Piccini opens campaign headquarters in a mood of confidence

Ontario PC candidate for Northumberland-Peterborough South David Piccini. Northumberland 89.7 File Photo.

By Cecilia Nasmith

Cobourg

PC candidate for Northumberland-Peterborough South David Piccini opened his campaign headquarters in Cobourg Saturday, and was delighted with the results.

Piccini was pleased with the support he received as he opened his campaign headquarters at Northumberland Mall.

“It has been a great campaign launch,” he said to Today's Northumberland.

“We've got tons of people come to pick up signs, volunteer, donate and really just support our message about protecting Ontario, protecting our manufacturing jobs, keep taxes low, keep our health-care system robust here, and generating the revenue to support the services – and that's what we're all about. Protecting the province.”

The impetus for the election, threatened steep tariffs from the new US President, is something Piccini finds is genuinely troubling for voters.

“They are worried about the tarriffs,” Piccini said.

“But what this has done, the silver lining, is Premier Ford is uniting the province.”

The answer, Piccini said, is not “a nay-saying Liberal tax-and-spend. We need to create the jobs, create the conditions for economic growth in our community. Premier Ford has been leading the charge. I am proud to be Canadian. I won't apologize for being Canadian. “

“I am proud to be from this community. I want us to continue to produce things,” he said, indicating the manufacturing sector.

“We build things in our community. We have an automotive sector that has been soaring in Ontario, and we have to keep protecting that, supporting that, protecting those workers, protecting those jobs in the face of threats from the United States.”

Piccini is proud of getting union support on board.

“Premier Ford keeps expanding our tent,” he said.

“If you go on-line, you would be forgiven if you checked twice, because a lot of unions are backing us. Nothing for the Liberals, one or two for the NDP. But Premier Ford is building a broad coalition, because we are supporting workers.

“The carpenters are here today, electrical workers, firefighters – first-ever public-sector union supporting and protecting firefighters.”

Piccini said his government has a solid record of supporting firefighters, hearing the stories and “working closely to protect firefighters and their families. And for me, that was an endorsement I was so touched to receive. It was a meaningful one.”

Now, he said, it's back to canvassing.

“Port Hope and Cobourg today, Newtonville yesterday, Norwood, Colborne, criss-crossing the riding,” he summed up.

“I look forward to getting out, putting up more signs and, hopefully, I can count on folks' support.”