TIMMINS - The newly named federal NDP candidate is ready to hit the ground running.
Sunday, Nicole Fortier-Levesque was chosen to carry the NDP banner for the new riding of Kapuskasing-Timmins-Mushkegowuk in the next federal election.
Fortier-Levesque is excited and ready to take on the challenge.
“It took me a while to make the decision to run, but that’s how I am,” she said.
“When I get involved in something, I like to do my research and make sure that I can make a difference. I am ready to start working for Canadians, especially for all our residents in our riding. I’m ready for this.”
Born in Opasatika, Fortier-Levesque was a teacher at Cité de Jeunes in Kapuskasing for decades. She is also the former mayor of Moonbeam, where she served as a councillor first.
Earlier this year, veteran NDP MP Charlie Angus announced his retirement from politics.
RELATED: 'Perfect time to pass the baton': Charlie Angus not seeking re-election
Fortier-Levesque is committed to continuing the work started by Angus and the broader NDP team.
“I know I need to continue to work on all the initiatives that the party has been working on. We need to see the end of their hard work. That legacy is what we’ve been working on for many years,” she said.
The transition is already in motion, with Fortier-Levesque talking to Angus and Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes, who is also leaving politics after this term, after Sunday's meeting.
“When I was talking to Charlie Angus, he said that he’s planning to go meet with Indigenous communities in January. So we are planning to go to Moosonee by train. So things are really rolling right now.”
As Christmas approaches, Fortier-Levesque is eager to be present in the community, meet people, and further build trust with voters.
“I need to talk to people so they can have confidence in our party again,” she said.
“I will be fighting very hard to regain that confidence from the people to make sure they understand what we have to offer.”
A significant portion of Fortier-Levesque's platform is focused on improving conditions for Indigenous communities.
“It’s important that Indigenous people receive the same services as everywhere else in the country, such as access to clean water, housing, and safe and reliable infrastructure, as well as quality education and better health care,” she said.
“We can’t say that they receive the same services as we do, because it’s not true… We need to defend their fundamental rights by creating a partnership that will be based on the great cognition of our history in order to achieve reconciliation.”
She also plans to focus on key issues such as affordability, poverty and homelessness.
“I want to ensure that every person has a home, that every child can learn on a full stomach, and to help families make ends meet by creating new jobs with better working conditions and better pay,” she said.
The opioid crisis also needs to be addressed, she said, along with the rising costs of rent and groceries, provide better health care and offer better mental mental health services.
Fortier-Levesque’s vision for Canada is one where every citizen is valued and no one is left behind.
“I am there for them, and I think my way of working will be the hope for change to make sure that families come first and no one is left behind, because everybody deserves the best,” she said.
“A Canada where everything is possible, where we stand together, and where everyone is included… It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. We need to work together, and we need a fairer Canada, a fairer society.”
The latest the next federal election will be is October 2025, but the writ could drop any time before then.
The local Conservatives named their candidate more than a year ago — retired forestry executive Gaétan Malette. A local Liberal candidate has not been announced yet.
The next federal election will also see a new riding locally as new riding boundaries took effect on April 22, 2024.
