Since my campaign to be the next Conservative MP for Durham started last month, community members have naturally asked me why I’m running in Durham and what my connection is to the communities of North Oshawa, Clarington and Scugog.
I am running to represent the people of Durham because I love living in this part of Canada and hope to someday start my family in this part of Ontario. Like many Canadians my age, I do not own a home. I would like to own a home in Durham one day, and that’s one of the reasons I hope to restore the Canadian dream for my generation.
For those who do not know me, I’d like to share some of my history in Durham Region and the Durham riding in particular:
I first moved to Oshawa in early 2020. Before that, I was moving around a lot because I did book tours to promote my first book, Why Young Men, which was published in 2018 in Canada and 2019 in the US and Australia. Part of my book tours involved a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sister Canada to encourage more men to volunteer as mentors for boys who grow up like I did without a father in the home.
Prior to moving to Oshawa, I was also undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment at North York General Hospital and Sunnybrook.
When I moved to Oshawa, it was the start of a new chapter in my life. I chose Oshawa because I liked the more affordable, suburban quality of life that it offers families. I also heard great things about Oshawa from my mentor in the legal profession, Mitch Frazer, who currently serves as the Chancellor at Ontario Tech University.
I rented the top floor of a duplex. My landlord was Stoneridge Property Management.
The first couple of years of my time in Oshawa were impacted by the pandemic. I remember vividly when the severity of the pandemic became clear to me. It was in March 2020, and I was walking around downtown Oshawa. There I saw an emergency services vehicle in front of the Salvation Army. It struck me that this pandemic was going to hit the most vulnerable communities the hardest. This inspired me to advocate for what would eventually become the Government of Ontario’s $200 million social services relief fund (at the time I was working as an advisor to the provincial government).
The pandemic also meant that a lot of things were closed down. I occasionally attended local churches, like VIVA and Calvary, but they were often closed due to public health restrictions. So like most people I attended churches online.
When I had free time, I would rent a car from Enterprise’s Oshawa Lakeview location and explore Durham Region. On these drives, I discovered my favourite donut place, Skylight Donuts in Bowmanville. Their coconut cream donut became the ultimate comfort food for me during some challenging life moments. (Sidenote: I recently had the chance to meet one of the owners of Skylight, Dan. Great guy.)
On these drives, I discovered Port Perry. During the pandemic, I made the drive up Simcoe and over to Palmer Park multiple times a week. I walked around in the fresh air. It was mostly quiet, aside from a few fishermen here and there, so there were plenty of beautiful birds posed around Lake Scugog. At the water, life felt peaceful and normal. And I needed to feel peaceful and normal with all of the pandemic chaos going on around us. It was great for my mental health. (This is one reason why I’m a keen supporter of the Healthy Lake Scugog Steering Committee’s plans to enhance the area. It means a lot to me personally.)
In my work advising the Government of Ontario, I supported initiatives that would impact under-served areas of the province, including Durham Region. For example, in September 2020, I supported the provincial government increasing funding by $650,000 to the Durham Children’s Aid Society. I also successfully advocated for the doubling of the province’s Black Youth Action Plan budget, which funds several organizations in the Durham Region, including the Durham Family and Cultural Centre.
My interest in Durham was also reflected in my work as a radio host for Newstalk1010. Almost every episode of my radio show was broadcasted from my duplex unit in Oshawa, so I naturally thought about my surrounding communities on the radio every day. In March 2021, I interviewed Shayne Fields and Jason Gayle from Unifor Local 222 in Oshawa. They represented GM autoworkers. In May 2021, I also interviewed Durham MP Erin O’Toole on the radio.
I’m at home in Durham, so much so that when I told my sister Jasmine how great of a place it is, she and her husband Peter decided to move closer to me. They bought a house in Whitby after getting married. Their dog Simba loves it.
The year 2022 was a transformational one. My radio show was cancelled by Bell Media because I refused to be a liberal stereotype and defend Justin Trudeau. I also resigned from my advisory role with the Government of Ontario. I looked at my life and realized that if I was ever going to buy a home in Durham and make a life for myself, then I needed to help change the direction of Canada.
I wasn’t sure where to start, but some incredible opportunities came my way to write for the National Post and Toronto Sun. I was also given the chance to lead the Canada Strong and Free Network, formerly known as the Manning Centre. In these roles, I traveled throughout Canada, but I still called Oshawa home. I also spent a lot of time with Simba in Whitby.
As I worked in my new jobs, I took notice of what Pierre Poilievre was achieving as the new leader of the Conservative Party. Pierre was championing ideas that I hoped to see in federal politics. The kind of ideas that can correct the course of our country, after years of damage with Trudeau at the helm.
In fall 2022, I was getting out of my lease in Oshawa and looking for a new place to live in Durham. I was also organizing the Canada Strong and Free Network’s annual national conference for conservatives. At that time, I talked with some of my friends for recommendations on where to live in Courtice and Bowmanville. Once the Canada Strong and Free Network conference was over, I decided to move ten minutes down the 401 to Bowmanville. I now live fifteen minutes closer to the Skylight donut shop and it’s very difficult to resist the urge to drive by every day, but I’m trying my best.
Like most people, I was surprised to see Erin O’Toole decided to step down as MP for Durham. I learned about his decision in April. That felt like a moment of God’s providence. It became clear to me that a possibility opened up for me to continue living in Durham and also continue trying to change the direction of our country. I could do both of these things at once, and help restore the Canadian dream for my generation.
I know voters will have questions for me, and that the job interview to be the Durham MP is far from over. I have 150,000 people to meet. But I hope readers will see that I do care about the local communities that make up the riding of Durham. I have lived in many different places throughout my life, but I plan for my future to be here. And I look forward to the day I own a home in Durham.
There are many other topics I’m excited to discuss. I have plenty of thoughts on policies and initiatives that will strengthen our local industries (e.g. nuclear and agriculture), support more services for families (e.g. Bowmanville hospital expansion and keeping up with population growth) and empower young Canadians (e.g. revitalizing the Durham Youth Advisory Group and partnering with Durham College and Ontario Tech University). I’ll have much more to say about these ideas and more in the coming weeks and months.
Thanks for reading. If you live in Durham and want to support our campaign, please consider making the pledge to vote for us at www.votejamil.ca/pledge
I have been following you on line for a while now and from what I've learned about you, you would make a great MP. So, Durham people, don't miss this chance to have a great guy represent you in Ottawa.
They'd be fortunate to have you represent them in parliament.