CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Five years ago, Roxanne Carter-Thompson would not have imagined herself running for office.
Since 2003, the Liberal candidate in District 11 Charlottetown-Belvedere has worked as the executive director of the Adventure Group, a non-profit that delivers programs that address social issues in P.E.I.
"My role has been to challenge government,” Carter-Thompson said.
“I felt that I could be a stronger advocate for clients of the population I work with outside of government."
This began to change four years ago, when Liberal Premier Wade MacLauchlan accepted an invitation to meet clients of the Adventure Group. Carter-Thompson said that the stories MacLauchlan heard had a visible impact on him.
Carter-Thompson would go on to chair the Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, whose recommendations formed the basis for the province’s Poverty Reduction Action Plan.
The plan included commitments to increase social assistance shelter rates, create a women’s shelter and double the number of rent supplements offered to Islanders unable to afford housing.
"The department (of Family and Human Services) went from being punitive to now being more supportive. They changed it from the inside out. Is there more change that needs to happen? Absolutely," Carter-Thompson said.
Carter-Thompson is running in a district that saw a surprise win by Green MLA Hannah Bell in a by-election in 2017. Bell, who is running again, agreed the province’s Poverty Reduction Action Plan was encouraging. But she said it does not go far enough.
"We need to see some more coherent and concrete action. The core of our worst spaces for poverty are around food, which isn't really clearly addressed in the poverty action plan,” Bell said.
"The people who are on social assistance, they have put some of the rates up, but they're still nowhere near where they need to be when they haven't gone up since 2013."
A 2018 report by the province’s auditor general noted the social assistance rates for clothing, household and personal items had not changed in 10 years.
Ronnie Carragher, the PC candidate, said he saw firsthand the effects of poverty during his professional life as a school principal.
He said that Charlottetown-Belvedere is full of people from various socio-economic backgrounds, from entrepreneurs to immigrants to seniors.
But few feel they are benefiting from recent economic growth.
"There weren't too many of them talking about what a great economy or how good the economy is,” Carragher said.
"There are many families, and I'm speaking for District 11, that are (trying) to make ends meet from cheque to cheque."
NDP candidate Trevor LeClerc, who is disabled, has been unable to do much in the way of door-to-door canvassing. He said he is coming to the race with the perspective of an individual living on a fixed income. He said doctor shortages and the lack of affordable housing are the most serious issues in the district.
But LeClerc also said he respected his Green opponent.
"I really like Hannah Bell. She's been a very effective MLA. I'd like to see her continue to be an effective MLA," he said.
"I am running, specifically, to give NDP supporters someone to vote for."
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