Jesse McCormick was born and raised in the heart of Middlesex County. He is a long-time advocate for community-led decision making, environmental protection and Indigenous rights.
As a father, he knows that the decisions we make today will define the future for our children, and he is proud to have helped to shape key environmental protection policies as an advisor to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
During his career as a lawyer, political advisor and academic, McCormick has worked for the United Nations, the Federal Court of Canada and Indigenous Peoples across the country. He has served as legal counsel on many large infrastructure projects for Indigenous Peoples and he has built a reputation as a skilled negotiator capable of bringing people together to solve complex problems.
McCormick holds degrees from the University of Guelph, the University of Ottawa and the Harvard Law School and he has practiced law in both Ontario and British Columbia.
McCormick is proud member of Chippewas of the Thames First Nation and has relations in both the Oneida Nation of the Thames and Batchewana First Nation. He is committed to working towards reconciliation through education and the implementation of rights, treaties and responsibilities.
How can the public trust our party system when it appears there are decisions being made with questionable judgment by political leaders, with little to no repercussions?
The Liberal Party of Canada believes that Canada’s strength is in our diversity and we are committed to strengthening Parliament and public institutions.
Parliament works best when its members are free to do what they have been elected to do: be a voice for their constituents and hold the government to account.
We also need to ensure that our institutions are truly representative of Canadians. The Liberals, under Justin Trudeau, achieved a gender-balanced cabinet for the first time in our history.
Of the promises we made in our election platform in 2015, 92 per cent have been fulfilled, either completely or in part. We will continue to strive for transparency and accountability in the next mandate.
Disincentives like the Carbon Tax are meant to help the environment by increasing the cost of fossil fuel consumption. But is such a tax fair for people who live in small-town Canada? Or is this just another tax on the middle class in general?
Putting a price on pollution is one the most efficient and effective tools we have to reduce pollution and combat climate change. The carbon pricing system in place in Ontario is revenue neutral, which means all the money collected from carbon pricing is returned to individuals, families, schools, municipalities and others through the Climate Action Incentive or other programs.
Pricing pollution is designed to give us an incentive to make better choices so that we can leave a healthy environment to our children and grandchildren. Every step you take to lower your carbon footprint is money in your pocket, and reducing carbon pollution is the most important action we can take to fight climate change.
Opioid addiction and its associated problems, such as increased crime, have reached a crisis level in Canada. What can be done to cause change at the federal level?
The opioid crisis is the greatest public health since the AIDS crisis. Under Justin Trudeau, the government has restored harm reduction as a key pillar in our strategy to fight this epidemic.
We passed the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, allowing anyone to give naloxone to someone they fear is dying of narcotic overdose. We invested $231 million in strategies for treatment and prevention of opioid addiction through Health Canada, and we passed laws prohibiting unlawful import of pill presses, allowing inspection of mail weighing less than 30 grams, to cut down on illegal importation of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
The Conservatives voted against these measures. A re-elected Liberal government will invest to help provinces and communities expand the most effective programs, including safe injection sites. We will make drug treatment court the default for first time non-violent offenders charged with simple possession.
