A federal candidate for Kitchener South-Hespeler says a rational approach to COVID that helps Canadians live with the virus is what's needed to move forward and avoid further lockdowns.
Melissa Baumgaertner, the People's Party of Canada candidate for one of the two Cambridge ridings, said she decided to run for federal office because she wanted to stand up for what's right.
"I started out like most people, very concerned and doing my part to participate in the masks and everything else," said the local business owner. "Going forward, I started realizing there were a lot more questions than answers in what I was seeing. When I starting researching things in-depth, I noticed that things weren't adding up. Even looking at the numbers on the government sites, I felt very concerned about why we were taking these kinds of drastic measures.
"I started to realize, in my opinion, there were some questionable things going on, so I thought this isn't right and I would like to be part of making a positive change for the better," added Baumgaertner.
And the experience, she said, has been incredible.
"To be honest, it's one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had, just having the opportunity to get out there and connect with so many people and hear about their concerns," Baumgaertner said. "It pushes me more and more to do whatever I can for them and stand up for what's going to give them the best shot at a future."
So her first step, she said, would be to end the lockdowns and (vaccine) mandates and to try taking a rational approach toward COVID.
"We need to start learning how to live with the disease," said Baumgaertner. "Locking down healthy people and costing them their livelihoods isn't doing our country any favours."
She said that would be the first step and then hopefully things fall back in place, "so that these folks can continue to earn their money and feed their families. It's time to move forward, we're kind of at a stand still."
Further, Baumgaertner said, the government needs to practice more fiscal responsibility.
"We're currently in a situation as a country, where the last time I checked the number we were in $1.136 trillion of debt," she said. "That saddles every living Canadian right now with over $30,000 in debt. That's really going to fall hard on future generations. We need to give the kids something to look forward to."
The focus, said Baumgaertner, needs to be on balancing the budget and getting the money where it needs to go.
"And not just keep printing it and causing more inflation and rising cost of living," she said.
While canvassing, Baumgaertner said, this is part of the concern she's heard from people.
"They want a future for their children," she said. "They want their kids to be able to afford to live."
When talking about another factor that's affecting future generations, Baumgaertner said, the party will look at ways to take measured and smart steps to remedying climate change. She did not elaborate on a plan, but added, "We're not into climate alarmism, however, we do realize that this is something that needs to be addressed and that we want to take the proper steps toward addressing it."
