Fighting for the community is in “my blood,” says Liberal candidate McLachlan

April 3, 2025 · 0 Comments

Small businesses are Canada’s economic backbone and Jennifer McLachlan knows this first hand.

As the owner of Cachet, a restaurant that served as a landmark adjacent to Newmarket’s Fairy Lake for nearly a decade, she learned what it takes to weather economic storms, and she’s focused on continuing that fight should she be elected Newmarket-Aurora’s Member of Parliament on April 28.

McLachlan is carrying the Liberal banner in this year’s Federal Election, taking over the party’s candidacy from outgoing MP Tony Van Bynen, who announced his retirement last year, and is doing so with pride under the new leadership of Mark Carney.

“I really think I make a positive difference,” she says. “With my career and the importance of sovereignty right now outside of being a small business owner and understanding the microeconomics of this community….it’s perfect timing for me to use all my skills and expertise in corporate security, safety and small business micro- and macro-economics to make a difference here in the community and bring that perspective that is very important to the issues we’re facing.

“With Mr. Van Bynen retiring, it was time for me to step up because the issues are something I can address.”

McLachlan says she “stepped up” as a candidate for the Liberals because the party’s policies align best with her “moral compass.”

“As much as I might be a middle-of-the-road kind of candidate, more conservative with my economic and business backgrounds, I couldn’t align myself with all of their policies and their initiatives,” she says of Conservatives. “Aligning myself with the Liberal party, I am an ally for the Pride community, I’m an ally for business, and I really am a proponent of a diverse, inclusive community, and I’m more aligned with the Liberal values.”

McLachlan was confirmed as Newmarket-Aurora’s Liberal candidate under the leadership of Justin Trudeau. Now running under the leadership of Carney, she says if she laid down Carney’s resume against those of his opponents as though she was hiring a CEO for Canada, Carney “would win the race every single time.”

“I would suggest out of anybody in Canada, he is the man who has the best resume,” she says. “We’re still in a recovery from the Pandemic and we’re facing a crisis with these tariffs that have already started to make an impact. Having him at the helm as somebody who has navigated economically crises in the past globally and has global relationships, the learning curve is going to be a lot shorter than it would with a different leader as well on top of that. Mr. Carney being the economic professional is exactly who we need right now and why I am completely aligned with him.

“In 2008, when he was helping us through that crisis, I was a single mom working two jobs – one with the Police Association as a bartender and one in Downtown Toronto as a security technology manager, I was really dependent on Mr. Carney to see us through when he was at the Bank of Canada. Eight years later, I was very successful and I bought Cache, and I personally know how these crises have an impact right down to the community level and I have already been successful with his navigation, previously.”

As she navigates this election by meeting residents at their doors and at various community events, she sees housing as a top priority should she be elected to the House of Commons this month. This is the largest housing crisis the country has faced since the Second World War and she’s aligned with Carney’s plan to get the government back into the business of building homes, she says.

Affordability, writ large, is still the biggest conversation she has with residents at the door. Citing her work founding the logistics business DeliverEh, she says her aim was to be “different in the industry in last mile delivery” and return up to 30 per cent of revenue back to businesses.

“My priorities are pretty clear. I think my skillset and the value that I am going to bring to this position in this community is pretty clear. With the unrest in the world right now, my Mama Bear has been activated, so that’s an extra element as well. My Scottish background as a McLachlan has me fighting for this community through my blood. Really all in all, I think I am going to be a great resource for this community and I am committed to providing service should I acquire this position.”

By Brock Weir