SARA NORMAN
AGE: 31
OCCUPATION: former broadcast journalist
INFO: saranorman.ndp.ca, @saradnorman, SaraNormanNDP (Facebook), 604-474-1650
As a broadcast journalist with News1130 and CKNW, Sara Norman has grilled her fair share of politicians. But now the lifelong Coquitlam resident aims to use that experience on the other side of the table as the NDP candidate tries to become the member of Parliament for Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam.
Norman, who in 2014 earned a Ron Laidlaw Award from the Association of Electronic Journalists for her story on Conservative MP James Moore's controversial statements on child poverty, said her experience covering everything from jobs to housing, immigration to environmental issues and more would serve her well in Ottawa.
"I've seen what the politicians are doing first-hand," said Norman in her downtown Port Coquitlam campaign office. The more interviews she conducted, the more Norman knew she had a different role to play as part of the NDP's "orange wave."
"I got to the point where I had to stand up and take a stand against what I know is wrong," she said. "I really like [NDP leader] Tom Mulcair and I believe he has a plan to bring good change to Canadians."
As she talks to residents throughout the riding, which covers about 46,000 households from Coquitlam's north side to the banks of the Pitt River in Port Coquitlam, Norman said she's hearing a common refrain: a call for change.
"People are tired of the Conservatives, they're tired of the Senate scandals, that the ethics commissioner was sent to jail," Norman said of former Conservative MP Dean Del Mastro, who was sentenced to four months of house arrest for violating the Elections Act.
On a recent tour through Westwood Plateau, Norman said, many residents expressed concern about Bill C-24, the controversial legislation that in May ushered in changes to the Citizenship Act, saying they're worried it effectively relegates some to a "second-class citizenship."
The NDP have promised to repeal Bill C-24 if elected on Oct. 19.
Families throughout the riding, struggling under the crushing burdens of high housing and childcare costs, are also eager to see an end to the Stephen Harper regime, Norman said, noting the NDP have an ambitious plan to provide one million $15-per-day childcare spaces within 10 years while maintaining the Universal Child Care Benefit.
The NDP are also planning significant investments in public transit, job creation initiatives and support for small businesses to improve the lives of local families, Norman said, "and to help make sure everyone is able to make ends meet because, when that happens, a lot of money flows back into the community."
