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Liberal candidate Bossio hosts meet and greet in North Hastings

August 25, 2015

By Jim Eadie

With a lengthy federal election race now underway officially, local candidate for the new riding of Hastings and Lennox and Addington, Mike Bossio, was not long making his way to north Hastings to meet local voters and supporters.
“I want to represent this constituency, and I want to know that people are thinking,” he said during a meet and greet barbeque held at the home of Marion Severinac and her husband at Lake St. Peter on Aug. 12.
Oct. 14 Bossio was acclaimed as the local Liberal party candidate at their nomination meeting in Tamworth Ontario, and pledged at that time to visit 20,000 households in all parts of the riding before the election.
“I am well on the way,” he said. “As of today I am up to 12,000 households, and we were door-knocking and talking to people in Bancroft and Maple Leaf today.”
“Intolerance and bullying doesn’t build strong countries,” he said referring to the current Harper Conservative government. “We need to work together, find common ground and build consensus. Strong leadership is not autocratic, but really about your convictions and values, your vision, and not being intimidated by opposing ideas.”
The current “silo building” of party politics inhibits good government in his view.
“My loyalty will be first and foremost to my constituents, then to my country, and then to my party,” he said.
What does Justin Trudeau think of that?
“I was told that I am exactly the candidate they wanted,” he replied.
Bossio noted that this area has one of the highest rates of child poverty and food insecurity in the country. “Low and middle income families need more support,” he said. “Give money to low and middle income people, and they will spend it … and spend it in their community.”
Bossio, a self-employed recruiter for the technology industry, also believes that the current system of supporting small start-up business and local innovation requires a “re-think”. “There are a lot of golden nuggets right here in our back yard that are being missed,” he noted. “This could be a component of rebuilding rural Ontario.”
Speaking to the approximately 50 supporters and interested people attending the barbeque, Bossio committed to being “part of the solution” for climate change. “Most everyone on the planet now knows that climate change is happening, and we should move forward as a unified body towards real solutions,” he said.
Wrapping up, Bossio encouraged everyone to take a look at all of the political parties platforms. “See what fits with your vision of Canada,” he said. “Talk to the candidates. I will do as much as humanly possible to meet as many people as I can. To represent you, I need to listen. I will earn the right to represent my constituents. Please vote.”