MPP Michael Mantha seeks re-election in Algoma-Manitoulin

NDP candidate and current Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Michael Mantha is seeking re-election in the riding he has represented since 2011.

He will go off against candidates Progressive Conservative Cheryl Fort, Liberal Tim Vine, Green Party Maria Legault, and Ron Koski of the New Blue Party of Ontario on election day, June 2.

Mantha officially kicked off his campaign recently and has been spending his time posting signs and meeting with constituents and supporters across the vast riding.

On Monday, he was in Sudbury as New Democratic leader Andrea Horwath kicked off the party’s campaign with plans for Northern Ontario.

The fall of 2020 saw Mantha begin his tenth consecutive year as MPP for Algoma-Manitoulin and re-elected three times since 2011. 

Mantha is campaigning on his record as a strong voice for rural healthcare, safe road conditions, jobs in the north and economic development plus affordability for northerners. These are subjects he has brought up at Queens Park and often presented on social media.

Throughout his career, Mantha has advocated for northern workers and improved the lives of northern families. He serves as NDP Critic for Northern Development and for Tourism. 

He is a born and bred northerner, spending his life working on a wide variety of jobs in the broader northern region, having lived and worked in the same communities he now serves.  Like his fellow northerners, he beams with pride when sharing with colleagues and guests his love for Algoma-Manitoulin.

“Doug Ford has shown that his party is out of touch with the priorities of the north. His last budget, which is standing in for a platform, made no new investments in northern healthcare, education, public services or northern infrastructure,” he said recently.  “Instead, Premier Doug Ford is focused on building highways in southern Ontario while cutting money from education, healthcare, and social services.”  

As an MPP, he has introduced several pieces of legislation, including:

• removal of the HST from home heating bills; updating regulations to reflect technological progress standards for ATVs;
• a bill to ensure grandparent rights are considered in matters of child custody; 
• legislation to require that all ore from Ontario mines be processed within the province; 
• a Private Member’s Bill, which received unanimous consent calling on the province to develop an integrated strategy to battle Lyme Disease in Ontario. 

“The Conservatives failed to deliver for the north during their four years in office. An NDP government would make sure that essential services, like high-speed broadband, are built everywhere in Ontario, not just in the south.”