Meet your Federal Flamborough-Glanbrook- Brant North Candidates

By Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

The Federal Election is just weeks away and Paris residents are still looking for more information on the candidates in their new riding. A 2023 shuffle in riding boundaries now puts residents of Paris, St. George and Glen Morris in a newly created riding called Flamborough-Glanbrook-Brant North. Residents in other areas of the County of Brant – Harley, Muir, New Durham and Cathcart are now part of the Brantford-Brant South – Six Nations riding. The incumbent candidate in Flamborough-Glanbrook-Brant North is Conservative Day Muys. He is running against Chuck Phillips representing the Liberal Party, Peter Werhun representing the NDP, Nikita Mahood representing the PPC and Anita Payne representing the Green Party. Aside from signs on lawns and the occasional social media post, little is known about these candidates, who are also stepping into new jurisdiction and will have to represent constituent concerns in territories they’re not familiar with covering. The Paris Independent reached out to all candidates with the same set of questions. We’ve opted to publish their responses as they were provided to us to give readers an accurate reflection of the candidate’s views. Green Party candidate Anita Payne responded to our inquiry to say she will be on the ballot for the Green Party but is not actively campaigning, filling what would have been an empty ballot for the Green Party in this riding. “By becoming the registered candidate in FGNB, I am helping our Co-leader, Jonathan Pedneault, to participate in the leaders' debates,” said Payne.She added, “Also there are voters who strongly feel that they will only vote if there is a Green candidate to vote for. So, I am facilitating their democratic right to vote with their heart. Unfortunately, our first-past-the-post electoral system makes it difficult for small or new parties to elect MPs, even when there is widespread national support for the party.”

DAN MUYS, CONSERVATIVE PARTY

How are or have you familiarized yourself with key issues important to our Brant North community, as this is a new extension of your riding?

I have been out in the community talking to people since last summer. I had a tent at the Paris Fair last September – twelve hours per day, for all five days of the Fair. I talked to thousands of people there about their concerns and to introduce myself. I have held 15 Coffee Chats for people from North Brant to drop in and discuss federal politics and answer any questions on their mind.  

Also, I opened a Campaign office in St. George last December and have been operating there ever since.  

Last Fall I started knocking on doors in Paris, St. George and Glen Morris to hear directly from residents. I have covered much of Paris and St. George, but there’s more to do in the remaining days of the campaign. I have also meet local farmers in small group coffee meetings. I will continue to engage directly, if I am honoured to be elected to serve. This will include more door-knocking. My goal is to listen, learn and act.

My wife and I live in Lynden, we are 20 minutes to Paris and less than 10 minutes to St. George. I am deeply committed to north Brant and being out in the community constantly, accessible to people as their MP. That is what I have done for the past 4 years as MP in Flamborough – always at every fair, festival, community event and holding drop-in mobile office hours throughout the riding. 

What do you see as the top three concerns of Brant North residents?

One: Cost-of-living. I hear this at so many doors. People are squeezed and over-taxed. The cost of housing is out of control. We need to cut taxes to bring relief. The cost of housing is a huge issue and needs to be tackled so young people can believe in the dream of home ownership again.

Two: The need for a strong economy as we fight the tariffs from Trump.  The best way to stand up to Trump is to ensure Canada is booming as a sovereign, self-reliant country. We have smart people and are blessed with all the resources the world wants. We can be a powerhouse yet over the past 10 years of Liberal government we have become the worst performing economy in the G7 and OECD. It doesn’t have to be this way!! We must and will unleash Canada’s great potential so the Canadian standard of living can grow again. Diversifying our trade with other countries is critically important so we are never again 77% dependent on the U.S. for trade. For example, Germany and Japan both came to Canada for our liquified natural gas. The current government said no. That was a missed opportunity to diversify our trade and reduce our economy’s reliance on the U.S.

Three: Crime and safety on our streets. We are seeing an alarming increase in vehicle thefts, home invasions and violent crimes. This is not just in Toronto any longer but moving westward. Getting hard drugs off our streets is part of this. I heard this from a father in a north Paris neighbourhood, worried about his children.

What are the top priorities of your party’s platform this election?

Conservatives have a Canada First plan to reduce the cost of living and unless a generational boom in the Canadian economy so Canada is a sovereign, self-reliant country standing on its own two feet.  Protected by a proud, properly-equipped military and strong borders – under our beautiful Canadian flag!

We can’t control what Trump does, but we CAN control what WE do. We need to cut taxes, cut red tape and think big again. Canada has EVERYTHING the world wants. We should be booming. We’re not because of bad government policies over the past 10 years.  We must change that so life in Canada is affordable again, our middle class can prosper again and  home ownership is achievable.

Why did you decide to run for federal office? Please share a bit of what led to that decision. 

