For Paul Dewar, it’s all about connecting with the public and hearing what his voters have to say.
Dewar, a New Democratic Party (NDP) leadership candidate and MP for Ottawa Centre, said he wants to give people something to participate in.
“I don’t get up at the front of a room and, you know, go on for an hour about what I think,” he said. “I’ve done forums on the arts, on housing, on the economy, on cycling, [and] on the local food movement.”
This engagement is especially important with young voters, who he believes aren’t as apathetic about politics as many people make them out to be.
It’s important that young people are engaged in politics in a productive way, rather than just being told to go “lick envelopes,” he said.
“I think what we need to do is what I call going to ground. That is going to where people are, engaging with young people in particular and then getting them involved in a real way,” he said.
“My campaign manager is 27 years old,” he continued. “Most of the people who were in my campaign were a lot younger than me when I was first elected.”
Dewar said the students and youth who got elected from the NDP — many having never campaigned in their ridings — have re-energized a “tired” House of Commons.
“Once people have gotten to know them, they see that they’re bright, they’re idealistic in the best sense of the word and they’ve got lots of energy and passion,” he said. “Really, what’s wrong with that?”
In running for leadership, Dewar said he wants to do more for post-secondary students.
“When you look at what the costs for students are, it’s tuition absolutely, but it’s also four other things. You’re looking at books, you’re looking at cost of living for housing, etc . . .” he said.
“What I’m doing right now is actually connecting with young people and students right across the country. I’m looking at how we can help with that as well.”
An important priority, he said, would be to increase research funding for universities. Although he said he believes there’s currently a focus on doing research that meets the needs of the corporate sector, there isn’t solid public research.
With higher public funding for research, Dewar said he thinks the government can alleviate some of the pressure that forces universities to increase tuition and ask private corporations for funding.
“We’re the only G7 country that doesn’t have a program for post-secondary education. We have money that goes back and forth between provinces and federal government, but what I want to do is put legislation in place so that the federal government has a defined role in what it’s obligations are for funding post-secondary education,” he said.
“Right now, we’re failing in terms of innovation and research. We can do a better job by funding the universities publicly and not giving tax credits for research and development to corporations.”
While post-secondary education is a provincial responsibility, not a federal one, Dewar said he doesn’t believe any province would reject a “responsible role of federal government.”
Currently, federal funding ebbs and flows, he said, but legislation would make the federal government’s role more accountable.
“Most people wake up in the morning and don’t think about which level of government is responsible for this,” he said.
“They look at, ‘Why is it that I’m not receiving the services that I believe we should be receiving?’
