Ken Friesen, New Democratic party
Ken Friesen has a clear idea of how he would approach the role if he were to be elected in the Morden-Winkler riding as the NDP candidate.
“I want to be the loudspeaker for everybody in our community,” said Friesen, who vowed to be a thorn in the side of anyone who is stopping progress. “Having a local voice in the Legislature is important, but more important is to have someone who is willing to stick their neck out and to actually speak up for the people here.”
Friesen is originally from Winkler and went on to spend time in Winnipeg as well as overseas before moving back to Morden.
He is currently a member of the Pembina Hills Arts Council board, where he aims to champion the idea that everyone needs a voice and an avenue to express themselves and their ideas.
“We chose to live in Morden because it is a community that we absolutely love and adore,” said Friesen.
He has a degree in the ministry field from Providence College as well as a degree in political science with a minor in religion from University of Manitoba, but he is now working now in the field of IT sales.
He has been a member of the NDP since he became an adult and was involved in a local riding association while living in Winnipeg. More recently, he has been helping to organize and co-ordinate the party’s presence in this area.
“I’ve always been interested in politics and how people relate to each other and how people understand and try to makes sense of the world around them … and how can we try to make life better for everybody involved,” said Friesen.
“I’ve been involved in a number of campaigns … trying to engage with and educate people around me to let them know that there is an alternative to what we have been provided so far.”
There are a number of key issues in this election but perhaps none moreso than health care, he suggested.
“I want to stop the cuts to health care,” Friesen said, citing the need to address issues like the waiting lists for family doctors. “I also want to ensure that our local voices are being heard in our education system.”
Friesen suggested a Conservative government will continue not investing as much in this riding because they feel it is not necessary to gain support.
“The only way is to make the PCs stand up and notice that they cannot just win, cannot just waltz into this riding and assume things,” he said.
He sees an overall struggle for so many people is affordability and all that comes into play, so there is a need for such things as tax cuts and freezing hydro rates for example.
“Keeping things affordable is one way we can help ease the burden,” said Friesen.
“What I’ve seen time and time again in this area is I don’t really hear their voice in the Legislature. I don’t see that commitment coming back to the people in this area,” he concluded. “The NDP is committed to standing up for people, standing up for workers, standing up for all the different communities within our larger community.”
Mattison Froese, Liberal Party
Mattison Froese wants to help grow the Liberal brand in the province, so he welcomes the opportunity to be the party’s candidate for the Morden-Winkler riding.
He realizes that it is a challenge especially in southern Manitoba, which has traditionally been solidly Conservative.
“I think a lot of it is complacency in government … they don’t really need to listen to their constituents and don’t really listen to the needs of the communities,” said Froese. “I think Liberals are the best choice for Manitoba … we offer a real choice to make real change.”
Froese is from Winnipeg, where he earned a degree in business administration from the University of Winnipeg and currently works with a city credit union.
He has been involved with the Liberal Party for about five years and had the opportunity to put his name forward as a candidate for the first time this year.
“I’ve been thinking about if for awhile, but the party reached out to me … it’s a good opportunity to help out when the party was needing candidates,” said Froese. “I’m very excited about it, and I think I could do a good job for it.
He credits the party leader for drawing him to the Liberals.
“What attracted me the most to the Liberal Party was Dougald Lamont because he is very well educated and knows a lot about what he’s talking about,” said Froese. “And beyond that, he has genuine care for people and not just helping the average Manitoban, but he cares about making lives better for everyone.
“I see him as a chance for Manitoba to move out of the climbing pattern of the same switching between two parties. It’s a chance for real change.”
Putting his name forward for the Morden-Winkler riding seemed to be an ideal choice for him, Froese noted.
“I’m attracted to it because they are very fast growing communities,” he said. “In particular, I like the model of the public housing project in Winkler. I feel public housing and things like housing co-ops are great ways to deal with the housing crisis in the province. I think it’s a very good model that the province should be investing more in.”
He touched on what he sees as priorities in this election.
“The key issues to me are the government services in education, housing, and health care,” Froese said. “The government has been neglecting things for a long time.”
He cited the increasing number of labour strikes now as an example of where a different approach is needed.
“We just keep passing on the buck in trying to balance the budget through the wages of the workers who need it, and this has ripple effects of people not being able to afford their month to month expenses … wages are not rising to keep pace with it.
“So I think we need to focus more on investing in the growth of Manitoba … it takes stronger investment to grow into a better future.”
Carrie Hiebert, Progressive Conservative
It may be her first time seeking election, but Carrie Hiebert comes with plenty of experience as the Conservative candidate for Morden-Winkler.
She is well versed in politics as a result of having worked for both former MLA Cameron Friesen and former MP Candice Bergen, as well as having served on Conservative boards provincially and federally.
“Everything right now just made sense and the timing was perfect for me to do this,” said Hiebert. “And I’ve always been a firm believer in the idea that if your dreams don’t scare you then they’re not big enough.”
Hiebert has raised her family in the Morden-Winkler area and been an active member in the community, contributing to a number of organizations through volunteerism and her working career.
She has experience in business and the private sector, having owned and operated King’s Deli in Winkler, which she will be turning over to her son.
“So I will be able to give all my attention to this new endeavour,” Hiebert noted.
“I feel that I have great experience in many different areas that I will bring to the table,” said Hiebert, who has also been involved with a number of charities and organizations including the Winkler Chamber of Commerce and Winkler Community Foundation.
“I’m a very strong advocate of volunteering and contributing to your community. I think our communities are amazing, and we need to continue to support those around us and continue to grow.”
Hiebert feels her political involvement has given her a range of valuable experience.
“I’ve been quite involved in campaigns and events like town halls and round tables,” she noted. “I’m pretty connected with the community, which I think is a really good asset for what I want to do here.”
She sees health care as likely the top issue in this election
“We still need to continue to grow and improve services,” said Hiebert, who not only noted the importance of the expansion of BTHC but addressing such things wait times, more support for doctors and nurses, and improvements in the area of mental health services.
“I would love to see more onsite training specifically in Morden and Winkler for health care,” she added. “Once you get somebody here in Winkler or Morden … if we can get them trained here, that opens the door for a lot more people.”
Other key areas for her range from education to the economy.
“I think affordability is a big thing right now with all of the increasing costs and inflation,” she said. “We need to make it more affordable for families.
“I really just want to be available to meet with community members … whatever the concern you have is what I want to hear.”
Manitobans head to the polls Oct. 3. Advance voting takes place Sept. 23-30.
—By Lorne Stelmach
