With the end of the NDP's confidence and supply agreement with the Liberal government, candidates are positioning themselves in Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill to run in an, as of yet uncalled, election.
AuroraToday reached out to the three major parties to talk with their respective local candidates. Ahead of the election, AuroraToday spoke with both Liberal MP Leah Taylor Roy and Conservative candidate Costas Menegakis about why they are running, and what they see as the key issues for the riding ahead of the election. To date, AuroraToday has not received a response from the federal NDP.
Today, we feature our interview with Conservative Menegakis. You can read about Taylor Roy here.
After a tumultuous nomination process, former MP Menegakis was selected as the nominee for the Conservative Party last May.
Menegakis talked about balancing the federal budget, federal spending on housing and infrastructure, and addressing immigration.
He also expressed frustration about what he described as Trudeau's ability to push wedge issues and responded to criticism over the nomination process that saw him selected to run for the Conservatives.
Who is Costas Menegakis?
Menegakis was elected as MP for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill in 2011, serving until 2015 when he was defeated by Liberal candidate Leona Alleslev.
Menegakis ran again in 2019 and 2021 in the riding of Richmond Hill, losing to Liberal MP Majid Jowhari on both occasions.
Menegakis is also founder and CEO of Tilwood Inc., a product fulfillment and logistics company, previously based in Richmond Hill but now operating in Brampton.
Affordability and housing
Menegakis said one of the main concerns he has heard from residents while door-knocking was affordability.
He said he is in favour of calls to “axe the tax” on carbon pricing, saying the program has not seen enough results in reducing carbon emissions.
He has also heard concerns from residents looking to renew mortgages.
On housing, he said he wants to incentivize local municipalities to build more and would also boost infrastructure spending.
“You can't grow the population from 35, 36, 37 million people to 40 (million) plus, keep growing and growing and growing and not provide infrastructure, no homes, roads, if you don't invest in that, we're just going to become more gridlocked,” he said.
Balanced budget
Menegakis pointed to the federal government’s national debt, with interest payments on that debt topping $54 billion in the 2024-25 financial year.
Menegakis said he foresaw cuts to the number of public service workers to help balance the budget, but said it “is not something that happens in year one, you'll work toward it.”
He said reducing the government’s interest payments could free up money to boost federal funding for health care.
“What would happen to the health-care system if it got an influx of an additional $54 billion?”
Immigration
Menegakis also said he would address immigration, saying, “There seems to be no plan as to how newcomers are welcomed into our country.”
He has heard concerns about immigration from many residents, including ones who were immigrants themselves, he added.
“We need to focus on bringing back some semblance of organization to how we welcome people to the country, and give them the skills and the tools they need to succeed in the, what we call, the Canadian dream.”
The Opposition
Menegakis was critical of MP Leah Taylor Roy’s comments about the nomination process, which saw Menegakis ultimately selected as the Conservative nominee.
“It's petty partisan politics for her to rise up (in the House) and say stuff. I had a different opinion of Taylor Roy before she did that,” he said.
The nomination process came under scrutiny after Aurora Councillor Rachel Gilliland was disqualified, and another nominee candidate, Sabrina Maddeaux, suspended her campaign for the nomination on May 9 because she said the process had been “corrupted.”
Taylor Roy, speaking in the House of Commons, pointed to the nominee race as proof the Conservative Party does not support women.
“As a candidate, myself, I'm not privy to that information,” he said.
“All I did is walk around, knock on doors, talk to people try to get them to buy a membership, so they can support me to be their candidate,” he added. “That certainly had nothing to do with gender, by any stretch of the imagination. Nor did anybody call me and say, ‘Hey, I want you, and therefore we're gonna do it for you.’ There's no such thing.”
Menegakis also rejected criticisms about the Conservative’s record on the environment and gender equality, saying he cares about both topics, saying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau uses the topics as “wedge issues.”
“He's an expert at trying to wedge things, but people are seeing right through that.”
Menegakis said he was “cautiously optimistic” about his election prospects, noting the June 24 byelection result in Toronto-St.Paul's, where Conservative candidate Don Stewart won the longtime federal Liberal stronghold.
“So my strategy is knocking on every single door of every single resident, not once, not twice, but three times between now and the election. A, introducing myself to people that do not know me, and B, speaking to why it's time for change, and telling people why a Conservative is better for them and their family.”
