Change on the doorstep

[attach]4646[/attach]Don Valley West Progressive Conservative candidate Andrea Mandel-Campbell has been canvassing every day since her June 22 nomination and one thing she says she hears often from residents is the need for something new.

“There’s a strong feeling among people at the door that we need to see changes from McGuinty’s government,” she says. “That means a change from high taxes and a lack of jobs.”

The former anchor for CTV’s Business News Network says that if elected, she intends to help her party create a strategy for jobs and prosperity.

“I recognize the importance of entrepreneurship — that small businesses are necessary for creating jobs and wealth in this province,” she says. “I know many small business owners who’d like to employ more people, but can’t because they’re brought down by bureaucracy and all sorts of fees.”

Mandel-Campbell says that her party has a game plan.

“We’re going to lower business taxes by 10 percent so that we can create an environment where more businesses want to be established in Ontario … We’re going to reduce the red tape burden,” she says.

A first time candidate, Mandel-Campbell points out that her career in business journalism makes her knowledgeable with the issues in her riding.

“My background is looking at business and government policy,” she says. “I wrote a book (Why Mexicans Don’t Drink Molson: Rescuing Canadian Business from the Suds of Global Obscurity) about what the government can do to create a more innovative and competitive global economy.”

But it’s also her personal background as a mother — living with her husband and children on Yonge Street and Blythwood Road — that led her into the political race.

“Having two kids myself, I feel strongly the need to support the education system,” she says. “We’re looking to invest two billion dollars to it. We want to empower teachers to have the access to the kinds of tools they want and need to educate children.”

Mandel-Campbell says she also wants this race to look into the healthcare system and its affect on patients.

“I have older parents and I’ve spent a lot of time in the system. I’ve seen how people can get lost in it,” she says. “We need to focus on patient-centric care so waiting lists are truly going down.”

The PC party is pledging six billion dollars to healthcare over the next four years, says Mandel-Campbell.

Although she’ll be busy with door-to-door canvassing for the next few months, Mandel-Campbell says that you could probably spot her biking around the city with her family.

“I’m an avid urban cyclist,” she says. “We love to bike near Sunnybrook and Edwards Gardens.”