With rumours of an election confirmed, it was no small coincidence that MPs would start hitting the trail in hopes of winning back their seats in Parliament. The MP in the Thunder Bay-Superior North riding is the honourable Patty Hajdu of the Liberal party of Canada. Aside from being our local MP she is also the Minister of Health in Canada. Prior to the last election she had been the Minister of Employment and was a familiar face along the north shores of Lake Superior, often dropping by to visit constituents a few times during the year. She had barely settled into her new role as Minister of Health when the news broke of a potentially threatening virus in China. Three months later the country was in lockdown. 

But politics being what it is, even an MP has to stand behind their party and when an election is called you have to be prepared to get out and get your message across to as many supporters as possible. That means travelling and reconnecting with people. Just days before the official announcement Minister Hajdu had already planned a quick tour of some of the small towns that line the north shore of Lake Superior.  

Kim Krause of the Schreiber Media Centre had personally got to know Minister Hajdu through his father, who had been the Mayor of Schreiber for a few terms and had remained actively involved in the community in his role as a councillor right up until his passing a few years back. Bob, as he was known, would often stop in at Patty’s office with Kim in tow, for a visit when he was in Thunder Bay. Her subsequent visits to Schreiber were often a high point in the community as many of the locals think of her as their voice in Ottawa. Bob Krause would often be her personal tour guide when she was in town so it seemed fitting that his son Kim had the privilege of accompanying her on her quick tour and compiled a summary of her visit to Schreiber.

One of those first stops of course was the local Robins Donuts shop, where an informal meet and greet session was to take place. This would be followed up by a personal tour of the new Schreiber Discovery Centre, almost complete but delayed to open until spring of 2022. Mayor Kevin Mullins and his councillors met up with the Minister at the new facility before heading downtown to attend the weekly Seniors Centre outdoor barbeque. Upon arrival at the downtown barbecue event, Minister Hajdu was immediately met with residents who jumped at the chance to get updates on various concerns.The biggest topics of course centred around the election and COVID, but just before she was due to leave she took a minute to update people on her latest pet project and that was the topic of Pharmacare. It is almost certain that the country is in dire need of a national programme for prescription and chronic medication that includes everyone who needs assistance with maintaining the life saving drugs that currently have become nearly unobtainable for most people with limited resources.

Note: Schreiber Media Centre and all CACTUS's LJI partners are committed to a full discussion of the election and offers equal time to all candidates.  Please contact Kim Krause at Schreiber Community Media if your candidate would like to arrange an interview).