Tania Cameron: new voice for northern Ontario

Ochiichagwe’Babigo’Ining’s Tania Cameron is honoured by her selection to the New Democratic Party of Canada’s national council.
“My ears are open, my e-mail is open for people who just wish to share with me their concerns,” said the NDP candidate for the Kenora riding during the recent federal election. “I’ll be sure to relay that at the federal council table.”
The NDP elects provincial councillors from across the country to the national council as part of its constitution.
“They are the driving force behind making sure policy is developed, enforced, (and) policy changes are in place as legislation changes,” Cameron said. “It’s a lot of the hard work and I come from a background in policy so I think this is right in my alley.”
As the only provincial councillor from northern Ontario, Cameron is looking to stand up as a voice for the region.
“I certainly want to ensure our policies reflect the needs of families right across the north, whether you are living in the municipalities or the First Nation communities,” Cameron said.
Cameron said the provincial councillors are elected to two-year terms, with face-to-face meetings a couple of times a year and conference call meetings throughout the year.
“In our new role as official opposition we need to be on the ball and we’re committed to meeting as often as possible,” Cameron said.
Cameron said the NDP recently held a celebration in Vancouver of its 50th anniversary as a political party.
“It was a party that I will never forget because it took us 50 years to get from always being the third party to being the official opposition,” Cameron said. “We’ve met from farmer’s fields to big convention centres, from being the third party to official opposition. It’s been hard work over the years.”
Cameron said the NDP is focusing on pension plans and pay rates for new younger workers.
“A lot of our seniors are living in poverty and that is why we need to address pensions today,” Cameron said. “I think right across Canada pensions are under attack.”
Cameron looks forward to the next federal election in four years time.
“We beat out the Liberal (candidate) and I think we’ve certainly made strides as a party in this riding,” Cameron said. “We’ve reached to a new sector of voters, people who were non-voters actually. We also had people telling me on the doorstep, ‘You know I’m a Liberal but this time I’m going to vote NDP,’ so we are going to build on that momentum locally.”