If progress for an election candidate can be measured in shoe leather, then it's important you know that Sara McCleary is on her second pair of campaign runners.
"They're from Walmart. I can't afford the fancy Nikes," the New Democratic Party of Canada candidate told SooToday as she opened her campaign war room tonight in the former Furniture Gallery location at 24 Queen Street East.
McCleary and her canvassing team have delivered leaflets to 10,000 homes so far.
"When I'm going out door-knocking, what I'm hearing so far is that people are really disillusioned. They don't even know if they're going to go out to vote, because in their mind all politicians are the same. Everybody's just in it for the money. They don't actually care about helping people."
"More and more, I'm trying to make it clear that's not why I'm doing this. I'm absolutely in it to help the working-class people, the people like myself who I see struggling in the same ways I am."
In her speech to Tony Martin, Bud Wildman and other party faithful, McCleary cast herself as a corruption fighter.
"Look at the SNC-Lavalin scandal," she told SooToday. "It proves that Liberals and Conservatives are the same. They're willing to work to help the richest corporations at the expense of helping individual working-class Canadians."
The 43rd Canadian general election takes place Monday, Oct. 21.
In Sault Ste. Marie riding, McCleary is running against:
- Terry Sheehan (incumbent) (Liberal)
- Sonny Spina (Conservative)
- Geo McLean (Green)
- Amy Zuccato (People's Party)
