“We need to do the right thing,” says Taylor Roy in the face of “existential crisis” for Canada

As Canada faces an “existential threat” from the United States, voters need to cast aside “political stripes” and “do the right thing,” says Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill Liberal candidate Leah Taylor Roy.

This was the message she delivered to supporters on Saturday afternoon as the incumbent formally launched her re-election campaign in Oak Ridges.

While she says she has a passion for representing community, it is “equally if not more important” to consider the country as a whole when going to the polls this time.

“We all in this community in Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill have to work together to ensure we do everything to make Canada stronger, to ensure that we have the best country – we already do – but to make it even better and ensure that we're never, ever part of the United States,” she said, noting that new Liberal leader Mark Carney is the right person for that job.

“Not only do we need someone who will stand up to the Trump administration but we need someone who has the skill and the experience and the background to build our economy so we're even stronger and Trump can't hit us with an economic crisis that forces us to become any part of the United States. He is the right person and I am very happy to be part of his team and working under his leadership to make sure that everyone here, that everyone on this team, has the best present and future possible in our great country that we keep… that we keep it our great country.”

Taylor Roy was a bit late to her own campaign launch, she said, because she was on a call with Carney in her capacity as Chair of the Liberal Women's Caucus. She said he assured she and other members of the Caucus of his “commitment to being a really progressive Prime Minister as well.”

“His focus has been, and is rightfully on our economy – strengthening our economy and ensuring that we stand up to the United States,” she continued. “As Liberals, we also have to protect our progress. We are Liberals and all of the hard work that has been done by the Trudeau government over the last nine years, we want to ensure does not go backwards and that is exactly what would have happened had Pierre Poilievre become Prime Minister – I am saying ‘would have happened' because I am quite sure he is not going to be the next Prime Minister.”

Every vote and every riding will count to this end, she said.

“We need to make sure that all of our neighbours, all of our friends, all those people who may not agree with us, that perhaps have been brainwashed by a year or two of Conservative advertising, false advertising, I'd add, that they know what's going on. We are facing the most important issue in our country's history and we need to do the right thing regardless of political stripe.

“That is very important to me. I have always tried to work across all party lines and across all levels of government to ensure we make progress on the issues that matter and now, more than ever, we need every person, every person's ideas, every person's hard work, every person's efforts, all pulling together to ensure we continue to be the amazing, great Canada we are.”

Saturday's launch also saw Taylor Roy receive an endorsement from a veteran politician.

The endorsement came from former MP, Senator and Toronto mayor Art Eggleton, who hailed Taylor Roy as “one of the most talented, productive, hard-working members of the Parliament of Canada.”

“We need to get her back in Ottawa doing what she can do to help us in this very pivotal time in Canadian history,” he said. “We're fortunate to have Mark Carney as our leader. He has the skillsets we need to guide us through this period of time.

“His values are Liberal values and he will remember all parts of our population and try to build inclusion, diversity and equality was in our society.  Of course, the immediate need is to change and re-shape our economy to make us more independent, to make us more successful or, as he says, the best economy in the G7, is what he's going to build.”

By Brock Weir