Hers is a familiar political name from coast to coast to coast, one which she hopes will be part of the public consciousness for years to come.
Caroline Mulroney Lapham, daughter of Canada’s 18th prime minister, put an end to weeks of speculation last weekend and was acclaimed as the candidate for the Progressive Conservative party in York-Simcoe riding for next June’s provincial election.
The 43-year-old Mulroney Lapham tells BarrieToday she’s anteing up for the fairly-safe provincial seat (held for years by the retiring Julia Munro), saying Ontarians are calling for change.
“I hear over and over again (from York-Simcoe residents) that they want life to be more affordable, for government to get out of their way and give them the freedom to succeed.”
She adds the main planks of her platform will involve a more positive vision for Ontario.
“A PC government will focus on lowering hydro bills, cutting red tape for businesses, matching education and skills to jobs, making government more accountable for the dollars it raises and how it spends them, and making sure that Ontario is once again an engine of the Canadian economy.”
Caroline also says the McGuinty-Wynne Liberals have spent 14 years making life harder for the province, suggests Ontarians are working harder for less.
“Homeowners are hurting from skyrocketing hydro bills, families are paying more and more in taxes, businesses are tangled in red tape, and students are graduating from school into an uncertain job market. Where we used to be an engine of growth in Canada, we are now a ‘have-not’ province.”
Mulroney Lapham, a lawyer, venture capitalist, wife and mother of four, points particularly to the level of debt the Grits have amassed since first assuming office in 2003.
“The Liberals are expecting future generations to pay for the decisions they make today, and the interest we have to pay on the debt is crowding out services we expect like health-care and education.”
While demurring from speculation as to what role she would play in a prospective government headed by Patrick Brown, Mulroney Lapham is quick to praise her father’s record as prime minister from 1984 to 1993.
“His achievements, which include the Acid Rain Treaty with the United States and the Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. and NAFTA, have had tremendous positive implications for the environment and our economy. History is already starting to recognize his legacy in this way.”
She is reckoning that the record will be kinder to her father than how many Canadians, in all walks of life, judged him. His resignation, in the spring of 1993, was greeted by cheers in many quarters, and the party was reduced to a rump in the House of Commons in the elections that year, earning only two seats in the general Liberal onslaught under Jean Chretien.
Mulroney Lapham prefers to accentuate the positives, of which she says there are many.
“There are so many positives it’s hard to narrow down the list! He always did what he thought was right. I learned that if you have the courage of your convictions, you can weather the political storms that may come along!
As for now – and for the months leading up to June – Caroline Mulroney Lapham realizes she’s got big shoes to fill.
“Julia Munro has been a strong voice for York-Simcoe for more than two decades and … if I have the honour of representing York-Simcoe at Queen’s Park, I will work hard every day to continue her work and to help deliver positive change to the lives of people in this area.”
