Milton Town Councillor Zeeshan Hamid is making a bid to enter federal politics after announcing his decision to seek the Liberal nomination for the new Milton riding.
Hamid, who is running for re-election municipally in Ward 8, said he wants to focus on bringing local politics back to Ottawa.
“I want to make sure all politics end up becoming local again,” Hamid said. “We have this top down government this time that isn’t right for a parliamentary democracy. “
The boundaries for the Halton electoral district were recently redrawn by Elections Canada. The name of the riding will be changed to Milton in next year's general election.
Along with Hamid, Jennifer Stebbing, Jeff Raulino and Martyn Johns have all put their names forward as contenders for the Liberal nomination.
The local liberal association hasn’t set a date for when it will vote to elect its candidate. The next federal election is scheduled for October 19, 2015.
Hamid’s decision to run came after discussions with Milton residents as well as his own interest in making the jump to federal politics.
He said that while out canvassing for the re-election many people told him their unhappy with the current government.
“They don’t want a Prime Minister’s Office that dictates priorities to the community,” he said. “Rather, they want Milton to tell Ottawa what Milton priorities are and who better to do that than a sitting Town councillor who’s done that for the last four years.”
Among the issues Hamid hopes tackle are citizenship and immigration, voting rights and the environment.
If successful in his bid for the Ward 8 seat and Liberal nomination, Hamid said he would continue to serve on town council throughout the federal election campaign.
