KINGSTON - Federal NDP candidate Renee Stephen has announced that she is stepping down as the candidate for Kingston & the Islands for personal and professional reasons.

"I regret that I am unable to commit the time and energy that Kingstonians need from a candidate. It’s been a great year and a half, and I’m grateful to Jack Layton and our Party for their endless support and hard work," said Stephen.

Stephen will continue in her role as President of the riding association, and is leading the search for a new candidate.

"We've made steady gains here in Kingston," said Stephen, citing Rob Hutchinson's achievement in doubling the Party's number of votes in the last federal election. "With a strong candidate we’ll build on the growth we’ve seen here."

Stephen criticized Liberal MP Peter Milliken and Stéphane Dion’s Liberal Party calling them an “absentee party" and said "average families in Kingston are tired of the lack of representation that they're seeing from Peter Milliken and Dion’s Liberals. We deserve a Member of Parliament who will work for the people of this riding. It's time to show Stéphane Dion that we’re ready for change."

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Contact: Renee Stephen
Phone: 613-572-4637
reneestephen@ndp.ca