The Ontario New Democratic Party candidate for the Bay of Quinte riding sees herself as a Swiss army knife.
Amanda Robertson visited Quinte News Monday to talk about her priorities and focus for next month’s by-election.
The married mother of three (ages 11, 9, 5) has lived in the Bay of Quinte region for eight years. She says the last six years under the PC Government have not been kind to the working class in the riding.
“We’ve seen cuts to public institutions, privatization, untenable funding that just isn’t meeting the needs for the people who live and work here.”
Amanda Robertson. (Photo: submitted)
Robertson has a Masters in Occupational Therapist and works as a freelance writer.
She currently serves as the treasurer for the John Howard Society and is vice-chair of the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board.
Her husband Drew Robertson is a physician with the Queen’s Family Health Team in Belleville, meaning between her own experience and that of her partner, she brings first hand knowledge of health care.
The 37-year-old says the homelessness crisis, mental health, and the opioid epidemic are not just a Belleville problem, but an issue across the riding, province, and country.
“My work on the board of the John Howard Society of Belleville, we have been actioning this and acting on this, and advocating for homelessness, for the people who are at risk of being homeless, for people who are currently living on the streets.”
“I’m not a career politician, I don’t have a background in politics. I’ve been a trustee for all of two years. What I do know is I know people. I know working people. I have worked in and worked with people from all industries. Whether that’s growing up on a dairy farm and seeing first hand the blood, sweat, and tears that go into that lifestyle. Or working in health care, or living alongside a family doctor who’s currently working in this crazy crisis, in the underfunded system that we all deserve so much better from. From my work on the school board, I’ve talked to numerous parents, hundreds of hours, and thousands of people, hearing concerns they have with schools. I feel like what makes me a good candidate is that I understand the people of the Bay of Quinte. I understand people from all walks of life, of all political stripes. We are all feeling that squeeze and we’re all feeling that pressure and I get that and I hear them.”
