Moulton Nominated

Tuesday, 18 March 2014 at 23:10

The Oxford Provincial Liberal riding association has a candidate to run whenever the writ is dropped for the next election.

With the possibility of an election at virtually a moments notice, the Oxford Provincial Liberal riding association has selected a candidate.

Daniel Moulton is 25-years-old, grew up in Woodstock, earned his masters degree in International Relations at the University of Amsterdam and is a graduate of Huron University College at the University of Western Ontario.

Currently, Moulton works as an advisor to Finance Minister Charles Sousa at Queen's Park.

When asked how he responds to voters concerns over the Liberal government's $1.1 billion dollar gas plant scandal, Moutlon distances himself by blaming then Premier Dalton McGuinty.

"The previous McGuinty government made some dumb decisions," Moulton said.

"I think that we need to look forward," he said. "This is a party and this is a government led by our Premier [Kathleen Wynne] that really values investing in the things that matter to Ontarians and our public services," he said.

"I think a lot of people out there in Oxford will remember the Mike Harris days when we saw drastic cuts in education, we saw unrest in the labour unions, we saw significant cuts to nursing staff in places like Oxford," Moulton said.

"We can't have that again and that's certainly what I will be talking about with people at the doors," he said.

Moulton plans to champion the Liberal party's "core values."

"That's fiscal accountability, that's investing in our people, in our health care and education and building strong infrastructure."

Oxford County is currently represented by long-serving Progressive Conservative MPP Ernie Hardeman, first elected in 1995 when Mike Harris came to power. Moulton admits his attempt to defeat Hardeman will be "a tough fight."

"The incumbent has served very well. He has done a great job expressing Oxford's values and voice. I want to carry on that legacy," Moulton said.

"I want to be a new generation representing this county advocating the values that we stand for as I have been doing this past year in my work at Queen's Park."

Moulton was the riding association's only nominee for candidacy and was acclaimed at a party meeting Tuesday night in Woodstock.