Newfoundland needs a strong voice in Ottawa that speaks to our concerns; the concerns of all who call St. John’s South-Mount Pearl home. I am running to be that voice.

My roots here run strong and deep. My mother taught for most of her career at Goulds Elementary, and my father’s family have fished from St. John’s Harbour for over a century.  

Like many of you, I know what it’s like to rely on EI and hope for a good summer, to work hard and scrape by. That was our life when I was growing up. I was 12 when the moratorium hit, so I know how hard it can be when a parent loses their livelihood and a major part of their identity all at once. When they could start fishing crab, my father took out loans to get new gear and an old boat. With my uncle and cousin, and a lot of hard work, they re-built the fishing business from scratch. I keep a photograph of the Narrows from the 80s in my office, to never forget where I come from.

After finishing university, I took a job in Vienna, Austria, where my son was born. I moved home when he was a few months old. Looking at my home province through the eyes of a father I saw it anew: I saw the injustices and economic problems and committed to working to make our home a better place for him. 

Now, more than ever, is the time for action. We are facing social, environmental, and economic crises; we need change. We need to elect representatives who will act in our best interests by pushing for these changes. 

As your representative, I will:

• advocate forcefully for a basic income program, a living wage, pharmacare, dental care, child care, and to repair the other parts of our fraying social safety net. This will ensure no one lives in poverty and will allow artists and entrepreneurs alike to take risks and create new opportunities; 
• work hard to secure retraining assistance for those hardest hit by the decline of the oil and gas sector, and to diversify our economy with investment in new, greener infrastructure projects;
• fight for the complete elimination of student debt, making education accessible to all of us, no matter our economic background.

I’m asking you to trust me to be your voice in Ottawa because I am one of you. I’m a child of this riding, from typical parents, who went to the same schools as you. It is my firm belief that together, with hope and hard work, we can make this country better for all our children. 

The teachers and fishers, the social workers and tradespeople, the farmers and nurses and civil servants, all of us need someone to speak for us in Ottawa, not just someone to speak to us on behalf of the government.

To reach me, please e-mail ray@raycritch.ca or follow me on social media.