Tell us about yourself.
“I was first elected in 2021 as Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Ladysmith, the community she has called home for 30 years,” she says. “Previously, I worked in community and social work settings including as an elected school board trustee, community school coordinator, women’s centre coordinator, and youth mental health and supportive recovery navigator.
“I believe there is more that unites us than divides us, and I’ve built strong relationships with many local organizations, service providers, First Nations, cultural and business associations.”
“Most recently, I’ve been working alongside the local business community to prioritize Canadian jobs and products in response to threats by the United States to Canada’s prosperity and sovereignty. As a single working mother who raised two kids while completing a bachelor’s degree at Vancouver Island University, Lisa Marie knows first-hand the challenges people face in achieving financial security, experience she draws on in her work in Ottawa,” she says.
What do you hear when door knocking?
“We’re hearing a lot of support and it’s clear this race is between the NDP and the Conservatives, and we’re hearing that people are worried about what’s happening with Trump’s threats to Canada’s economic prosperity and to our very sovereignty,” she says. “People are also telling us that they’re very worried about what it would mean for Canada if Poilievre and his Conservatives were to form government. How would Poilievre’s version of the Trump playbook impact the cost of living, their jobs and pensions, and Canadian values like diversity, equity, and freedom of expression?
“People are struggling to make a strategic voting decision based on keeping the Conservatives out of power. When I remind voters that I’m the only candidate to have already beaten Poilievre’s candidate once before, they’re quick to realize that voting for me as the incumbent NDP candidate is not only a vote for progressive, people-centered representation, it’s also a solid strategy to stop the Conservatives in Nanaimo-Ladysmith,” she says.
The Issues: Tariffs, Housing and Inter-Provincial Trade
Tariffs
“Trump’s tariff war and annexation threats increase the challenges Canadians are already facing like the cost of living, affordable housing, jobs and pension security, and real climate action,” she says. “My plan as a New Democrat is to take care of people and to promote a buy and build Canadian approach. Ensure federal procurement contracts require increased Canadian content for materials and prioritize Canadian companies who pay Canadian workers good wages. Develop and incentivize value-added processing of resources like lumber and critical minerals here at home. And work with provinces, territories, and First Nations to eliminate restrictive interprovincial trade barriers.
“The NDP agrees with the proposed counter tariffs and have pledged to use those dollars to protect everyday Canadians during these uncertain times. This includes bringing in restructured taxation and employment insurance that protects workers while Canada diversifies its trading partnerships,” she says.
Housing
“Housing is a basic human right, not a luxury,” she says. “Previous governments have viewed housing as a corporate investment, not as homes where people live, raise families, and can retire with dignity. I will push to end preferential tax treatment of corporate landlords and ban them from buying existing affordable housing. I want to see the NDP’s federal Rental Protection Fund expanded, and federal controls to stop renovictions and unfair rent hikes that artificially inflate costs for everyone. The CMHC should offer low-interest, public-backed mortgages.
“Although a shortage of affordable housing is a significant factor, there are many reasons why people find themselves homeless: poverty and precarious employment, gaps in mental health supports, and a lack of supportive housing or treatment options when people most need them. The government can best address this multi-faceted issue by taking an evidence-based approach and listening to frontline professionals and those with lived experience.”
Riding Issues
“People in Nanaimo-Ladysmith are already doing all the right things, including making hard decisions about where to cut back, it’s government’s turn to do its part for people,” she says. “I will push the federal government to build on the NDP’s historic wins that make life both healthier and more affordable, including dental care, universal pharmacare, pension protections, and the new Canada Disability Benefit.
“I will continue to work across party lines to remove the GST on basics like home heating and internet and stop price gouging on groceries, rent, and essentials, and I will press for tax fairness so that big corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share, like the rest of us are already doing,” she says.
Voters head to the polls on Apr. 28.
