BAY OF QUINTE, ON – Chris Malette, federal Liberal candidate for Bay of Quinte, says he entered the race because the region has not been well served by current MP Ryan Williams.
“Ryan has essentially been asked to choose between his party and the people of this riding and he’s chosen the party. The people of Bay of Quinte deserve better.”
Malette cites William’s decision not to support Belleville’s application for the latest round of the federal Housing Accelerator Fund as an example of his choosing his political career over the interests of the region.
In 2024, Williams was one of more than 17 Conservative MPs who were ‘named and shamed’ by their leader for advocating for the first round of Housing Accelerator funding offered by the federal government.
“Ryan apparently learned his lesson after having been outed by his leader for supporting a program the Poilievre Conservatives have vowed to cut if allowed to take power,” said Malette.
“Consequently, when the second round of funding was announced and that tranche saw Belleville successfully access $16 million in much-needed funding, Ryan chose to stay on the sidelines and not advocate on behalf of one of the communities he’s sworn to represent.”
“This is a crucial time for Bay of Quinte and we can’t afford to have an MP controlled by a leader obsessed with partisan politics.”
Malette, who has served as a Belleville councillor since 2018, has taken a leave of absence for the duration of the federal campaign, which ends April 28, 2025.
