Mercier declares Liberal candidacy in Niagara Centre
For Benoit Mercier, communicating is key to making things happen in all levels of government, and that’s just what he plans to do should he clinch the nomination for Niagara Centre’s Liberal MPP candidate.
Mercier announced his bid for the position on Saturday at a small gathering of friends, family and supporters at the Black Sheep Lounge in Welland.
“I will work hard to gain the trust of the citizens of this new riding for now is the time for change,” he said to those gathered.
The new Niagara Centre riding at the provincial level encompasses Welland, Port Colborne, Thorold and south St. Catharines. Mercier said he chose to host the announcement at the coffee shop because people tend to gather for coffee to share ideas and have conversations.
While there, he touched on issues he will focus on, including health care, transportation, jobs and education.
As executive director of the French Catholic school board association, he said he knows how important it is to make sure education is not only financially accessible, but also about what children need to be learning.
“We need to make sure our kids have a rounded education,” he said, noting the importance of not only science, technology and mathematics, but also of subjects such as art. “We need to make sure our kids are prepared for the future.”
Born in Welland in 1963, he said he knows what issues are important to Wellanders and other residents in the riding. For work, he makes trips to Queen’s Park and has had talks with people in the position to make changes.
Not only does he bring up concerns relevant to his job, but he said he passes on messages of what residents want upper levels of government to know and about what needs to be done for the area.
“I’ve listened for a very long time about the concerns of taxpayers and citizens that are in this riding, and you can bet your bottom dollar that when I get to Queen’s Park I will bring forth those concerns and action will happen,” he said.
Primarily, he said, he is about doing what’s right, even if it doesn’t perfectly align with the Liberal party principles. He said when he campaigned for the position in 2011 and 2014, he went against the grain on some issues.
The provincial party association will have to make the final decision on who is the Niagara Centre liberal candidate, but Mercier said so far he’s not aware of anyone else running for it.
The provincial elections take place in June. laura. barton@niagaradailies.com twitter.com/LBartonTribune