Reluctant at first, I was encouraged by my wife Tracy, friends and the previous MP for Flamborough when he retired. In 2021, I left a 25-year career in the private sector because I strongly believe Canada can be so much better.

The middle class dream of Canada is slipping away.  What my brothers and I could see possible after a modest upbringing on a small farm in Copetown is not possible today for young people and new Canadians. The cost of housing is a big impediment. One -third of that cost is now government!  

My Omas and Opas came to Canada from The Netherlands, after the Second World War, in search of opportunity and freedom. That hope is the promise of Canada which I am working to help restore.  This is not the Canada of 10 years ago. Our standard of living is declining but it surely doesn’t need to be this way! 

I ran for office to help turn Canada around. Canada is worth fighting for! 

Additional Information about Dan

Prior to seeking office, Dan had a 25-year career in the private sector in the energy and agri-food sectors. This included working on LNG pipeline proposals, launching North American brands and promoting Canadian agri-food innovations. At various points in his career Dan lived and worked in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and across the United States based out of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Dan is a Rotarian, a member of the local Chambers of Commerce, Copetown Church and served on the Royal Botanical Gardens Board of Directors prior to being elected to Parliament. 

PETER WERHUN, NDP

How are or have you familiarized yourself with key issues important to our Brant North community, as this is a new extension of your riding?

The only way to really know about the issues in an area is to talk to the people who live there. My first canvassing stops have been in Paris and I’m proud that my first endorsement was from the Brantford & District Labour Council. As a new part of the riding, I want to make sure we put extra time and effort into the area to bring people together.

I know that a lot of people are concerned about the riding changes, but my promise is to be Brant North’s representative in Ottawa, not Hamilton’s representative in Brant North.

What do you see as the top three concerns of Brant North residents?

The ones that come up most often at the doorstep are tariffs, housing, and a Poilievre government (for and against). Tariffs and housing are big concerns for my party and for me personally – especially since Brant North is beyond the Greenbelt and doesn’t have a lot of the protections found in the rest of the riding. But the Poilievre issue has been surprising given where polls were until recently. All I can really say is that if you want strong representation in Ottawa, you don’t have to let this election become a referendum on Trudeau, Carney, or Poilievre. We’ve seen leaders come and go but the system stays the same – Brant North deserves more than a tick in Column A or Column B, you deserve a party and representative that is going to fight for your interests.

What are the top priorities of your party’s platform this election?

Mobilizing to protect Canadian workers and small businesses in an uncertain time. It’s been great to see us come together to buy Canadian in the past few weeks. But it’s going to take a lot more in a world where the old rulebook has gone out the window. 

It’s not enough to demand patriotism – if we are going to ask everyday Canadians to sacrifice by spending more for Canadian goods and services, we need to deal with housing costs and grocery prices so that they have more money to spend. Our platform will deal with that by asking more of those who have benefitted the most in the past few years, so that we can build a stronger Canada for everyone. The NDP knows that it’s not enough to buy Canadian – we have to build Canadian (again) too.

Why did you decide to run for federal office? Please share a bit of what led to that decision. 

I am an international trade lawyer and fight for workers and small businesses to make sure their voices are heard in Ottawa. But I did not see leadership out of the Liberals or Conservatives that understood the gravity of the time we are in and the need for big changes. 

For decades, I’ve seen governments rise and fall and things are still going in the wrong direction. We need to start thinking about politics differently because we no longer have the luxury of getting “satisfactory” results and hoping it’s enough – we need to start excelling again as a country.

The NDP stood up when I was a kid and said, “We don’t oppose trade, but we need to make sure that we do it with human rights, workers, and the environment in mind”. And they were called anti-trade “socialists” in Parliament. I’m glad that other parties are starting to understand how vulnerable decades of failed trade policies have left us. But, after all this time, I just don’t trust them to get it right.

Additional Information about Peter

Born and raised in Hamilton, Peter is the son of Ukrainian-Canadian immigrants who left communist Poland to build a better life for their family. After finishing his undergraduate degree at McMaster, Peter moved to Ottawa for his master’s degree and then Toronto for law school – becoming the second lawyer in his family.

Peter’s experience in law has convinced him that a strong society is based on fairness and the shared success of workers, small businesses, and communities. Peter believes that Canadians want and need a resilient economy that works for everyone – an economy that recognizes the opportunity provided by our country’s land and resources, but also the responsibility to steward our environment for future generations.

Peter has witnessed firsthand the challenges Canadians face: a housing market that locks out too many families, a healthcare system struggling to keep up, and growing uncertainty around the world. But he firmly believes in the power of empathy, perseverance, and community, and that as Canadians, no challenge is too great for the people of Flamborough—Glanbrook—Brant North to overcome together.

CHUCK PHILLIPS, LIBERAL PARTY

How are or have you familiarized yourself with key issues important to our Brant North community, as this is a new extension of your riding?

