added. “My grandparents really hated what was happening under the communist regime, so my grandmother wanted to get out as soon as she could.”
They fled to Cuba where they met a local man who said Barrie would be a nice place to settle. They lived with him for a few years before saving up enough money to rent their own place and eventually purchase a home.
“It was really my grandparents striving for a better life,” Khanjin said. “I was very fortunate they took me with them.”
Her grandfather is still alive, but her grandmother died a year ago. Khanjin’s father remains in Russia and her mother moved here about seven years ago.
Khanjin remembers landing in Gander, NL, where they claimed refugee status. Her first tastes of freedom, literally, were Froot Loops and McDonald’s ketchup packets within a few hours of each other.
Khanjin, now 30, won the nomination last week to become the PC candidate in the Barrie-Innisfil riding for this summer’s provincial election, set for June 7.
Khanjin has been involved with several elections behind the scenes in Barrie, but she is entering new ground.
“(Innisfil) is more of a new territory for me, but I’ve made a lot of inroads during the nomination and will continue to do so during the campaign,” she said.
Her partner, Kevin Royal, came back to Canada from his job in South Korea to help with her campaign and she said he plans to return to Canada in the coming months.
Winning the nomination was a big step in her career.
“I’m really motivated by the outpouring of support we’ve got from conservatives all around the riding,” she said. “I’ve met a lot of conservatives, so now it’s reaching out to the broader net of the Barrie-Innisfil riding.”
Khanjin said she is keen on making improvements in the riding.
“I’ve always wanted to make change happen, so for me that change has always been behind the scenes,” she said. “I’ve come to the realization that you can do all the good work you can behind the scenes, but it really comes down to that person you elect on the front lines, who really puts their name forward and is accountable for the decisions; someone who is in it for the rights reasons and not the wrong reasons.
"It has to be selfless.”
Khanjin said politicians have to remain focused on their riding. “When you don’t do that, you’re totally out of touch with common sense and reality,” she said.
Khanjin grew up in south-end Barrie and said she has an interest in politics since she was 12 years old.
“Whether it was student council at King Edward or student council at Barrie Collegiate, a lot of my friends are still here,” she said. “And even those who have moved away, their parents are still here, so I have my roots, my base and it’s been my home for more than 25 years.”
One of her first political contacts was former PC Party leader Patrick Brown, who was a Barrie city councillor at the time and working on his second municipal campaign. She also worked with former MPP Joe Tascona and subsequent PC candidates provincially.
After graduating from Barrie Central, she secured a scholarship at the University of Ottawa where she studied political science. During the summer, she worked at Brown’s constituency office when he was an MP, as well as with Jason Kenney and Joe Oliver.
From the local turmoil surrounding Brown to the leadership race atop the PC ranks, Khanjin said none of that has mattered to people at their homes.
“I thought it would be more of a question at the door … but the real thing is people just want change and want the Liberals out,” she said.
Khanjin said her main priorities on the campaign trail will be health care, small business and job creation.
“Our health-care system sometimes fails us when we need it most,” she said, adding the creation of a health hub in Innisfil is “going to be a big issue.”
Secondly, “small business is the backbone of our area,” Khanjin said, noting concerns surrounding “labour changes,” such as the minimum-wage increase, have been raised by employers she has spoken to.
Thirdly, job creation is paramount.
“You can’t have quality jobs without education,” Khanjin said. “We need to ensure that when people go to Georgian College we’re able to retain that brain power so people can stay in their community to work. I don’t think we do a good enough job with that. The college does a great job … but we need to find a way to retain that talent.”
