Ashley Fox is stepping up to take another swing at taking her concerns to Queen’s Park when she was officially nominated as the Liberal Party candidate for Perth-Wellington in Stratford on Tuesday night.
She made it clear after her nomination became official that her top priority would be to address the social detriments surrounding health.
“That includes healthcare, it includes affordability, and it includes housing and access so that our residents in Perth-Wellington have a secure place to stay,” she said. “Doug Ford has mishandled our health care system; as a registered practical nurse, I’ve seen first-hand how patients, their families and their caregivers are all impacted. I’ve talked with nurses in hospitals as well as home care nurses. Doug Ford has spent a significant amount of money, but whether it’s been efficient is another story.”
During a brief speech, Fox laid out other priorities she would pursue if elected: the rising cost of housing and rent, the decline of critical services as well as the decline in education standards. She didn’t differentiate between issues when it came to prioritizing one over the others since she believes they’re interconnected.
“I’ve been talking with people and it’s clear that all of those issues are tied together,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about being able to afford a house, get timely and affordable health care, or be able to look after your child’s education. They’re all connected and they need to be fixed.”
When Fox ran in 2022, she finished a distant third behind Matthew Rae and New Democrat Jo-Dee Burbach. She offered a blunt assessment of Rae, who won the Conservative nomination when former MPP Randy Pettapiece announced his retirement prior to the last election.
“He hasn’t done enough to warrant re-election,” she said. “Two of the hospitals in this riding had their emergency rooms added to the top 10 list for closure in Ontario, and this was part of the discussion back in 2022. I don’t feel there’s been a significant amount of work done on that since then. This time, I see that trust is a significant factor. People need to see who will fight for them. I’ve been to Queen’s Park to fight for health care, and I’ve been to multiple stakeholder meetings and been involved in advocating in the communities for Perth Wellington.”
In talking about trust, Fox said she believes Ontarians are starting to see the Liberals differently and are starting to think of them in ways they did before the latter stages of Dalton McGuinty’s government. She added her opinion that party leader Bonnie Crombie is the one best suited to take on Ford and win.
“I believe Bonnie can make the changes that we want to see happen, and that’s why I’ve joined this campaign,” she said.
About Ashley Fox
Fox is a registered practical nurse who was born and raised in Harriston and now living in Palmerston with her husband, Jeff, and daughter, Aria. Her career has been focused on geriatric care, and she has served two terms on the College of Nurses of Ontario board. She is also a long-standing mentor with the WeRPN program and has worked with the Canadian PSW Network to collaborate with the provincial government on PSW title protection and regulation.
Beyond her clinical work, Fox is an instructor at Conestoga College where she works with future healthcare professionals.
