Lisa Raitt and many others braved tonight’s weather to attend the Annual Guelph Conservative Party BBQ held at Riverside Park!

Guelph, Ont. (August 20, 2009) – Lisa Raitt, several other notables, and approximately 30 local Conservative Party members did not let tonight’s weather stop them from attending tonight’s Annual Guelph Conservative Party BBQ.   Lisa Raitt, the Conservative MP for the riding of Halton and the Federal Minister of Natural Resources, had a particularly harrowing experience getting to the event since she had to drive through tornado-like weather on the 401. 

Minister Raitt was introduced by Gloria Kovach, long-time Guelph city councillor and the Conservative candidate for Guelph in the last Federal election.  Gloria also acknowledged and thanked the other notables who attended the event: 

Consiglio Di Nino – Senator for the province of Ontario

Gary Schellenberger – MP for Perth-Wellington

Peter Braid – MP for Kitchener-Waterloo

Bob Senechal – PC candidate for Guelph in the last provincial election.

About a third of the audience was young adults, including several university students.  Minister Raitt noted that she attended the University of Guelph for her Masters degree in chemistry from 1989 to 1993 and gave full credit to the University for “setting her up for politics”.  She said that she was active in student government throughout her tenure here and that she “learned a lot by being on the other side” in student politics.

Following Raitt’s speech, Gloria thanked the Minister, as a member of the Harper Government, for the infrastructure spending that Guelph has received.  However, she noted, jokingly, that it has resulted in her receiving “several complaints about traffic delays” from her constituents. 

Minister Raitt then took questions from the audience.  In response to one question concerning what would happen to infrastructure projects if an election was called, she confirmed that “current projects will continue”. When an audience member recalled a recent conversation in another country during which Stephen Harper was repeatedly mentioned and praised, Minister Raitt stated that she is “very proud when Mr. Harper represents us internationally” because he is “a real statesman” and is recognized as a statesman in other countries.

For more information, please contact Paulette Padanyi at ppadanyi@uoguelph.ca. 

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The guest list for the Annual Guelph Conservative Party BBQ on August 20^th is growing!

Guelph, Ont. (August 13, 2009) – More MPs and notables have confirmed that they will be attending the Annual Guelph Conservative Party BBQ on Thursday, August 20^th.  

As previously announced, the The Hon. Lisa Raitt will be the special guest.  Raitt is the Conservative MP for the riding of Halton and the Federal Minister of Natural Resources.  Raitt has a strong connection to our area because she has a Masters degree in chemistry from the University of Guelph. 

Raitt will be joined by:

The Hon. Consiglio Di Nino – Senator for the province of Ontario, whose special interests include community involvement and human rights violations in China

The Hon. Peter Braid – MP for Kitchener-Waterloo: member of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development

The Hon. Gary Schellenberger – MP for Perth-Wellington; Chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage

The Hon. Joe Preston – MP for Elgin-Middlesex-London; Chair of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee

The Hon. Gord Brown – MP for Leeds-Grenville; House of Commons Chair on the Canada-United States Interparliamentary Association

Gloria Kovach – Guelph’s longest-serving City Councillor

The Annual Guelph Conservative Party BBQ will be held on Thursday, August 20^th from 5-8 pm in Riverside Park (at the pavillion off of the Marilyn Drive parking lot).  All party members and their families and friends are invited. Tickets can be purchased on-site for $20.

For more information, please contact Paulette Padanyi at ppadanyi@uoguelph.ca. 

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MP Lisa Raitt to attend the Annual Guelph Conservative Party BBQ on August 20^th

Guelph, Ont. (August 7, 2009) – The Hon. Lisa Raitt, Conservative MP for the riding of Halton and Federal Minister of Natural Resources, will make a guest appearance at the Annual Guelph Conservative Party BBQ in support of the local riding association.  The BBQ will be held from 5-8 pm in Riverside Park (Woolwich Street and Marilyn Drive).  Tickets can be bought at the BBQ for $20.

Raitt is married to David Raitt and has two sons, John Colin (age 7) and Billy (age 4).  She was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the youngest of seven children.  Her father, Colin A. MacCormack, worked for a local coal mine, served as a city alderman, and then became secretary-treasurer and a lead negotiator for the Cape Breton Railway Transportation and General Workers. Her mother, Tootsie, was a businesswoman.

Raitt has a strong connection to our area because she has a Masters degree in chemistry from the University of Guelph.  She was called to the Ontario bar after earning an LL.B from Osgoode Hall Law School, and subsequently trained in London, U.K. with barristers who specialized in international trade, commerce, transportation and arbitration.

Prior to the last Federal election campaign, Raitt was the president and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority (TPA), a Canadian federal corporation that manages commerce, transportation (including the Toronto City Centre Airport) and recreation in the Toronto Harbour.  She also served as the TPA’s Corporate Secretary and General Counsel, and was the first female harbourmaster of a Canadian port!

For more information on this event, please contact Paulette Padanyi at ppadanyi@uoguelph.ca or 519-824-4120, ext. 53774. 

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