I have lived in St. George and the Brant North region for most of my life. It is where I chose to build my businesses, give back to my community through my hospital work, and live with my wife. I understand the needs of my community, neighbours, local businesses, and more, as well as the need for real representation in Ottawa where our voices and ideas can be used to deliver a positive impact for our community for everyone.

While communities such as Paris, St. George, and others in the region may be new to Flamborough-Glanbrook-Brant North, the impact that the people here have and their ideas will continue to drive positive change for our community.

What do you see as the top three concerns of Brant North residents?

Over the last number of weeks, I have had the opportunity to knock on thousands of doors across the riding and in the Brant North region. While there are many issues at play in federal politics, the three main questions I keep hearing at the doors are:

One: What are you going to do to ensure that we can stand strong against Donald Trump? Our party and myself have been clear - Canada will never become the 51st state. However, Pierre Poilievre and his Conservative Candidates seem to think differently and have welcomed the idea of Canada joining the United States. We need a leader like Mark Carney and our Liberal Team to continue to stand strong against Donald Trump, his tariffs and ongoing trade war, and ensure that Canada can remain one of the strongest nations on earth. Only our Liberal team can do that.

Two: Paris and St. George are growing fast. What are you going to do to ensure that there is enough housing in the region for people? More and more people are wanting to move into our riding, and part of the fastest growing parts of our riding are in Brant North with Paris and St. George. With a commitment to ensuring housing gets built, cutting taxes for first-time home buyers, and working collaboratively with our municipal partners, developers, and more, we have a plan that sets out a real path forward to ensure that everyone has a home. We also need to acknowledge the other needs of these expanding areas of our riding as well, like ensuring roads and other key infrastructure get built, and we work with the province and municipalities to ensure that everyone can get around safely.

Three: What are you going to do to ensure that Brant North and the people here get an equal voice with everyone else in the riding? Our riding is one of the largest in the region, stretching from Upper Stoney Creek in Hamilton all the way to the most northern part of Brant County. While our community may have expanded this election, that does not mean that your access to your MP should get harder to access. I have committed to opening an office in every part of this riding, including in the Paris and St. George region, to ensure that the voices of the newly added part of our riding can be heard just as much as people in Waterdown, Binbrook, Mount Hope, or Upper Stoney Creek.

What are the top priorities of your party’s platform in this election?

This election comes down to one main issue: ensuring a secure and strong future for Canadians, Canadian jobs, and a strong economy that can continue to grow. Our Liberal team and I understand this. That is why we have set out a strong platform to address some of the issues that our country is facing during this challenging time.

Make no mistake, our past relationship that we had with the USA is over. While we might not be able to go back, we can continue to move forward and expand our market places to European countries, provide support to our Canadian job sectors that produce so much, and work to expand our capacity here in Canada to grow, build, and develop new technologies right here at home.We also need to support our Canadian workers, farmers, small businesses, and trade schools. That is why we have committed to ensuring that more people are able to attend a trade school through investments in tuition. We have set out support for our farmers to ensure that they can continue to grow, produce, and ship their goods across provinces by taking down the trade barriers between our provinces. We have set out a plan to invest in energy projects across the country to ensure a clean, green future for everyone.

The safety of Canadians and members in our community cannot be overlooked either. We have set out a strong plan to ensure the safety of Canadians. Through investments and a plan to strengthen our law enforcement and justice system to fight organized crime and trafficking, better protect families and children, and stop the flow of drugs and guns from the U.S. border, we are going to keep Canadians and their families safe. A Mark Carney-led government will stand strong against President Trump’s tariffs, create new jobs, cut taxes for the middle class, and build the fastest-growing economy in the G7. Liberals will build a strong Canada.

Why did you decide to run for federal office? Please share a bit of what led to that decision.

This election is about who is best fit to defend our Country and ensure that we can remain a strong nation with strong people in it. There is no question that President Donald Trump and his administration have changed things for us over the last few months, but that does not mean that we should not fight back for our Canadian values and way of life.

Our community is in need of leadership with a leader like Mark Carney and a Liberal MP to stand up to Donald Trump, ensure the safety of our community, economic growth, support for farmers and other sectors, and someone who can deliver for the people in our community. That is why I decided to step forward to run. In these times, the Leader of the Conservative Party and his Party are the wrong people at the wrong time to lead us.

I am proud to be a candidate for our riding of Flamborough-Glanbrook-Brant North under Mark Carney and look forward to representing my community in the House of Commons with all of my ability if elected.

