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As we ramp up to the NDP convention this spring folks are beginning to ask for my thoughts on the leadership question. In the simplest terms, I support Tom Mulcair because Tom Mulcair fights for good jobs.

It’s been almost a month since Canadians were introduced to ‘Neil from London’ during the prime minister’s one on one interviews on CBC. In Ottawa, the news cycle moves faster than Highway 401, but Neil’s story stuck with me.

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Neil’s interview embodied more than just a generation concerned about their financial retirement — he reminded me of all of people I’ve worked shoulder to shoulder with during my 19 years at the Ford engine assembly plants in Windsor. It reminded me of the conversations I had at the doors with Essex voters. It reminded me why I’m now working in Ottawa as the MP from Essex.

Thanks to Neil, the concerns he raised with the prime minister were brought to a national audience. His questions reflected the real anxiety that resides in manufacturing towns across Southwestern Ontario. He became the face of tens of thousands of families — his questions were real and they were pointed. Sadly, they largely went unanswered by the prime minister.