Skip to main content

Our Campaign is Launched - I am running to be the Leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party

I announced today that I will be running for the leadership of the Manitoba Liberal Party.   The Convention to elect the new leader is October 21,   

Our daughter Pauline is the MC
Harmony Knott provides opening words and a prayer
Bonnie Bricker speaks of my passion to address mental and brain health issues, and that she believes I should be leader because of my experience, knowledge and compassion. 
I announce I will be running to be Leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party.  My speech is below the photos.
Shandi Strong provides concluding remarks. 


My speech at the announcement is below:

Welcome everyone.   Thank you for coming.   And thank you Bonnie  Bricker for your kind words.
We are here to launch our campaign.  I am running to be Leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party.
I want to thank my family and the members of my campaign committee.  I want to recognize my wife Naomi, and to thank my daughter Pauline for MCing this event.  

One of the first questions I am asked is why do I want to be leader again? 

Well, I am standing here today, because of you – because you have told me that you want me to run.  You have told me that you want me as a knowledgeable, experienced and trusted alternative to a government which is hacking and slashing vital programs and services important to all Manitobans.
Je suis ici aujourd hui parce que vous m’appuyez – vous me soutenez.  Vous m’avez demandé que je retourne.

I am coming back because you have asked me to.  I am coming back because we need to ensure the health of our people, all Manitobans - Metis, First Nation, Inuit and recent immigrants included.  We must do much better to address brain and mental health in our province.   As a doctor I know health care intimately.  After the last election, we produced a report on brain and mental health in less time that the current government took to hire a consultant to start on their plan.  

I am coming back because to achieve excellence in health care we need to build on the excellence that already exists in Manitoba, like at the Misericordia, not break it up and destroy it.   At a time when we have an urgent need for a dedicated stroke unit, this government is closing emergency rooms.  In their efforts to cut, the Conservatives have forgotten to focus on building.  

I am also coming back because we need to reduce poverty, to end homelessness and to support families in our province.  I am coming back because we need to ensure post-secondary education in Manitoba is accessible and to support our students and recent graduates instead of eliminating the tuition rebate.  As an environmentalist, I am coming back to ensure the health of our rivers and lakes, that all our citizens have clean running water, and that all Manitoba’s communities, including First Nations communities, have good flood protection.  

I am coming back, because we live in one of the most exciting times in history – with enormous possibilities to improve in new ways in the digital world, whether in education, in health care, especially preventing sickness, or in other fields and there is a need to think ahead so that we have the training, the jobs, the research and diverse opportunities here for work and recreation in our own province.  Experienced, knowledgeable forward thinking leadership which is ready to govern is what is needed as an alternative to the Conservatives. That is what I and our team offer.

And I am coming back because now, more than ever, we need to work together to build our Liberal Party and to build our province.   The time is now.  The future, my friends, is ours to earn.   And ours to work with all Manitobans to build.  It has been wonderful in the last year to work with Judy Klassen and Cindy Lamoureux and I look forward to continuing to work with them.  And I am looking forward to working with Dougald Lamont, with our Manitoba Liberal Party Board, with our federal Liberal colleagues and with our members across the province as we build a strong future for our Party and for our province.  There is much work to do.  Thank you all for being a part of this effort.  
Merci, Miigwech, Thank you

How to provide support:   This leadership contest will be decided by a vote of those who are members of the Manitoba Liberal Party.  There is a simple process to become a member. 

Go to the link below, and fill out the form to become a Member. Near the top of page 2 of this form is a line which says  Note: ______.  Fill in this line with the words "In support of Jon Gerrard", and then complete the rest of the form.   The cost is $10 for a regular membership, and $5 if you age 14-25.    The link you need to go to get the membership is  https://www.manitobaliberals.ca/donate

If you have further questions you can reach me and my team at jongerrardforleader@gmail.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dougald Lamont speaks at Meth Forum last night to present positive ideas to address the epidemic, while exposing the lack of action by the Pallister Conservatives

Last night at the Notre Dame Recreation Centre in St. Boniface, at an Election Forum on the Meth Crisis in Manitoba, Dougald Lamont spoke eloquently about the severity of the meth epidemic and described the Liberal plan to address it.  The Liberal Plan will make sure that there is a single province-wide phone number for people, or friends of people, who need help dealing with meth to call (as there is in Alberta) and that there will be rapid access to a seamless series of steps - stabilization, detoxification, treatment, extended supportive housing etc so that people with meth addiction can be helped well and effectively and so that they can rebuild their lives.  The Liberal meth plan will be helped by our approach to mental health (putting psychological therapies under medicare), and to poverty (providing better support).  It will also be helped by our vigorous efforts to help young people understand the problems with meth in our education system and to provide alternative positive
3 comments
Read more

Comparison between Manitoba and South Dakota shows dramatic impact of Physical Distancing

Manitoba implemented physical distancing measures in mid-March.  South Dakota has still not made physical distancing mandatory.   The result is a dramatic difference in the incidence of covid-19 viral infections between the two jurisdictions.   This graph shows the number of people with Covid-19 infections from March 27 to April 14.  Manitoba ( red line )  started leveling off about April 4 and has seen only a small increase in Covid-19 infections since then.   South Dakota ( blue line )   has seen a dramatic increase in Covid-19 infections since April 4.  Those who are skeptical of the impact of physical distancing in Manitoba should look at this graph! Data are from the Johns Hopkins daily tabulations
18 comments
Read more

Pushing for safe consumption sites and safe supply to reduce overdose deaths

  On Monday June 20th, Thomas Linner of the Manitoba Health Coalition, Arlene Last-Kolb Regional Director of Moms Stop the Harm and Winnipeg City Councillor Sherri Rollins were at the Manitoba Legislature to advocate for better measures to reduce deaths from drug overdoses, most particularly for safe consumption sites and for a safe supply, measures which can reduce overdose deaths.  
Post a Comment
Read more