Kingston Liberal candidate launches campaign office

Last Updated on April 11, 2022 by Owen Fullerton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Kingston and the Islands’ Liberal MPP Candidate Ted Hsu hosted the official launch of his campaign office on Saturday afternoon.

A crowd of over 50 people attended Hsu’s ribbon cutting ceremony and speeches, gathering in the parking lot of the campaign office near Princess and Sir John A.

Hsu will be the local Liberal candidate in the provincial election after previously serving as a federal MP in the Liberal party in 2011, winning one of just eleven Liberal seats in Ontario in that election.

The 58 year old physicist did not seek re-election in 2015, citing the toll politics played on his family life.

Now though, Hsu has said with his children getting older, seeing how “worried they are” has him feeling pulled to return to politics.

Hsu pointed to his previous experience working as an MP in a Conservative majority, and says if elected he’ll tap into that experience to hold whatever government is in power accountable.

“I’m going to hit the ground running,” Hsu said.

“Independent of what the election result is I will be able to hold the government to account right away because I know what to do.”

He added that his longstanding history in the Kingston community coupled with his background of science, sustainable energy and finance can bring value to legislature.

In a speech to the crowd, Hsu said he doesn’t feel a Doug Ford government possesses the leadership to do what is needed for Ontario, and has instead spent much of the past few years “leading by polls”.

If Saturday’s event is any indication, the Ontario Liberals could be hoping to win the support of the more senior population in the province.

Hsu’s mentions of Liberal targets to improve aging at home measures received the most noticeably supportive reaction from the generally older crowd in attendance.

While discussing the Ontario Liberal mental health care plan, which he says will be released in full in the coming weeks, Hsu also specifically mentioned senior focused initiatives.

“Everything from helping people with dementia stay at home by allowing their family members to have day programs or weekend respite care,” Hsu said.

“Having more home visits so people can stay home.”

Hsu said he will be focused on the affordable housing crisis, and filling the gap of the “missing middle” by aiming to build more modest housing units and build more densely.

The provincial election is June 2, with campaigns kicking off in May.