Liberal candidate says he’s plugged into rural issues

The Liberal candidate for Riding Mountain says he has a good grasp of rural issues and the right experience to represent the constituency in Ottawa.

“Having lived in rural Manitoba, having grown up in — I’ll call Brandon a small rural city — I’m well attuned to issues facing rural people,” Terry Hayward told the Sun.

Hayward is one of three declared candidates in Riding Mountain for the April 28 federal election — the Conservatives and the People’s Party of Canada have also named candidates, while the NDP and the Green party confirmed they do not yet have candidates in place. The riding includes the communities of Virden, Minnedosa and Shoal Lake.

Hayward, in a phone interview on Thursday, said he brings a list of experiences that makes him a good candidate for the riding.

He cited his 33-year career in agricultural work with the Government of Canada, living and working in places like Brandon, Regina, Winnipeg and Ottawa.

Hayward, who is the Manitoba Election Readiness chair for the federal Liberals, said as an MP, he would bring his existing relationships with ministers at the federal level to the job and that would help ensure the voices of constituents in Riding Mountain are heard.

Currently, he lives east of Winnipeg on a farm and is a substitute teacher at an elementary school in the Sunrise School Division.

When asked what he considers the main difference between the Conservatives and the Liberals — the two leading parties in national polls — Hayward said that the difference was perspective.

“I think the Liberals are offering people a positive outlook on life, the ability to see potential and act on the potential,” Hayward said.

“I would counter that with (the Conservative party) that has been in place in Riding Mountain for a number of years. There’s too much negativity I see from them, too much attack, too much sloganism. There’s real people out there with real lives, with real issues and concerns that can’t be captured in a three-word slogan. What we need are reasoned people, listening to the people’s concerns.”

Hayward added that he believes Liberal Leader Mark Carney is financially responsible and capable of steering Canada through times of crisis.

When it comes to the next four weeks of the election race, Hayward said he will try to get out to the Riding Mountain district as much as possible. He said he will work with volunteers and the Liberal team to be part of events in the area.

The Conservative candidate for Riding Mountain, sitting MP Dan Mazier, was not available on Thursday. The Sun has reached out for an interview today.

Mazier was elected in the riding in 2019. His history includes being president of the Keystone Agricultural Producers, an organization for farmers in Manitoba.

The PPC did not respond to an interview request before deadline.

Its candidate, Donnan McKenna, is a retired superintendent from the RCMP with 30 years of service. He sat on the board of several organizations such as the John Howard Society and was the director of security for the 2018 Alberta Summer Games.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com