Walker makes it 3 in race
News
Posted By PAUL JANKOWSKI , SUN TIMES STAFF
Posted 1 month ago
Bill Walker has joined the race to replace MPP Bill Murdoch as the Progressive Conservative candidate in the next provincial election.
Walker, a Bruce Power employee who has worked as a volunteer and a staff member for a number of local causes including hospitals in Wiarton and Lion's Head, the Terry Fox run in Wiarton and the Wiarton Willie Festival, made his announcement Thursday morning in Hepworth, his former home.
He now lives in Port Elgin, which is outside the Bruce-Grey- Owen Sound riding he wants to represent at Queen's Park.
"I physically moved there to allow my wife to be closer to her work and her family," he said in an interview. "I lived 35 of my 44 years in this riding and still contribute most of my volunteer activities in this riding and this is where I want to be and this is the area I care about and want to represent. Certainly I think some people will make an issue of it but to me, at the end of the day, it's not going to have an impact on the job I do or how much I put into my work."
"I have always been a community person," he said when asked about his bid for the Tory nomination.
"I believe we need leadership that's going to make sure our community is represented and we have some vision and ability to get things done and I think I bring that to the table . . . my biggest platform is I'd like to serve the people of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound and I believe I have the capacity. I have the passion and interest in the area and I want to make the area better and do my part."
Walker is running against realtor and businessman Mark Wunderlich of Allenford and Durham-area farmer Michael Schmidt, a former candidate for the federal Green Party nomination, to be the Tory standard-bearer.
Walker admits he has not always been a Progressive Conservative.
"My first experience with any kind of politics directly was with Murray Elston," whom he credited with getting the Wiarton hospital built.
"I looked at Murray and I said 'He's a class act. He's the type of person who would be the epitome of a representative' and it happened to be he was Liberal . . . Murray had that influence and had he been Conservative, had he been whatever, I would have followed that. So I think a lot of people see me as a Liberal, tag me as a Liberal. I think I bring values of all parties and certainly look forward to representing the views of all parties and all needs."
Walker said while the Tories have yet to unveil a political platform for the next election, "what Conservatives are going to stand on is fiscal policy. They want to ensure that the tax dollars that are being collected are being used frugally, properly and prudently . . . we need to get our house in order. We need to get back to being the stewards of the land properly and making sure were are viable economically. We can't live beyond our means."
Agriculture, he said, is "fundamental" in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.
"It's where our roots all started, it has a huge impact on our approach to life, our community, our culture, our economics."
He said he is concerned that Ontario's Liberal government, while paying lip service to assisting hard-hit segments of the agricultural sector, is waiting on the federal government to act. "That's not acceptable. I think what we want to be doing is being more proactive in finding ways to collaborate and partner and find ways for farmers to make a living."
Other governments and countries "are creating an unfair playing field" with subsidies and Ontario needs to look at areas were farmers are successful and use their experience as a model to make sure producers can make a living on the land.
Politicians, Walker said, "first and foremost" have to represent the people who elect them. "So if there's an area where the people are standing up and saying 'I don't believe in this,' I believe it's my duty to make sure the voice of the people . . . is represented. And if that's going against the party occasionally, well that's going to be the reality."
And while he is a team player, "at the end of the day you have to hold strong to your values and convictions . . . There's different ways of doing that. You don't have to offend anyone, you have to make your point valid and clear," Walker said.
One of his strengths is "the ability to bring different thought processes, divergent interests . . . and get us on the same page and move us forward in a collective effort," Walker added.
He opposes the Liberal's Green Energy Act because it takes decision-making out of the hands of local politicians. The province should act as a catalyst and provide guidelines for municipalities, "but they should not be dictating these types of issues to the local people."
Winning the nomination comes down to a numbers game -- selling party memberships and then getting people out to vote when the party chooses its candidate on Oct. 6, Walker said.
"If I can get in front of people and let people get to know me and see what my thoughts are and where I'm coming from and how sincere my conviction is for this role and how much I care about the community, that will be my ability to get those memberships sold," he said.
