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Arden farmer sells calves to finance run for MLA

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Published on Friday, March 4, 2016

Submitted photo. Damian Dempsey will run as an independant in this spring’s provincial election

Submitted article

The Neepawa Banner

Damian Dempsey has announced his run for Agassiz MLA as an independent in the April 19 election. Damian is an Arden area cattle farmer and Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspector at HyLife Foods in Neepawa. While running as an independent, he is a conservative on the political spectrum.

Always taking a keen interest in politics, Damian’s opinions were formed in England when he saw the damage and division that rocked the country in the 1970s due to the socialist policies of successive governments. After graduating from Seale-Hayne Agricultural College in Devon, England and working a variety of farming jobs, he started farming on his own and became chairman of local farmers’ association.

A combination of BSE, high interest rates and restrictive European Union regulations on English farmers that followed in the ‘80s and ‘90s were a large part of what brought Damian and his family to Canada. They immigrated to Ë®¹ûÊÓƵ in 1993 and made their home in the Arden area. All five children attended Arden and Neepawa schools and universities and colleges in Ë®¹ûÊÓƵ and all continue to live and work in the province.

Damian is a Canadian citizen and takes his civic duty seriously. He has voted in every election since obtaining citizenship. He is an active member of St. Dominic’s church, serving on several committees, and he has been a volunteer firefighter in Arden for nearly 20 years.

Damian’s decision to run for MLA comes from a desire to advocate for people like himself—practical, working, budget-conscious families who don’t like to see their hard-earned money wasted or political infighting getting in the way of effective government. The years of farming, raising a family and working at the hog plant give him a broad perspective of the issues at play in the Agassiz riding. As Damian is required to take unpaid leave from his job while campaigning, it was a big decision to run for MLA. The first days of unpaid leave involved rounding up, tagging and taking calves to market to finance his campaign.

Running as an independent, Damian is committed to speaking up for the farmers and working families in the Agassiz riding. He will not be constrained by party platforms and policies that may cater to the priorities of voters in large cities, such as flood mitigation policies, where rural and urban interests are in conflict. Over the past 20 years, he has heard the same issues come up over and over again, with new ones surfacing every year, and those are what he will focus on in his campaign and as Agassiz MLA.

If elected MLA for Agassiz, Damian Dempsey will work to:

• Build a new hospital in Neepawa, not Franklin

• Demand fiscal responsibility and transparency in government

• Return PST to 7 per cent and increase the basic personal amount required before tax is paid

• End the MPI and Ë®¹ûÊÓƵ Liquor Commission monopolies

• Strengthen universal health care, attract more doctors, end wait lists

• Explore private sector participation in providing medical services

• Advocate for profitable and sustainable farming and ranching industries in Ë®¹ûÊÓƵ

• Promote policies that strengthen families

• Create a climate favourable to business

• Fight against the introduction of a carbon tax that harms industry and consumers

You can reach Damian at 204-368-2253; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; website: DamianDempsey.CA and follow him on Facebook.