Local New Blue candidate looking to bring increased transparency into politics 

By Sam Odrowski

There's a new grassroots party running in the provincial election, providing a more conservative alternative to the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. 

The New Blue Party, which was the first party in the province to register a full slate of candidates, has business owner and Mono resident Andrea Banyai vying for the position of Dufferin–Caledon MPP in the June 2 election. 

Out of her desire to make a change and become more active in politics, Banyai started out as president of the local New Blue riding association when it formed, and when the time came, she stepped up as the Dufferin–Caledon candidate.

“Part of the reason I decided to support the party is because it's grassroots from the ground up. We have no lobbyists or corporate ties. Everybody that stepped up to run as a candidate has a background in something relevant and is here to make a change,” said Banyai. 

New Blue's priorities are reforming health care, reforming education, defunding establishment media while promoting a free press, providing tax relief, and growing Ontario's economy.

The party's plan to help with the cost of living is to reduce HST from 13 per cent to 10, axe the carbon tax, and lower hydro costs by cancelling wind turbine contracts.

“The only way to lower hydro costs is to cancel these bad deals with the wind turbines,” said Banyai. “It is possible to do. The government is not bound by the previous governments before, so deals that were put in place can be changed and should be changed. It was a bad deal, even Kathleen Wynne agrees.”

Former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne acknowledged her role in raising energy prices through wind turbine deals in an interview with Paul Wells in Mclean's magazine earlier in the year.

On the topic of education, New Blue wants to reduce administrative costs by introducing school tax credits and eradicate “woke” activism from classrooms with the removal of critical race theory and gender identity theory. 

“What people are saying is they don't trust the education system anymore. It's so indoctrinated now with this ‘woke' ideology,” said Banyai. “There's just so much time and effort spent on identity and ideology, and not on academic education.”

Banyai also noted that tax credits should go to parents who homeschool their kids and red tape needs to be slashed to get more daycare centres open.

She also commented on some of her ideas to help older students receiving a post-secondary education and strengthen Ontario's financial situation. 

“We need to reduce administration costs for universities and colleges and trades. We need to put a focus on removing the taboo from trades and be encouraging youth to get into the trades because it's necessary – we have to grow the economy.”

Another area of focus for Banyai is eliminating COVID-19 vaccine mandates and passports.  

She said vaccine passports and mandates are political and are not based on proper science, as they don't prevent transmission of COVID-19. 

“Our party platform is to make a policy so that no government or businesses in the future can do [vaccine] mandates,” said Banyai, who added that a New Blue Government would rehire the thousands of healthcare workers fired over vaccine mandates. 

She told the Citizen, since the start of the pandemic, she'd like to see a stronger focus on treatments, especially as immune system data came out on Vitamin D's role in fighting COVID-19 infections. 

With respect to the “Freedom Convoy”, Banyai said she agrees with the truckers who were protesting the government's vaccine mandate for transporting supplies across the Canada–United States border. 

“I come from the logistics world, so I thought it was completely insane that you would mandate truckers to have a vaccine when we've already got a crisis right now with logistics,” Banyai noted.

She also expressed concerns around Bill 100, which Solicitor General Sylvia Jones announced back in March. It makes powers permanent that were given to the province during Ford's declared State of Emergency in February over blockades at border crossings. 

It's been criticized by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association as being too broad, and could impact expressive activity or peaceful assembly. 

Banyai said the big controversy is that the provincial State of Emergency wasn't needed for law enforcement to do their job and clear blockades at bridge crossings.

She now worries if people are gathering for a protest on a street, it could be deemed as blocking critical infrastructure, which would fall under Bill 100 and permit police to detain or ticket the people gathering.

On the topic of lockdowns, Banyai said she was firmly against this policy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

One thing that's been missing, in her view, is open and honest debate among medical professionals who disagree on topics surrounding COVID-19 and the best path forward.

She said getting “big pharma's” influence out of politics would be her focus, if elected.

Out on the campaign trail, Banyai said she's really enjoying door knocking and engaging the community about the New Blue Party.

“I love talking to people, I thought I'd be nervous about it, but I really like the one on one with people and hearing their opinions,” she noted. “It's been great, it's been receptive, people are supportive. They're happy there's another choice.”

From her experiences engaging the community, Banyai said most people want the same things – a lower cost of living, cost of daycare, and better education. 

Being new to politics, she told the Citizen it's disturbing to watch election promises made by winning political parties that are rarely ever kept.

If elected, Banyai shared what she would do differently. 

“I care about Dufferin–Caledon, and I care about the issues going on here, and I would represent them,” she said. “I understand what's needed to be successful. You need to read the bills, you need to consult with your community, you need to respond to your community, and you need to go out and figure out what the issues are, what people really care about. Both locally and provincially, come up with solutions, not Band-Aid solutions, long term solutions. We need to stop thinking about what are we going to say and do for the next election, and start thinking about what are we going to say and do to advance society and be better, wiser, smarter, healthier human beings.”

Going forward, Banyai said she's going to continue canvassing and knocking on as many doors as she can before June 2 to spread the word about New Blue and her campaign. 

She said she'd encourage everyone in Dufferin–Caledon to cast a vote and create change.

“We need representatives in Parliament that aren't afraid to stand up to the established parties and say what their constituents want and need,” she said. “That's exactly what I would do. I understand the job in Parliament now and what's needed to get it done.”