Olumide Adewumi, Liberal Party of Canada
Your current occupation: Olumide Adewumi is the Liberal candidate for Red Deer-Mountain View, a small business owner and entrepreneur. I have devoted myself to my community through helping businesses develop and implement COVID-19 preventive protocols and response in Alberta. I will use my decades of experience in the oil and gas sector to advocate for the revival of the energy industry in Red Deer-Mountain View. I will advocate for issues that are important to Red Deer-Mountain View including job security, health care, social equality, workplace safety, and childcare.
What are the three most pressing issues facing Central Albertans and how will you address them?
We must finish the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Building back our economy is critical currently. We need to keep people on their job and make life affordable for everyone. If elected, I will support the extension of the Canada Recovery Hiring Program so businesses can hire more workers and Canadians can get back on their jobs, provide Canada’s hard-hit tourism industry with temporary wage and rent support of up to 75 per cent of their expenses, help small businesses afford costs of new technology with microgrants and zero-interest loans for larger projects, advocate for $10 a day child care to make life affordable for families and take a bold action on the plan to invest in Central Alberta energy industry.
Post-secondary students and recent graduates are facing unique and unprecedented challenges because of COVID-19. There are fewer jobs, and many co-op, internship, and community service placements have been cancelled. I will double down on efforts to support young people. I will support the elimination of the federal interest on Canada Student Loans and Canada Apprentice Loans, provide more help to students to repay their loans by increasing the threshold to $50,000 for Canada Student Loan borrowers who are single; and support mental health care for students at colleges and universities that will see 1,200 new mental health counsellors, including providing support for BIPOC students.
Secondly, Health Care is a pressing issue. Before the pandemic, waitlists were growing for vital surgeries and services. Nearly five million Canadians reported not having access to a family doctor and 3.2 per cent of Canadians were waiting for treatment in 2020. If elected, I will advocate eliminating the backlog of surgeries and procedures, I will ensure every Canadian has access to a family doctor or primary health team, support to hire 7,500 doctors and nurses, re-introduce Disability Benefit Act which will create direct monthly payments for low-income Canadians with disabilities ages 18-64 and take action for individuals living with MS of which about 90 per cent are women.
Thirdly, clean environment is another pressing issue. Protecting the environment must be the business of government and everyone. Protecting the environment, our health and our future should not be a partisan issue and I would gladly work across the aisle to make more progress – and make progress faster. The mining operations in the slopes continue to be a threat to fresh water and our environment. I will advocate a strong policy on exploration that degrade our land and pollute our fresh waters. I will fight to protect our land, freshwater, trees, and ocean. I will support the creation of new parks and marine conservation areas. I will advocate to strengthen legislation to protect our environment.
A few more things …
Where were you born/raised? Where do you live now?
He was born in Lagos, western Nigeria. He is an African Canadian currently residing in Airdrie at the borderline of the Red Deer-Mountain View riding.
If you have run for/served in office before, what have you learned? If not, why are you running now?
I have not run for office before. I am running currently because of the neglect of Alberta and the neglect of Red Deer-Mountain View. I know we deserve more than we are getting from government, and I want to be the voice of my constituency. We have always had representative, but we have not always had what we deserve. I am humbled to put my name forward and my experience to advocate the issues that are important and peculiar to Red Deer-Mountain View. We need to put party partisans aside in this election and think about the future of our province, especially the future of Red Deer-Mountain View riding, and the coming generation. It is also a time for us to choose fresh ideas by electing me in this election.
I am very passionate that the Albertan energy sector can still be a world leading industry while protecting the environment. It is of the utmost importance that Canada’s natural ecosystems are preserved for future generations through lower carbon initiatives and strong environmental initiatives. I will advocate for issues that are important to Red Deer-Mountain View including job security, health care, social equality, workplace safety, childcare and climate action.
Why would you make a good representative for your constituents?
I have more than 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, so I know what our priorities are in Red Deer-Mountain View. We need the skill set and experience that I possess to help advocate for the right policies that would give us what we deserve from the government.
I will advocate the issues that are unique to the region of Red Deer-Mountain View. As a small business owner, I understand the challenges small businesses face and the role the government must take for a strong economic recovery. Supporting small businesses and the Canadians that are employed by them is my priority.
Tell us a surprising or interesting fact or story about yourself.
Olumide Adewumi prides himself as being very compassionate, friendly, open, and approachable. He has listening ears and highly empathetic of Canadians plights. A case to note was during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, I helped companies and businesses to develop and implement appropriate response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of people advised me to hide myself like everybody did and not risk my life for others. My response was, I have an incredible responsibility and a duty of care for as many lives as I can possibly can in my lifetime. That is the kind of selfless leadership I will bring to Red Deer-Mountain View if elected.
Notable past achievements/titles/jobs.
Olumide Adewumi has a Bachelor and a Master’s degree in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. Through my education, I have contributed to major publications and journals such as the Journals of Safety Technology. Notable among those are the Characteristics of gas condensates, Wax variation on Oil wells, etc. I am knowledgeable about crude oil production, workplace safety, environmental processes, and operational standards. Outside of my academic work, I was recognized for my contribution to the field of chemical and petroleum engineering. In 2001, I received the “Who is Who in the 21st Century” award from the Board of International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, England. In addition to this, I advocate for workplace safety through my memberships in the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, Alberta Health and Safety Professionals, American Society of Safety Professionals. I advocate for gender equality without bias, healthcare, childcare, and a clean environment.