On Dec. 1, Ontario Green Party candidate Aislinn Clancy was elected as the new Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in Kitchener Centre with 47.99 per cent of votes.
Attendance was low, with only 27.1 per cent of eligible voters participating.
A graduate from Laurier’s Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Master of Social Work (MSW) programs, Clancy has a strong tie to the Laurier community. She was inspired to run for MPP after Premier Doug Ford won for a second time in June of 2022.
Doug Ford, when he first was elected Premier, was like a bull in a China shop … with anything related to equity and climate.
Clancy
Doug Ford, when he first was elected Premier, was like a bull in a China shop … with anything related to equity and climate.
“I want to fight for people to have a livable planet and a place to live in on a livable planet. And I
know that the province is really interfering with that reality for future generations,” she said.
On her website, Clancy states that her five priorities are housing, childcare, healthcare, education and transit.
When asked about her plans to assist colleges and universities in the area, Clancy noted the role funding plays, and how the freeze in provincial funding has resulted in strain on how these institutions function.
“It’s hard for staff who are teaching these programs to get adequate working conditions and compensation – it’s hard to repair infrastructure. I’m sure that puts a strain on tuition.”
Clancy would like to see “more thoughtfulness surrounding how international students are being supported, recruited and the kinds of processes they face,” she said.
“I think there’s international students who are being used as a way to fund colleges and universities, especially at Conestoga. It has been disproportionate how other universities and colleges have navigated that,” said Clancy.
The pressures that come with being a student have led to wide- spread mental health issues.
In 2022, Statistics Canada reported that over 5 million Canadians “met the diagnostic criteria for a mood, anxiety or substance use disorder.”
I’m passionate about creating prevention tools so that social media, video games and other types of companies aren’t using harmful tools in their software and services that they provide.
Clancy
“It’s underfunded in terms of people getting access to care in a timely manner – there’s huge wait- lists, and the funding hasn’t gone up, especially in the not-for-profit sector.”
The lack of funding for health issues – including those surrounding mental health, is something Clancy feels strongly about as she states she will be “advocating for more funding in not only primary care settings, but non-for-profit settings.”
For students looking to get in- volved in the local political scene, Clancy suggested lobbying with groups like Citizen Climate Lobby, which can help train people on how to lobby their government officials.
Choosing to lobby will lead to a more informed voting base, said Clancy.
“I think students are keenly aware. You have critical minds. I hope that we can mobilize students to vote and be informed about their vote.”