Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Prior to becoming the New Democratic Party’s nominee for the Hastings-Lennox and Addington riding, Nate Smelle worked as a reporter for Bancroft This Week.
While covering local events, he says he felt called to do more and take action and seek office. The long-time resident of L’Amable, Ont. was unanimously named the NDP’s candidate for this riding on Feb. 10.
“I love writing about politics,” Smelle told the Beaver. “As a journalist you have to understand issues in depth as well. Having that understanding, it made me passionate about so many issues in our riding. When I was asked to run, I felt it was time to put my money where my mouth is.”
He says even before getting into politics he considered himself an activist and environmentalist.
“ONDP and the NDP have always been the party of the working class,” said Smelle. “People that are in need of assistance, the NDP has always been there.
“What I was seeing as a journalist and now at people’s doors when I knock on people’s doors, are more and more people are being left behind by the system. Under (Liberal leader and current Ontario Premier Kathleen) Wynne, it’s gotten worse and with (Conservative and former premier Mike) Harris, there was major cuts and major privatization that began to take place then.
“They got the ball rolling and then (Former Ontario Premier and Liberal Dalton) McGuinty and Wynne have picked it up and ran with it. The NDP just spoke to me because I feel like they’ve got the most logical voice when it came to social justice and issues that matter to me personally and issues that seem to matter to the majority of the community.”
In going door-to-door Smelle says the biggest issues he’s heard are about health care, affordable housing and hydro.
“My mom was diagnosed with MS about 30 years ago,” Said Smelle when asked about health care. “Being small business owners, my parents didn’t have dental coverage or medical coverage. Now she’s going without medications that she needs to improve her quality of life. $1,000 a month in medication is not an easy thing to come up with for people on fixed incomes.”
That’s why he says he supports ONDP leader Andrea Horwath’s proposed plan of universal pharmacare for all Ontarians.
“The biggest question is how are we going to pay for universal dental care? How are we going to pay for universal pharmacare?” said Smelle.
“The NDP’s platform is looking at our taxation system and making fair taxation the status quo as opposed to trying to pay for social programs with funds from the working class. Looking at people and corporations mostly, these big corporations that come in and receive a low tax rate, get all these benefits to encourage them to do business in our province, but then they’re not paying their fair share. The NDP’s plan is to make these multi-billion dollar corporations to actually pay their fair share of what it takes to have a comfortable quality of life for all Ontarians.”
He says the party will also take a look at preventative medicine, such as supporting the local agricultural industry in an effort to produce healthier food for families.
On the issue of education, Smelle says he supports the idea of turning student loans into grants.
“Looking at the NDP’s plan to convert the loans into grants, I think that’s brilliant,” he said. “I think that’s really a step in the right direction in terms of showing that we value education as opposed to running it like a business.”
He also expressed disappointment in the closure of Yarker Public School.
“These kids at a very young age are going to have to get on a bus and travel a great distance just to get to school,” said Smelle. “And travel with students of high school age, which is an issue for parents and understandably so.”
On the issue of rising hydro costs, he says the NDP can reduce the average bill by about 30 per cent by reversing the Hydro-One sell-off.
“The CEO of Hydro One, Mayo Schmidt, just got a $1.7 million raise out of the tax payer’s pocket,” said Smelle. “He’s now making $6.2 million a year in total compensation, yet people are having their lights turned off because they can’t pay their hydro bills. To me that says Michael Harris’ plan of privatization which the Liberals and Wynne have carried out, is not in the interest of the people of Ontario.
“That’s why we’re going to buy it back. That’s our strategy. We can lower hydro bills by 30 per cent if we put it back in the public’s hands. We still own enough shares that that’s possible. The Liberals and the Conservatives say it can’t be done, but I think that’s because they don’t want it to be done.”