THUNDER BAY -- Lisa MacLeod thinks her party's last four election results on an inability to communicate and connect with voters.
But the Nepean-Carlton MPP and Progressive Conservative leadership candidate thinks that party can turn that around, getting lost members back and gaining new ones before the vote in May.
"If you believe in living within your means and helping those who can't help themselves you're a Progressive Conservative and I urge you to come back home," she said Tuesday afternoon in Thunder Bay after a meeting with mayor Keith Hobbs at city hall.
Part of that includes making the Ring of Fire a priority, not just a talking point as a way to spark development in the North and grow the province's economy. Relying on a strong economy to fund essentials like education and health is another party value MacLeod wants to get across to voters.
Originally from Nova Scotia, MacLeod said Northwestern Ontario reminds her of the Maritimes, with family-friendly small towns. Her Come Back Home tour is all about finding those people who might share the same values of the party and not know it to help shape the future of the party and the province.
She sees the leadership campaign in two phases. First and foremost is to get membership in the party, at record lows, back. Then its on to the party deciding which candidate will have the best message and charisma to take on Premier Kathleen Wynne.
"We have a challenge in all of Ontario at the moment," she said. "We have to re-earn and regain the trust of Northern Ontarians and all of Ontario."
Hobbs and MacLeod met for more than an hour Tuesday speakign on a number of topics from infrastructure to MPAC. They also spoke about the need for more mental health services to deal with problems the city is facing from addiction to suicide.
MacLeod is facing off against Christine Elliott, Patrick Brown, Vic Fedeli and Monte McNaughton.
