Interview with Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman - July 5th 2024

Friday, 5 July 2024 at 09:56

Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman appeared on the Heart FM morning show to talk about the pig roast he's hosting tomorrow.

WOODSTOCK - It's a tradition for Oxford County's MPP.

Ernie Hardeman will be hosting his annual pig roast in Southside Park tomorrow from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Boathouse Pavilion.

Hardeman has been the Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament for Oxford County since 1995. He says the party used to host a summer gathering for its members back in the day, and he decided to open the invitation to everyone in the late 1990s.

"The objective we are trying to accomplish here is to please the public, show the public we care and we want them to be part of what we're doing. So we had a bit of a debate, not all minds are not easy to change but they did, and we started doing that."

He says the event has grown a lot over the years.

"We started with pork and beans with a potato salad, then we added on other salads and so forth. Basically all we have to do is keep expanding it."

Those who stop by tomorrow will be able to enjoy not only pork but also burgers and a variety of salads. It's a free meal and it's also a chance to meet Hardeman in person. Just make sure you bring your own lawn chair.

During his interview on the Heart FM morning show today, Hardeman was also asked if he believes a provincial election will be called next year. This was his response.

"We are just halfway in this term and this is not a time to talk about whether we are going to have elections, but instead how we're going to carry on with the program we are putting in place to make sure we achieve the goals we need to do. That everybody who needs a home has a home, that everybody who needs a job has a job, so building an economy and looking after what the people need. We still have a lot of work to do in our healthcare system, so we need to keep working on that. So we'll have the pundits keep talking about whether there is or whether there isn't, but I can tell you that sometime between now and 2027, there will be a provincial election."

You can listen to the full interview with Hardeman below: