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By Rachael Williams SPECIAL TO THE CHAMPION 'â€" Less than a decade ago, Alex Anabusi ‘was headed for a career with the Ca- : nadian Armed Forces. Now, as Mil- Eton’s federal candidate for the New g Democratic Party (NDP), he’s ready 0 to fight for his constituents. 5 “Sometimes it makes me sick to my é stomach to see what people do for 5 the sake of winning votes. But then i o wonder, ifl give up on politics, who’s hursdaj ggoing to fight for what this town re- Q °ally needs," he said. 2 These needs include restricting the By Rachael Williams SPECIAL TO THE CHAMPION *â€" Less than a decade ago, Alex Anabusi â€"was headed for a career with the Ca- 2 nadian Armed Forces. Now, as Mile gton’s federal candidate for the New g Democratic Party (NDP), he's ready 0 to fight for his constituents. 5 “Sometimes it makes me sick to my hursday. Septem 2 These needs include restricting the ‘E‘powers of large, privately owned 8 corporations and protection from ‘5: ethnically discriminatory legislation g stressed Anabusi. f, The 32-year-old and father of three is 3 no stranger to politics. When he was 5: seven-years-old, Anabusi's family mi- grated from Kuwait to avoid political oppression during the Gulf War. He moved to Mississauga and went on to attend Hamilton’s McMaster Uni- versity, where he got a degree in ge- netics. When he couldn't find work right away, he was headed for the army. One week before he was set to ship out, he got a job with a genetics lab in Toronto. He later did his post-grad in genetics technology, got a job in Halifax and became politically active. He helped out with MP Megan Leslie’s campaign in 2008, when he met for- mer NDP leader Jack Layton. ”He was the type of man that tranu scended party politics and he was a major influence for me," said Anabusi. In 2012, Anabusi bought a home in Milton and has become actively en- gaged in the community. When he's not at work as a genetics diagnosti- cian for SickKids in Toronto, he’s orga- nizing community events, protests, starting petitions and campaigning. A GO train user, Anabusi started a petition to build multi-level parking at the Milton station. He also helped organize several protests against CN's proposed intermodal terminal, which would see the creation of a 400-acre logistics hub built near residential subdivisions in south Milton. He also ran in the last municipal elec- tion for Ward 6, losing to John Pollard. ”I think back to Abraham Lincoln. He lost every election he’d ever run in before he became President. Yet he’s one of the most remembered." Federally, Anabusi wants to see Introducing Milton’s candidates Chris Jewell is running for the Libertarian Party in Hal- ton and his promise is to speak for the people. The 30-year-old Milton resident says he chose the Lib- ertarian Party because it has unique ideas. “People should be able to keep the money they earn,” said Jewell, who spent his childhood years in Simcoe. "They should be responsible for their own decisions Milton has been one of the fastest growing commu- nities in Canada for the past two decades, but hasn’t always been treated as such. At least that’s the belief of the local riding's federal Liberal candidate. “Milton has been put last under the Conservative govâ€" ernment. Living and working in this town for almost 12 years, I have both seen and experienced it first ln her time as a project manager with IBM, Mini Batra believes she has come to "look at issues differently." She's now hoping to take that unique perspective from the private sector to public office. ”I find the root causes (of problems), do risk analysis and then implement the appropriate solutions," ex- plained Batra, the Green Party flagbearer for the Mil- Alex Anabusi By Steve LeBIanc CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF By Julie Slack CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF By Steve LeBlanc CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF Chris Jewell hand,” stressed Azim Rizvee, who was nominated as the party’s Milton riding candidate in July. This is his first time running for any level of political office. He has stepped down as CEO of Minmaxx Realty, hand- ing over the reins to his wife, Dr. Rabiya Azim, and a new management team. “I chose to take the responsi- bility to run for public office in order to put Milton first to serve the needs of the community I am so proud to be part of and that has given me so much.” The married father of three sees lagging infrastruc- ture â€" specifically with regard to such things as GO parking and service â€" and the proposed CN in- (good or bad) and their own actions. ”They should be treated like adults," he added. "More- over we should live and let live, not try to force things on people with legislation." If elected, he said he would be a public servant to the people of Milton. “I am not a whipped dog like every other politician belonging to the major parties," he said. ”I will actually make myself available and vote the way the people want me to vote, not the way the party does.” He said he’d also work toward scrapping the gradu- ated income tax system first by replacing it with ton riding for the upcoming federal election. ”I was looking for an opportunity to apply this approach to our political system to bring out more of the positive elements of development and progress." A longtime supporter of the Green Party, Batra is now running for political office for the first time -â€" having been acclaimed as the local candidate in June. She said the drastic changes she has seen both glob- ally and in Milton â€" where she has lived for the past eight years â€"- prompted her decision to run. ”The climate is changing, our environment is more federal election Raitt Rizvee By lulle Slack CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF Conservative candidate Lisa Raitt said she’s proud to stand for re-election based on her record of achievements. She said her commitment to Milton residents is that the government will continue to deliver results for the town. “It has been a tremendous privilege for me to serve as your Member of Parliament for the past seven years," she said. ”Together, we have been able to make great progress. ”As a 47-year-old mother of two boys, I care deeply about our community, creating opportunities and condi- tions that will ensure the long-term success and prosperity for all those who choose to call Milton home," Raitt said. She said the Conservative Govern- ment has lowered taxes, invested in training, cut red tape for small busi- nesses, created well-paying jobs, supported seniors and made life more affordable for families across the country. ”Here in Milton, our government de- livered unprecedented investments in key infrastructure projects such as the Milton Arts Centre, Milton Sports Centre and the Milton Velodrome, all of which have vastly improved our community, while creating local jobs and encouraging economic growth," she said. Through what she calls ”prudent fi- nancial management" the budget is balanced, the federal tax burden on Canadians is now at its lowest level in 50 years and Canada's economy is amongst the strongest in the G7. "I have also had the opportunity to serve our country as a cabinet min- ister, however, let me be clear, my greatest honour has been, and al- ways will be, standing as your Mem- ber of Parliament," Raitt said. ”I have done my best to always rep- resent the views of my constituents first." At no point has this been more clear- ly demonstrated than in the case of the proposal from CN to build an in- termodal facility in Milton, she said. ”I made a decision and in doing so gave up my ministerial responsibili- ties on this file so that I was able to sign the petition and advocate on behalf of my constituents, who are opposed to this proposal." This election, Canadians will face an important choice about