The Simcoe-Grey NDP candidate is using his experience as a paramedic to fuel his election campaign and advocate for improved healthcare for Canadians.
Lucas Gillies decided to run for the local MP seat five months ago, having been a long-time member of the NDP.
“Like most Canadians, I’m tired of listening to politicians make promises they don’t keep,” he said. “As a paramedic, I’ve seen all aspects of healthcare. I believe healthcare is something we have to be fighting for. I want to fight for universal pharmacare.”
Gillies lives in Midland and has a two-year-old son. He works as a paramedic flying back and forth to western Canada for his work.
Though Midland is outside of the Simcoe-Grey riding, Gillies said he would move if elected.
“I’ve lived a lot of places, Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, BC, and Nunavut, which means I have a very unique perspective on what it means to be Canadian and the challenges Canadians face,” said Gillies. “People may say ‘he’s not from the riding,’ but I would remind them this is a federal election, and when you pass legislation, you’re passing it for 38 million people. That’s so much bigger than Collingwood or Simcoe-Grey.”
Some of the first legislative changes Gillies wants to see in Canada relate to addiction and decriminalizing drug possession.
“The one thing we’re a huge advocate of is treating addiction as a health issue, not a crime,” said Gillies, who has lost friends to overdoses this year. “I think the fact that we, as a society, brand them as criminals deters them from seeking out treatment for their addiction.”
He has also seen, through his work as a paramedic, the direct impact of people not being able to afford prescription medication.
“Seniors are cutting their pills in half,” he said. “When people don’t get the medication they need, they eventually need emergency care, which is actually more expensive than if we were to get them their medications.”
Gillies did ambulance training with Simcoe County paramedics in Collingwood and Wasaga Beach, which helped him realize what most qualified him to run for politics.
“Frontline workers make good politicians because they are on the front lines,” he said. “They are on the ground, they know what’s going on. They’re going into people’s houses.”
In addition to universal pharmacare, Gillies said he cares deeply about the climate crisis and people his age who can’t afford to buy a house anymore.
He’s been inspired by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh’s argument that First Nations, Metis and Inuit people should be partners in the fight against climate change.
“Jagmeet inspired me to get involved,” said Gillies. “He’s been speaking up for the marginalized in this country and the working class who are having a pretty tough go at it these days.”
The local candidate would like to be able to help disenfranchised people in Canada and the riding, and that includes those impacted by skyrocketing real estate and rental prices.
“Affordable housing is a big issue in Collingwood and across Simcoe-Grey really,” said Gillies. “It’s a problem for all Canadians right now … the federal government used to take part in housing initiatives and they don’t anymore.”
He said it will take cooperation from all levels of government to lower the cost of housing and meet the needs for more affordable housing units.
Gillies knows there are people frustrated by political promises that are unmet, but he hopes they will take the opportunity to vote on or before Sept. 20.
“Your vote does matter, and democracy doesn’t stop at the ballot box,” said Gillies. “Democracy is something you have to be constantly engaged in … it isn’t the government, it’s your government.”
Gillies is one of six candidates running in the federal election for the Simcoe-Grey riding.
The other five candidates include Terry Dowdall (Conservative), Ken Stouffer (Christian Heritage Party), Adam Minatel (PPC), Nick Clayton (Green Party), and Bren Munro (Liberal).
Over the next few days, CollingwoodToday.ca will run candidate profiles and issue-based coverage. Click here for our local and national election coverage.
The federal election is Sept. 20, with advance voting beginning the week of Sept. 10