Additional Information about Chuck

Chuck Phillips is a long-time businessman and community advocate. A proud husband & father who has taken on a wide variety of impactful community leadership roles, Chuck has been working for you and has been active in our community for the last 45 years. While Chuck was CEO of a public, nationwide building products company, he joined the Cambridge Memorial Hospital Board while they were under provincial supervision. As Board Chair, he actively participated in initiatives that led the hospital out of tough times, recruited a new CEO, and helped put in place the requirements that qualified the hospital for major expansions. Throughout a 45-year career in business, Chuck has taken on positions of increasing responsibility in both private & publicly owned companies. After a start in corporate finance, Chuck was promoted to CEO of a company he helped purchase and has since led a wide variety of companies and business ventures. Throughout his time as CEO, the organizations he led consistently delivered on innovative sales & marketing strategies, enhanced their management performance, and more. Recently Chuck has developed an expertise in family business leadership where he is able to bring his extensive corporate experience to support families looking to ensure successful multi-generation ownership and financial/business stability.

NIKITA MAHOOD, PEOPLE’S PARTY OF CANADA

How are or have you familiarized yourself with key issues important to our Brant North community, as this is a new extension of your riding?

In order to get to know the concerns of residents in the Brant North communities, I have been holding weekly "Coffee and Chat" sessions at Old Mill Cafe in St. George, every Wednesday from 2-3pm, in order to meet local residents and learn what issues are important to residents. I have also emailed and called my new PPC members that I have gained in this new area, as well as done some canvassing door-to-door.

What do you see as the top three concerns of Brant North residents?

In my conversations with residents of Brant North, there are several important areas of concern that people have shared with me. I have learned that residents of Brant North are suffering with affordability of food, bills and housing prices. Many are upset that our tax dollars are being sent overseas to fund foreign wars, instead of helping Canadians who are struggling.

I have also heard concerns from many residents about the effects of gender ideology in schools, and how it is affecting women and especially children. While Brant North residents generally believe in LGBTQ people's rights to live their lives freely and without persecution, I frequently have heard from community members that these subjects do not belong in school and children need protection from influences that lead to elective treatments that should be illegal for minors, such as puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapies. I also am listening to residents about how women's spaces, such as sports, change rooms and jails need to remain as spaces for biological women. Brant North residents are also telling me about an unwanted potential amalgamation with the City of Brantford. While this is a municipal issue, I am happy to advocate at the municipal level in defence of the wishes of this community, as I have already done so in Hamilton.

What are the top priorities of your party’s platform in this election?

The People's Party of Canada's top issue this election is to make Canada affordable for residents. We would prioritize the needs of Canadian residents over funding globalist endeavours such as the Paris Accord (which we would exit), funding over a million immigrants per year (we would halt and reduce to 150,000 immigrants under raised qualifications), we would additionally scrap all carbon pricing measures that have quietly remained after the carbon tax.

We are also prioritizing the protection of our children from woke ideologies. We would repeal bill C-4 which has made it illegal for a parent to intervene in their child's gender transition and was voted in unanimously in the HoC. We would swiftly make gender-related procedures on minor children illegal, among many other measures to protect our kids.

We would work on a cooperative and fair-trade deal with the US, and address border-related concerns so that we can return to having a productive trade relationship with the US. We have no hope of winning a trade war and need to stop this tactic as it is hurting Canadians.

Why did you decide to run for federal office? Please share a bit of what led to that decision.

I decided to run for federal office because I have lost faith in the system as it stands and that sweeping measures are needed to get our country back on track. We are having our rights slowly picked away, while the government is ballooning and the values of democracy are slipping away. Government is positioned between parents and children, our freedom of speech is being diluted and it has become taboo to question "acceptable belief systems" such as climate alarmism, gender ideology, and mass immigration. The PPC stands boldly to protect our rights and freedoms, and we are not going to stop doing so until Canada has returned to the beautiful free country it once was. 

Additional information about Nikita

Nikita Mahood is a 38-year-old mother, homesteader, lifelong learner, and small business owner. A homeowner in the Flamborough-Glanbrook-Brant North riding since 2014, she is currently working on completing a tropical greenhouse retreat on her property, designed to provide flexibility and time to pursue public service.

Before COVID mandates, Nikita was an honour student in McMaster University’s Economics program. She has long been concerned with the imbalance of political power in Canada, a feeling that has only intensified in recent years. A strong advocate for individual rights, freedoms, and personal responsibility, she lived and slept in her Pathfinder for a week in front of Parliament during the Trucker Convoy.

Her experience running in the 2022 provincial election provided her with invaluable insights, and she is eager to build on this momentum in the next federal election.

Nikita has held various leadership and community roles, including team lead for PPC Flamborough-Glanbrook, assistant coordinator at a Hamilton outreach program, director at the Golden Horseshoe Cooperative Housing Federation, and proud Hamilton school bus driver, foster parent, and home daycare provider.

She remains committed to defending Canadian values, empowering individuals, and bringing real political change to her community and beyond.