Well-known local community activist Maryam Monsef will be seeking the nomination as the Liberal candidate for the federal Peterborough-Kawartha riding.
Current federal Liberal candidate Cammie Jaquays issued a press release on Tuesday, February 3rd, to announce that she is withdrawing from the Liberal nomination race.
At the same time, Monsef also issued a press release indicating she plans to make an announcement on Wednesday, February 4th at 10 a.m. at Sam’s Deli about her “electoral intentions”.
Jaquays launched her campaign in July of 2014. She is withdrawing from the race and placing her support behind Monsef’s campaign.
“I support Maryam’s bid to seek the Liberal nomination because I believe she is the right choice to be our new M.P. and that she brings an excellent skillset that will contribute to a Liberal victory in the next election,” Jaquays states in her press release.
Fellow candidate Bob Hall issued a press release thanking Jaquays for her efforts.
“It must have been a difficult decision for Cammie,” Hall states. “She put enormous effort into the campaign over the past 10 months. Stepping forward to seek the nomination wasn’t a decision that was made lightly by any of the candidates who made that commitment almost a year ago to get ready for the next federal election.”
Jaquays’ campaign director joins Hall’s team
A press release issued by Hall’s campaign on Wednesday, February 4th announced that Jaquays’ campaign director, Mat Crough, has joined Hall’s team.
Crough is a long-time presenter on TVCogeco, working on shows such as Politically Speaking and on election coverage. He has been involved with many volunteer boards in the community.
“I’m proud to have the support of Mat,” Hall says. “Mat is a dedicated Liberal who brings his enthusiasm and experience to the team.”
Crough has worked on municipal, provincial and federal election campaigns. He’s currently a director of the Peterborough-Kawartha Federal Liberal Riding Association.
“Bob Hall has experience, skill and determination,” Crough says. “We need those characteristics to represent our community in Ottawa. Bob has what it takes to win and be our next MP.”
About Maryam Monsef
A relative newcomer to politics, 30-year-old Maryam Monsef ran for Mayor of Peterborough in the 2014 municipal election. Her mayoral campaign resonated with many citizens, and she was only narrowly defeated by incumbent Daryl Bennett.
Originally from Afghanistan, Monsef came to Canada when she was 11 years old, along with her widowed mother and her two sisters. Her mother decided to move her family from Afghanistan due to the repressive Taliban regime and they came to Peterborough as the family had relatives here.
Monsef grew up in Peterborough, where she attended Grove and James Strath Public Schools before entering the arts program at Peterborough Collegiate Vocational School. She went on to attend Trent University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She’s worked at Fleming College, the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough, and the New Canadians Centre, as well as Trent University.
Along with Jessica Melnik, she founded the Red Pashmina Campaign, in which proceeds from the sale of red pashminas are directed to advancing education and educational opportunities for Afghan women and their families. Both Monsef and Melnik received the 2013 YMCA Peace Medallion in recognition of the Red Pashmina Campaign.
Monsef also represented the Red Pashmina Campaign at the United Nation’s Commission on the Status of Women. She has sat on the boards of both the YWCA of Peterborough and Haliburton and the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG).
