On June 26, in preparation for this fall’s provincial election, Liberal supporters gathered in Waterloo to officially recognize Wilfrid Laurier University alumnus Eric Davis as the Liberal nominee for Kitchener-Waterloo’s Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP). The nomination was presented by former Waterloo Mayor Herb Epp.
Kitchener Centre MPP and Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities John Milloy was also there to voice his encouragement. “The best sign that it all started well, I showed up and there was no parking,” he began humorously.
“Normally that’s frustrating, but that says something really, really good.”
While commending Davis as an “amazing” candidate, Milloy remained focused on the challenges of the upcoming election and the role political representatives would play.
“Government is every single person in this room, and every single person in this community and every single person in this province,” he commented. “It’s all of us coming together and pooling our resources, pooling our responsibilities, so that we can work together for the betterment of the entire province.”
For Davis, his interest in provincial politics began when he was a student at Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate (KCI), participating in the annual Federal-Provincial Conference simulation still held at the University of Waterloo.
There, a speech was made by politician Bob Rae regarding the importance of politics which inspired Davis to continue his involvement by joining the WLU Young Liberals. Davis explained, “… just being around a whole bunch of people my own age, sharing political discussions and ideas, it really encouraged me to get involved.”
Davis has since been involved in numerous local volunteer opportunities, and considers his nomination another opportunity to assist the community.
“I’ve always believed that if you’ve been given opportunities— such as getting an education, it’s important to give back to ensure that others are given the same opportunities,” he said.
Davis is currently on the Board of Directors for United Way Kitchener-Waterloo (K-W), and is on the Federal-Provincial Affairs Committee of the Greater K-W Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s been really great, because I’ve gotten to learn just about the diversity of our community and how different things interplay on each other,” he said of his volunteerism.
In regards to his vision for the area, Davis’s focus appears to be on “strategic investment” in the region’s growth.
While recognizing the authority of municipal governments over their respective affairs, Davis noted, “The provincial government has a role to plan in assisting municipalities and helping them make smart investments in order to plan for growth, in order to make sure that as we grow, we’re going to grow sustainably and we’re going to grow well.”
Despite Davis’s optimistic words, a glimpse into the intensity of the upcoming election came through in a discussion of Ontario Conservative Party leader Tim Hudak.
“Tim Hudak has a 14 billion dollar hole in his platform,” he said scornfully, referring to Hudak’s economic plans as “ridiculous.” Davis continued, “He’s not preaching the common sense revolution, he’s preaching the nonsense revolution.”
With new polls currently acknowledging Hudak as the clear leader in support, the Liberal Party will have to raise their campaigning to a much higher standard if they hope to overcome Conservative momentum from the federal election.
