Joan Gottman

Joan Gottman is an educator, businesswoman, and wellness professional. She is standing with Jagmeet Singh and the NDP team to build a fair pandemic recovery that benefits working people and small businesses – and a more hopeful future that we can all look forward to, with a foundation of bold climate action and economic sustainability.



Joan understands only too well the challenges faced by small businesses. In 1996, she opened Quebec’s first paint-your-own-ceramics café and spent a decade developing it into a franchise and manufacturer. Joan knows that, under recent Conservative and Liberal governments which have favoured big corporations, her success may not have been possible.



Joan promotes creativity and good health in all her endeavours. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University and pursued a career in theater and circus arts for several years. More recently, Joan has taught yoga and self-care and founded a non-profit organization focused on creating spaces and experiences for people living with permanent disabilities.



Health care will be a major focus for Joan in Ottawa. She will work hard for reduced prescription drug and dental care costs as well as fighting to make sure that we learn the lessons of this pandemic by providing better mental health supports and by getting profit out of long-term care.



She is a passionate champion of bold climate action and is part of a local citizen’s committee that highlights projects with ambitious emission reduction targets and which respect Indigenous rights. As your Salaberry–Suroît MP, she will fight for the creation of a sustainable economy that addresses the climate emergency while creating well-paid green jobs.



——

My reasons for running are simple, I believe we need a drastic change in the way our government functions. We need a government that truly represents the people and listens to their concerns and places their needs above those of big business and lobby groups. I know our world is literally burning, I know we need to act when it comes to climate change, I know we need to partner with our Indigenous brothers and sisters to find solutions to the problems facing their communities and the Global climate crisis. As a yoga teacher I see and hear about the daily challenges that people face, the stress in their lives, how they feel they don't have time to thrive as an individual, or be an active part of society because they are so busy making ends meet.
We, as a society have lost sight of what is really important and have failed to take seriously people’s rightful desire to belong, to have loving relationships and to be treated as a valuable individual with a unique contribution to make. Given that far too many people are still unable to achieve these fundamental needs, it is time to re-examine some of our assumptions about what is the best way to move forward. I believe we need more voices in our government that really listen, that fight for the people and not their personal or party agenda. I know me, and I know I am that person.

Listening to the news you will hear a daily report of who will win and who will promise what in order to win this election. You will hear which leader is where and you will watch or listen to them play the game of politics.
I have decided to change the conversation and am refusing to play this game. Politics are not a game, it is my LIFE, it is also your LIFE and we need to focus on what type of government we want to represent us as a people.
I want you to know who I am, what I believe in and why I believe the NDP is the best party to form the next government.
The NDP believes in taking better care of each other. We are committed to strengthening public health and social services, facilitating immigration, increasing social housing, transitioning from fossil fuel dependency to clean energy.. We are committed to undertaking reconciliation in good faith, and in true equal partnership with indigenous communities. We have many more commitments. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with our platform here: https://www.ndp.ca/commitments.

I believe we have the ability to create a new Canada, where every Nation, First Nation and Province is recognized for its uniqueness. We are not the same people, Province, Nation, First Nation that we were when Canada was created over 150 years ago, so I question why we keep electing the same government that has led us to where we are now.

The fact is we need change that will lead us to a greener future, to a kinder, more empathetic Country. We have a Global climate crisis, and we need to rethink what our future should look like. We have to revisit how we live, how we learn, how we grow our food, how we support our most vulnerable, how we make our decisions, how we communicate with each other and find common ground. We need to redefine what the land mass of Canada really is today: a land of First Nations People, and a land of people who have settled here in the last 500 years and who are settling here today and will arrive tomorrow. The NDP recognizes the need for change from the status quo, the NDP and I are willing to fight to make that change happen.

Some of our commitments to you: We will NOT BUY or expand a pipeline, we WILL stop all subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. We will implement mental, dental, and prescription health care. We will raise X billion $ by closing tax loopholes and offshore tax havens.

My commitments to you include being open and honest and transparent. My promise to you is to always think of the people first, not the corporations. My promise is to listen to your concerns and make sure your voices are heard.

My question to you is will you vote for positive change where you elect a government that will act on today’s issues, or will you vote for the status quo?

My top priorities are simple;
*Stopping subsidies to the oil industry
*People first, not political agenda.
*Partnering with the Indigenous communities to formulate a plan of action to act upon climate change.
*Getting mental, dental, and prescriptions included in our Medicare system.
*Facing the climate crisis as if our very lives depend upon it.