Yuk-Sem Won, NDP
Thunder Bay - Rainy River
The forestry, mining, and energy sectors are crucial for our economy. If elected, how do you propose working with Indigenous communities and those concerned with environmental destabilization?
All right, so, you know, in the current climate, economic climate, workers and Canadians are really concerned about our Canadian industries, and that includes mining and stuff. It's one of the priorities that we have is of course, the Ring of Fire and the development there, making sure that we have the roads and infrastructures there, but not at the cost of consultation and consent with the First Nation communities. One of the main concerns I've heard across Northern Ontario is really that the getting through and into the Ring of Fire should not come at a cost environmentally, nor by ignoring the rights of the First Nation peoples and lands to just bulldoze and create more havoc than needed. We need to work collaboratively with the communities and leadership there to make sure that we do it right, but also that we work together to make sure that we can really focus on developing and moving forward with that kind of infrastructure.
Housing, clean drinking water, healthcare access, and treaty rights are significant concerns for Indigenous communities in NWO; how would you address these if elected?
So one of the things the New Democrats have always been strong advocates and allies with Indigenous peoples. Since when I started in 2019, one of the top issues was actually to address clean drinking water for the Indigenous communities. And then it was still there in 2021 when I ran. And at that point I question the Liberals in saying, “why are we still talking about this? Why isn't it done?” And now it's still a current issue in 2025.
And if we add on to that the housing crisis, the education and access to health care for First Nation communities. These issues need to be front and centre still, not just the economy. We need to have a balanced view that ensures that the government doesn't forget all the other issues that are still alive and very much impacting the communities, especially in Northwestern Ontario.
What I find is that the Liberal government has been really good at talking points and making sure that during campaigns, they say the right things, but when it comes to action, it's been lackluster. And we need to really make sure that people are there to hold them to account. And that's what New Democrats do well. So for myself, having visited many of the First Nations communities and talked to the leaders and the people who are impacted most by those issues to make sure that they have someone who will bring their voice, their concerns and those issues to the front and so they don't get lost in all of the other discussions that are going on.
Many NWO residents state they’re facing hardships due to the rising costs of housing, groceries, and fuel; how would you address these if elected?
So if elected, New Democrats have always been the voice of the people. We ensure that when the government is talking about affordability, that it's not just about the big developers or the big corporations, the bankers, it's about the impact that it has on people. And the biggest impact that we've seen in the past 10 years under the Liberal government is the cost of living.
So for housing, what we want to do is to make sure that the government gets back into the business of building houses, and that is not by selling off land to corporate developers who will just, you know, build big houses for single families. We want to make sure that we invest in public, not-for-profit and co-op housing to actually create truly affordable homes. We want to implement strong rent control to protect tenants from being priced out of their communities. Because right now, in a time where starter homes are not within reach for most young Canadians, we need to bring back a reality that prioritizes people over profit.
And for housing, for groceries, for the cost of health care, those are things that make real differences to people. And that's where the New Democrats are going to focus. So with groceries, we're going to look at putting grocery caps, making sure that we help people to make the most of the dollars that they have by ensuring that they have access to pharmacare, which is medication and dental care. So those are costs that families have that now by being covered, they have that extra money to cover their cost of living.
The other thing that we want to do is to make sure that we're not subsidizing, you know, the corporate CEOs and grocery stores for, you know, what they've done over the past couple of years, which is record profit at the expense of the people who were buying the groceries. It's unfathomable that record profits are happening when we are struggling to just pay the bills and put food on the table for our families.
The Fraser Institute recently released a study which states that Thunder Bay has Ontario’s highest rate of property and violent crime; if elected, how do you propose lowering this rate?
So when we talk about crime and the rates of poverty and homelessness, one of the things that comes back for me is that when we look at a strong community, it starts with supporting those in need. So if we want to reduce crime, homelessness, poverty, we need to really look at the root causes. And that's something that the New Democrats have always talked about and advocated for. So things like affordable housing, accessible education and job training that people can build a better future.
Access to health care, including mental health and addiction support. Because when we invest in people that way we all benefit. And that is, you know, it's not just talking about crime, it's talking about the root causes of why we are getting there? Why are we in this position?
The other thing that we have to do is make sure that we have enough community support where our police and the RCMP can focus on policing and are not being stretched by doing things that social workers and other community supports like addiction services, services like here in Thunder Bay, like Out in the Cold, the outreach that happens, that really is how people get and fall into the tough times where crime happens and we end up with a higher rate of incarceration and crime. So I think that the NDP have always supported building public social programs that will help people get ahead. And by doing that, that's how we all move forward in addressing some of those issues.
According to the latest information from the Office of the Chief Coroner, the Thunder Bay district has the highest opioid-related death rate in the province; on a federal level, how do you propose lowering this rate?
So the opioid is a crisis, it's not just a high level. We're at a crisis situation in Northwestern Ontario, we need to ensure that there's proper funding across the region for addictions and mental health issues as well as for recovery. When people are waiting six to 18 months when they've decided that they want help but they can't get into a program, that is a problem. When we do not have enough border control and police interventions to address the high level of drugs that are coming into the communities, we need to ensure that there's proper funding for those systems and that they are able to look at and, and stop the drugs from coming in.
And we need to make sure that when people are asking for help that there is a system that they can reach out to. Talking to some of the families that have been affected by the opioid overdose crisis is heartbreaking. They know that their loved ones wanted help, they needed help. But we don't have a system in place that's fast and effective. We need to invest in that to make sure that we are saving our families from the impact of this. When we see that the provincial governments are closing down safe injection sites, when they're defunding, you know, different programs that are supporting the people who are needing help the most, that to me is a shame on our society because we need to help those who are most vulnerable, especially when they ask for help.
If elected, how do you plan on alleviating any of the negative effects residents and business owners are experiencing with tariffs?
So one of the things with the tariffs and it is top of mind, even with the people that I'm talking with at the door, it's the threat that the tariffs are posing to all Canadians is not only to business owners and industries. When we talk about business and industry, what we're really talking about are the people that work there, the families that count on those good jobs. As Canadians, we're proud to work hard and support each other. And we can't let these tariffs threaten what we built together. So in order to address this, the NDP are rejecting any trade deals that sell out the jobs, the health care, or the resources.
We want to stop US Corporations from privatizing our health care because that is one of the fundamental premises that Canadians count on. We want to make sure that we protect and grow good jobs, especially in the industries that are hit hard by the tariffs, such as the steel and the auto workers. We want to, actually for years we've been calling on a revamp of EI so that it actually works for the reality of people now. So that if we fall on hard times, there is a system that will help them get through it without losing their homes and not being able to feed their families.
So we need to have higher benefits, faster access and coverage for the gig economy folks. So the people who have different jobs that don't fall within the EI parameters and self-employed workers, we also need to invest in the infrastructure. So using Canadian steel, Canadian workers and Canadian-made solutions to ensure that our communities stay strong and that we are able to pivot and really weather this storm. We need to use every dollar from retaliatory tariffs to support those workers and make sure that all of our industries, our businesses, and especially folks win. When we're talking about Indigenous rights, labour laws, different public controls that we have, that we are ensuring that Canadian systems are strong, sustainable, and are able to support workers being impacted by the tariffs. Because when it comes down to it, our country is not for sale. And Canadians have really been standing together so that I think that our government needs to stand with the people and make sure that we can come out of this a strong and free country.
