Frank Baylis, a former Member of Parliament, entrepreneur, and Liberal Celebration management candidate, delivered an impassioned speech on the Operations Black Vote Canada Males’s Political Summit in Toronto. Addressing a packed room, Baylis outlined his imaginative and prescient for Canada’s future, shared his private journey, and urged the Black group to take its rightful place in shaping the nation’s political panorama.
Drawing on his personal background as a profitable businessman and political chief, Baylis emphasised the significance of tackling systemic discrimination, fostering financial empowerment, and creating pathways for significant Black illustration in politics. “If we don’t take our area, it received’t be given to us,” Baylis stated. “We should arise, demand it, and work collectively to make it occur.”
Baylis shared his household’s deep-rooted historical past of activism and political engagement. His mom, a nurse who immigrated from Barbados, set a authorized precedent in Canada by efficiently difficult racial discrimination in employment throughout the Sixties. “My mother fought for her rights and received,” Baylis stated, noting that her case predated Canada’s Constitution of Rights and Freedoms. “That’s a part of my heritage, and it’s a battle we have to proceed.”
He additionally highlighted his household’s political legacy, which incorporates Ann Cools, the primary Black feminine senator in Canada, and his aunt, June Baylis, who served as Barbados’ ambassador to Canada and the United Nations.
Reflecting on his tenure in Parliament, Baylis recalled the challenges of advocating for Black illustration in authorities. “Once we shaped the primary Black caucus in Canada, we made it clear that we weren’t there simply to speak. We needed actual investments within the Black group,” he stated. The caucus, which included notable figures like Greg Fergus and Selina Cesar-Chavannes, pushed for recognition of the UN Decade for Individuals of African Descent and better help for Black companies.
Baylis praised Fergus’s historic appointment as the primary Black Speaker of the Home however decried the double requirements and racism that adopted. “The assaults on Greg have been a transparent instance of systemic racism,” Baylis stated. “It’s a reminder that Black males face distinctive challenges in politics.”
As a Liberal Celebration management contender, Baylis outlined his three key priorities: addressing affordability, strengthening healthcare, and modernizing authorities. “We have to get affordability beneath management by creating good, high-paying jobs and managing fiscal spending responsibly,” he stated. He criticized the present authorities for failing to manage inflation and the declining worth of the Canadian greenback, which he linked to rising prices of products.
Baylis, who spent over 35 years within the medical trade, pledged to leverage his expertise to remodel Canada’s healthcare system. “We’ve the muse for the perfect medical system on the planet. It’s time to make {that a} actuality,” he stated.
On modernizing authorities, Baylis emphasised the necessity for technological integration to enhance service supply. “We’re not utilizing the instruments we’ve got to make life simpler for Canadians,” he stated. “It’s time to carry our authorities into the twenty first century.”
Baylis inspired attendees to mobilize their communities and take an energetic position in shaping Canada’s future. “The Black group should unite and coalesce right into a voting drive,” he stated. He known as on attendees to hitch the Liberal Celebration and help his marketing campaign, stressing that membership is free and accessible to anybody over 14 years outdated and should be finished by the tip of the day on Monday.
The summit additionally offered Baylis a possibility to deal with skepticism concerning the Liberal Celebration’s monitor report. He acknowledged frustrations over affordability and housing points however promised to steer with a give attention to outcomes. “We haven’t finished sufficient,” he admitted. “However beneath my management, that may change.”
Baylis additionally highlighted his enterprise achievements, which embody constructing and promoting firms within the medical area, one in every of which was simply acquired for $1.75 billion USD. “I understand how to create jobs and construct a robust financial system,” he stated. “That’s the expertise I need to carry to the position of Prime Minister.”
Baylis closed by celebrating the work of Velma Morgan and Operations Black Vote Canada, commending their efforts to encourage political participation within the Black group. “That is how we take our area,” he stated. “It’s not about tokenism; it’s about incomes our place and making a distinction.”
As he concluded, Baylis urged attendees to unfold the phrase and rally behind his marketing campaign. “Collectively, we will construct a stronger Canada,” he stated. “However I can’t do it alone. I would like your assist.”
For extra data on Frank Baylis’s marketing campaign, go to FrankBaylis.ca.
