Brampton councillor travelled to U.S. to campaign for presidential candidate

A Brampton councillor recently travelled to the US to help the campaign of presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Rowena Santos, councillor for Wards 1 and 5, told Newstalk 1010 this morning (Nov. 5) that she spent the Thanksgiving long weekend in Macomb County, Michigan, near Detroit, knocking on doors on behalf of the Democratic candidate.

Harris is running against Republican candidate Donald Trump in a contentious race that sees Americans going to the polls today to determine who will be their next president.

Macomb County is considered a “riding to watch” in the swing state of Michigan, an area where the voting outcome could determine the next American president.

“There’s no way that I could miss being part of history this way in an election that has such significant implications either way it goes,” Santos told radio host John Moore. “It was incredibly exciting to knock on those doors.”

A brief surveyof listeners after the interview with Santos showed that most felt an elected Canadian official should stay out of American politics.

One caller said Canadians have been concerned about foreign influence in our national elections and that Santos should turn her attention to the concerns of her own constituents instead of trying to influence the election results of another nation.

Host Moore also said he is a “little squeamish” about Canadians becoming involved in the U.S. election.

During her interview, Santos said she went to the U.S. with two other elected officials from Ontario.

She explained she has been a long-time advocate for women in leadership and that she looked into the legalities of her participation before she undertook the visit.

Santos said she knocked on about 500 doors and could tell the race is a tight one adding that she could sense that women were voting.

“Regardless of them being south of the border, I have family and friends in the United States and I know the implications over here, especially women breaking barriers, is quite significant…the whole world is watching,” she said.