It’s always fun when a friend throws their hat in the
political ring, and so it was an honour Sunday to venture up to Aurora as Jason Cherniak launched his campaign for the federal Liberal nomination in the newly
created riding of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill.
Over 100 people were in hand for the Sunday afternoon
launch, and Jason had a pretty impressive lineup of speakers on hand to support
his campaign. Among them were Oak-Ridges-Markham MPP and Ontario Liberal caucus
chair Helena Jaczek, former Aurora Mayor Tim Jones, and former Richmond Hill MP
Bryon Wilfert.
Jason delivered a strong speech speaking to the issues that
matter to the people of Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill, including transit and
infrastructure, the economy, and an issue the Harper Conservatives have been
sadly ignoring, youth unemployment. And youth under-employment. As Jason pointed
out, too many youth are working service jobs after earning advanced degrees. “It’s impacting a generation,” he rightly pointed out.
I’ve known Jason for nearly a decade. He founded the Liblogs
blogging aggregate, and really helped to build a community for Liberal social
media where none existed before. But his involvement in the Liberal party is
deep, from serving on countless campaigns at the provincial and federal levels,
as well as leadership races, holding several executive positions on the Liberal
Party’s Ontario wing, and always working to bring in new volunteers, help
people get involved, and make this a more inclusive, welcoming party.
How dedicated is Jason? Just hours before his wedding, he sent out the LPC(O) e-newsletter updating party members on the latest party news and activities. He doesn't take a day off.
While his Liberal roots are deep, he’s also deeply engaged
in the local community. After completing his education, he returned to his
hometown of Richmond Hill to start his law practice. And between his
involvement with the local Rotary and Chamber of Commerce, I don’t know how he
has time for anything else.
At the moment, Jason is running unopposed for the
nomination, but I know he’ll keep working hard either way. He’s just the sort
of person we need in parliament. I congratulate him for putting his name
forward, and I look forward to seeing him on the Liberal team in 2015.
To follow Jason’s campaign or to get involved, check out his web site, and follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.
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1 comment:
Wow. That's a very nice article. Thank you Jeff!
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