Michele Fisher officially nominated D-C Liberal candidate

Written By JULIA LLOYD

The room was clustered in red as the Liberals of Dufferin-Caledon officially nominated Michele Fisher as their candidate in the Oct. 19 federal election.

On Tuesday night (June 18) Ms. Fisher and community members joined at the Hockley Valley Resort for the federal Liberal nomination meeting. 

The night started off with various speeches, with each speaker explaining their reason for being a Liberal and why they believe Ms. Fisher is the right woman for the job. 

“If I get elected I want to bring opportunity back to Dufferin-Caledon from the federal government, like grants and different programs that can benefit us here, and I want to be that conducive,” Ms. Fisher informed those in attendance.

Ms. Fisher has accomplished a lot as an active member of the Dufferin-Caledon community. President of the Rotary Club of Orangeville Highlands since 2018, she was also president of the Canadian Federation of University Women for Orangeville and District, and what's more amazing is she has sponsored and settled a Syrian family through a group called New Neighbours. 

Lynda Kee, president of the Federal Liberal Association and chair for the Dufferin-Caledon riding was MC for the nomination meeting. 

“I must be in a room full of Liberals — you all can't stop talking,” she laughed. 

Ms. Kee started off by introducing the first speaker, Mavis Wilson. The former politician was MPP for Dufferin-Peel from 1987 to 1990 and served as a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson. 

“We Liberals are the party for the people,” Ms, Wilson said. 

In her speech she talked about two “great influences” in her life, her grandfather and her father, Elwood Hill, who passed away after being diagnosed with with Alzheimer's disease. 

“As minister for senior citizen affairs, I told that story to many groups across the province,” she said. “And at their annual meeting in Toronto, the Alzheimer's Society gave me an award for the work I had done as minister in presenting Alzheimer's as something people needed to be aware off.” 

MS. Wilson continued her speech and divulged into her past journey on why she is a Liberal.  

The next speaker at the meeting was Ed Crewson, mayor of Shelburne for 17 years and Dufferin-Caledon Liberal candidate in the 2015 federal election.

Mr. Crewson got to the microphone and started discussing a recent memory of when he and all his “Big C” (Conservative) business friends were getting drinks after work. He asked his friends to raise a glass for his father, who 75 years ago that day was aboard a ship waiting to storm Juno Beach. 

“I knew what they were thinking at that exact moment: with all that patriotism in his history, how the hell is he a Liberal,” he laughed. 

Continuing into his speech, he reminisced about all the great things past Liberal prime ministers have accomplished in Canada. For example, he discussed Lester Pearson and the fact he gave us a flag to unite under — even though at the time it caused an uproar amongst many Canadians. 

The third and final speaker before Ms. Fisher told the crowed the most important story of the night. 

“On that day, the bomb hit the room we were in,” said Islam Salameh, a Syrian refugee who Ms. Fisher and many others helped bring to Canada under Justin Trudeau's government.  

In 2015, Islam was visiting her brother in Syria, while were bombs being dropped all over the town they called home. One day a bomb was dropped in the room and killed one of Islam's sons. 

“I was holding my child, who was 10 months old, and we were thrown [by the explosion] and we landed outside,” she said. “Three women and two kids died that day.”  

She and her son were in the hospital for months following the bombing. When Justin Trudeau was elected as Prime Minister in 2015, he helped bring over 25,000 Syrian refugees. Ms. Fisher was one of many people who helped specifically with Islam and her family. 

The night ended with Ms. Fisher's speech and her official nomination supported by 100 signatures from community members in Dufferin-Caledon. 

“As your candidate I will stand for all of us and be your voice – a strong new voice for Dufferin-Caledon, and a candidate that can unite our colours,” she said.