LETHBRIDGE – “If you’ve got a concern you want to go to Ottawa, please call me. I’ll listen and I’ll discuss it with you. ”
Mike Pyne is running for the Liberals in the 2015 federal election. He plans to talk to Lethbridge residents and hear firsthand what the issues they feel are the most important.
Global News reporter Quinn Campbell asked Pyne a few questions we thought voters would like to know. Below is a transcript of the interview, partially edited for brevity.
Quinn Campbell: What is your background?
QC: Are you from the Lethbridge area?
MP: I’m originally from Taber, Alberta and still have quite a bit of family there. I moved to Lethbridge in the early 90s and have been here ever since.
I have four kids, all married, and eight grandkids and two more on the way. And that’s a big part of why I’m running.
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QC: Why is family a big part of you deciding to run?
MP: We are under pressure, the middle class is under pressure, families are under pressure. Wages have been stagnant for the last 10 years or so, we’ve had deficit financing ever since the Conservatives came into power. We’ve had tax increases even though everything is being cut, and yet the taxes in six of the seven years we’ve had tax increases and I think we can do better. I’ve always been a Liberal philosophically, I’ve really looked into the platform, all of the platforms…and in my mind the Liberal one is by far the strongest.
QC: What are the key things you are going to focus in your campaign?
MP: Number one, we’ve had Ottawa’s voice In Lethbridge for a long time, now it’s time to take Lethbridge’s voice and concerns to Ottawa.
We’ve been knocking on doors, it’s been going very, very well. We’ve got sign requests; we are happy with how it’s going. But the two things I say to people when I come to the door are: I want to hear things from you, I want your support and I want your concerns. I’m here to listen. One other thing I’d like I’d like to add is, I was fortunate enough to go to a campaign college in Ottawa and there were 140 new candidates, and I was almost to the point of being humbled when I saw the talent that was in that room. And everyone is there for the same reason: we think the government’s broken and we want to fix it.
QC: Is this your first time in politics?
MP: I was the president of the Chamber of Commerce in Taber, I was on the school board in Taber, I was on the Oldman Regional Planning Commission at one time and then I took a hiatus and I decided enough of politics. This is my first time federally; I’m excited. It’s time to go and we are ready.
Pyne is planning to be at his campaign office regularly.
He can be reached at:
Campaign office: 1007 – 3 Ave. South, Lethbridge, AB, T1J 0J3
Email/website: Facebook/Mike Pyne for Lethbridge
Phone: 403-360-5827
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