Marcelino walking in her mother’s footsteps

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This article was published 03/09/2019 (2236 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Malaya Marcelino is hoping to keep the same enthusiasm for politics her mom had.

Malaya Marcelino is running for the NDP in the newly established Notre Dame constituency. Marcelino is the daughter of former Wellington and Logan MLA Flor Marcelino (who chose not to run in this year’s election), and grew up watching her mom struggle and triumph in the Manitoban political arena.

Marcelino said she initially didn’t want to run for office. But after a horrible experience with the health care system in late 2018, she felt like she had to run.

“When my son was about one year old, we took him to the ER. We were told we had to wait 48 hours before he would be seen,” Marcelino said.“I was so angry and shocked. It really made the ER closures and overworked nurses personal for me.”

The Notre Dame constituency is bordered on the north by the CPR Carberry line. Its western border goes south along Brookside Boulevard, then east on Notre Dame, and south again on Erin Street to its southern boundary at Sargent Avenue. Its eastern boundary is at Isabel Street south to Notre Dame, where it cuts west and then south on Maryland Street to Sargent.

Marcelino said hard census data is not available for the new constituency but shared anecdotally that the riding has many Filipino residents, as well as other minority groups, and many low-income households.
She said many people at the door were talking about health care and public safety.

When Marcelino is not running for office, she’s a stay-at-home mom, taking care of her two young boys. She said family is very important for her. She also works part-time in communications, mostly for agri-businesses in rural Manitoba.

Marcelino said public safety is a complex issue that the NDP is trying to tackle.

“The NDP has a fully costed plan to help fund (Main Street Project) and treatment centres for alcohol and drugs … (NDP Leader Wab Kinew) announced these initiatives would be put into place within 100 days,” Marcelino said. “I think it’s such a complex issue to even get someone (involved with drugs and crime), it can relate to poverty, mental health … This shows real leadership. It’s a viable plan, it attempts to get to a solution.”

Also running in Notre Dame are Donovan Martin (Lib.), Martha Jo Willard (GMP), Marsha Street (PC), Andrew Taylor (CPM) and Margaret Sturby (MBFWD). Street, Taylor and Sturby could not be reached in time for publication.