The Ottawa-Orléans seat, traditionally a swing riding that voted for the two major parties, is currently held by Conservative MP Royal Galipeau, who was first elected in 2006 and will seek a third term.
A Nanos poll released Monday placed the Tories in the lead with 38.6 percent of the vote, followed by the Liberals with 27.6 percent and the NDP with 19.9 percent in third.
“I know I am the underdog and I know I have a lot of work (to do). Public service is something that I learned from a very young age,” said Bertschi, a lawyer by profession and an active member of the Ottawa-Orléans Liberal Riding Association for two decades. Bertschi also served as a crown prosecutor for the Ontario Human Rights Commission. “It’s about hard work and listening to people.”
Canada's 41st federal election campaign was launched last Saturday after Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and send Canadians to the polls on May 2.
The issuesThe economic recovery and creation of jobs appear central to both camps’ platforms.
“The economy is very important to everyone – the Conservatives have claimed that there are a lot of jobs being created, but most of those jobs are part time without benefits. All the federal jobs are going to the west end of the city,” said Bertschi. “Twenty-four percent of our community works for the federal government (…) The Conservative government has no respect for them in the way they are treated and denied their pay equity.
“We need jobs in Orléans.”
Bertschi also cited healthcare as one of the hot-button issues shaping this spring’s electoral race.
“We want to invest in healthcare,” he said. “The Conservative government has not been able to show that they can bridge the gap between various provinces and people.”
But Galipeau shot back, insisting healthcare falls under provincial jurisdiction.
“Last time I checked healthcare was a provincial issue. It is a very serious provincial issue: The other day my own mother had to languish in a hallway at l’Hôtel-Dieu (hospital in Montreal) for three days and three nights. So, this happens but this is a provincial issue,” he said.
Galipeau said the economy and infrastructure are among his top concerns.
“My focus is to revitalize the National Research Council by giving them a technology transfer centre,” he said.
However, he rejects the proposed construction of an eastern bridge over the Ottawa River.
“The people of Orléans don’t want a bridge in the greenbelt towering over the houses of Convent Glen North,” he said. “The people of Orléans have to decide whether they want a MP who will serve them from the government benches or if they want a MP who will scream and yell from the back rows of the opposition.”
Royal Galipeau voted down private members bill C-476 (Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act) which would have protected worker's pensions. He never responded to my letter asking him why, though no doubt it was buckling to the powerful banker's lobby. This will cost me thousands in the years to come. I'll be using my vote to express my displeasure.