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TIMMINS - The newly named federal NDP candidate is ready to hit the ground running. Sunday, Nicole Fortier-Levesque was chosen to carry the NDP banner for the new riding of Kapuskasing-Timmins-Mushkegowuk in the next federal election. Fortier-Levesque is excited and ready to take on the challenge. “It took me a while to make the decision to run, but that’s how I am,” she said. “When I get involved in something, I like to do my research and make sure that I can make a difference. I am ready to start working for Canadians, especially for all our residents in our riding. I’m ready for this.” Born in Opasatika, Fortier-Levesque was a teacher at Cité de Jeunes in Kapuskasing for decades. She is also the former mayor of Moonbeam, where she served as a councillor first. Earlier this year, veteran NDP MP Charlie Angus announced his retirement from politics. RELATED: ‘Perfect time to pass the baton’: Charlie Angus not seeking re-election Fortier-Levesque is committed to continuing the work started by Angus and the broader NDP team. “I know I need to continue to work on all the initiatives that the party has been working on. We need to see the end of their hard work. That legacy is what we’ve been working on for many years,” she said. The transition is already in motion, with Fortier-Levesque talking to Angus and Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes, who is also leaving politics after this term, after Sunday’s meeting. “When I was talking to Charlie Angus, he said that he’s planning to go meet with Indigenous communities in January. So we are planning to go to Moosonee by train. So things are really rolling right now.” As Christmas approaches, Fortier-Levesque is eager to be present in the community, meet people, and further build trust with voters. “I need to talk to people so they can have confidence in our party again,” she said. “I will be fighting very hard to regain that confidence from the people to make sure they understand what we have to offer.” A significant portion of Fortier-Levesque’s platform is focused on improving conditions for Indigenous communities. “It’s important that Indigenous people receive the same services as everywhere else in the country, such as access to clean water, housing, and safe and reliable infrastructure, as well as quality education and better health care,” she said. “We can’t say that they receive the same services as we do, because it’s not true... We need to defend their fundamental rights by creating a partnership that will be based on the great cognition of our history in order to achieve reconciliation.” She also plans to focus on key issues such as affordability, poverty and homelessness. “I want to ensure that every person has a home, that every child can learn on a full stomach, and to help families make ends meet by creating new jobs with better working conditions and better pay,” she said. The opioid crisis also needs to be addressed, she said, along with the rising costs of rent and groceries, provide better health care and offer better mental mental health services. Fortier-Levesque’s vision for Canada is one where every citizen is valued and no one is left behind. “I am there for them, and I think my way of working will be the hope for change to make sure that families come first and no one is left behind, because everybody deserves the best,” she said. “A Canada where everything is possible, where we stand together, and where everyone is included... It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. We need to work together, and we need a fairer Canada, a fairer society.” The latest the next federal election will be is October 2025, but the writ could drop any time before then. The local Conservatives named their candidate more than a year ago — retired forestry executive Gaétan Malette. A local Liberal candidate has not been announced yet. The next federal election will also see a new riding locally as new riding boundaries took effect on April 22, 2024.
Arsenal make Mikel Arteta proud after smashing Sporting LisbonThe UN nuclear watchdog's board of governors passed a resolution chiding Iran's poor cooperation with the agency after hours of heated exchanges, diplomats told AFP late on Thursday, a move Tehran called "politically motivated". The censure motion brought by Britain, France, Germany and the United States at the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board follows a similar one in June. But it comes as tensions run high over Iran's atomic programme, with critics fearing that Tehran is attempting to develop a nuclear weapon -- a claim the Islamic Republic has repeatedly denied. The resolution -- which China, Russia and Burkina Faso voted against -- was carried by 19 votes in favour, with 12 abstentions and Venezuela not participating, two diplomats told AFP. Ahead of the vote on Thursday night, the United States and its European allies sought to rally support for their resolution by denouncing Iran. In its national statement to the board, Washington said that Tehran's nuclear activities are "deeply troubling". London, Paris and Berlin in a joint statement drew attention to the "threat" Iran's nuclear programme posed "to international security", stressing that it now had enough highly enriched uranium for four nuclear weapons. In a first reaction after the vote, Iran's ambassador to the IAEA, Mohsen Naziri Asl, told AFP that the resolution was "politically motivated", citing its "low support" compared to previous censures. The confidential resolution seen by AFP says it is "essential and urgent" for Iran to "act to fulfil its legal obligations". The text also calls on Tehran to provide "technically credible explanations" for the presence of uranium particles found at two undeclared locations in Iran. Moreover, Western powers are asking for a "comprehensive report" to be issued by the IAEA on Iran's nuclear efforts "at the latest" by spring 2025. Since 2021, Tehran has significantly decreased its cooperation with the agency by deactivating surveillance devices to monitor the nuclear programme and barring UN inspectors. At the same time, Iran has rapidly ramped up its nuclear activities, including by increasing its stockpiles of enriched uranium. That has heightened fears that Tehran might be seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, which it denies. The resolution comes just as IAEA head Rafael Grossi returned from a trip to Tehran last week, where he appeared to have made headway. During the visit, Iran agreed to an IAEA demand to cap its sensitive stock of near weapons-grade uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity. "This is a concrete step in the right direction," Grossi told reporters Wednesday, saying it was "the first time" Iran had made such a commitment since it started breaking away from its obligations under the nuclear deal. The landmark 2015 deal -- which curbed Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief -- fell apart three years later after the unilateral withdrawal by the United States under then-president Donald Trump. In retaliation, Tehran began gradually rolling back some of its commitments by increasing its uranium stockpiles and enriching beyond the 3.67 percent purity -- enough for nuclear power stations -- permitted under the deal. Although symbolic in nature at this stage, the censure motion is designed to raise diplomatic pressure on Iran. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday the censure "will disrupt" interactions with the agency, but stressed Tehran would remain keen to cooperate. Earlier, Araghchi had warned of a "proportionate" response by Iran if the board passes the resolution. According to Heloise Fayet, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, the resolution has the potential to "harm Rafael Grossi's efforts". "But Western powers are frustrated by the lack of effectiveness of his diplomatic manoeuvres and are looking for firmer solutions," she told AFP. On Wednesday, Grossi said he could "not exclude" that Iran's commitment to cap enrichment might falter "as a result of further developments". Foreign policy expert Rahman Ghahremanpour said Tehran might retaliate to the new censure by "increasing the enrichment levels". But he does not expect any drastic "strategic measures" as Iran does not want to "aggravate tensions" before Trump returns to the White House. pdm-anb-kym/giv