Natasha M. Akhtar NDP Candidate of Record for Oromocto-Lincoln-Fredericton

With regards to the open invite I had put up for POCs and NDP supporters below :

I ended up having a long and apparently fruitless conversation with this random person, who is not NDP, and expressed outrage when I posted the OPEN TO ALL meeting invite for our NDP Visible Minorities Caucas .

I have left up the discussion for its educational value here for people who claim equal opportunities and respect and validity are given to “ all those who work hard and follow the rules “ .

No they aren’t .

His biggest issue seems to be the majority religion of the “ part of the world I came from“ because to him that translates to “ having foreign interests at heart” apparently forever. Like an automatic disqualifier to hold an opinion on anything in Canada . Plenty more think it but are too savvy to, you know, write it down on a page .

So egregious bias isn’t limited to skin Color . And Islamophobia isn’t limited to women who wear veils or men/women attending mosques . I have never done either. This needs to be acknowledged publicly in New Brunswick. Don’t wait for someone else to do it.

Thanks .

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Hoping they agree to electoral reform this term to ensure all Canadians are represented in government !

Simple breakdown of the similarities and differences between the two parties that have always been in charge.

Liberal/Tory same old story!

A POC podcast I’m on the panel of, on Canada Votes 2021. Feedback welcomed below .

The Lies Behind Canada Votes 2021 by We Can Fight Like Cats If We Have To • A podcast on Anchor On this episode of WCFLC, Saly, Allon and Natasha discuss the lie that is the Canadian Democratic system and expose the flawed voting standards that push Canada into modern complacent dictatorship. Warning: contains mature language. Listeners' discretion is advised.

I want to say a heartfelt Thank You ! to all the people who voted for me . I was a first time candidate, had 2 weeks to campaign, primarily on social media because knocking on doors was discouraged due to Covid, and I was an immigrant to boot so I didn't have the networks someone growing up in the riding would have . I had never previously been in the political limelight and did not even get billboards put up. Yet 127 people voted for me / the NDP. Thats a wonderful feeling and I am so very touched.
This was a wonderful experience and I'm so glad I accepted the nomination and put my name forward. Promoting the democratic process, no matter how you vote, is so so important and the freedom to involve yourself in political associations you believe in is a primary reason many of us moved here.
Thank you again !

The difference between the Liberal party and the NDP. Change of tone ( tone is important but its a start not the end) versus concrete change. Performative activism versus meaningful work. Making grand gestures that have a momentary effect versus long term impact. Progressive parties are actually progressive. The Liberal Party is not really progressive, with the exception of a couple of cherry picked high profile "liberal " causes it champions. It's Center if not Center Right.

Participating the 2nd year in a row ( this year we went virtual !) in the Living Library Series by the City of Fredericton as part of my efforts to open up dialogue between long term residents and newer residents so real communication takes place . I participated myself and also asked my children if they were interested in participating this initiative which they were . As children born in Canada but belonging to an immigrant family their experiences are different from both children born outside the country and children from local backgrounds.

Some have asked why I considered running for politics. This may help to explain why .
I moved back to my country of origin with my grandparents when I was 10 years old. Growing up there I grew increasingly frustrated that I was not allowed to express my opinions or engage in any meaningful discourse on any topic in any way being a female. Women's opinions were not even sought even on domestic issues until they became of advanced age. So I never wanted to stay . I had always expected I would go back to the US where I had my early education and applied for a research program as soon as I finished medical school.
While I was doing my program I agreed to an arranged marriage as I was very invested in having a family, and also agreed to being a stay at home mom until the children were in school. However once both the children were safely settled in their elementary school, I felt the need to get involved in the local discourse to take the community in what I felt would be a more positive and healthy direction.
Coming from outside and from a country with less resources and constant instability - had actually given me the resourcefulness and perspective to see that the health and education systems (my primary areas of interest ) were clearly not set up to run for the optimal benefit of the children or the overall population. I felt with a change in direction and new approaches, the resources available could be used in a much more effective manner.
So rather than coming from outside NB being a drawback, I feel my experiences and the skill sets I have acquired equip me to be able to provide serious solutions to the problems that face this province today.

One of our successful educational events at STU by the Immigrant Women's Association, which I co-founded 3 years ago.

Celebrating Diversity and Girl Power The New Brunswick Immigrant Women’s Association celebrated their first birthday by bringing together women from around Fredericton to learn about some of the challenges immigrant women face. Over 5…

Drop by if you'd like to meet your local riding candidate or would like to ask question of the leader as well.

An NDP MLA will not have previous obligations that get in the way of their working for you .

Leaders debate : The NDP has common sense solutions. Please take a look . Very watchable . 59:30 for a back and forth with the Liberal leader on who gets to go first.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f4lQH5Y6A8

New Brunswick Provincial Election Leaders' Debate 2020 On September 3, 2020, Rogers TV and Brunswick news hold a debate for leaders of the political parties in New Brunswick before the provincial election on Sept...

Want to know about me ?

I immigrated to Fredericton, NB in 2003 as the spouse of a skilled worker. I became a stay at home mom and eventually found myself a single mother to my two daughters, who are now in middle school and high school in Fredericton. The challenges are multipled for immigrant women in these situations, having accompanied my spouse I had no close family or friends in the country, and not having a workplace meant I had never had the opportunity to network and meet people on my own . Having experienced this led to my subsequent interest in facilitating education and dialogue between local and multi-cultural communities.

I have supported the NDP since I became a Canadian and started to follow our politics . The party's unwavering support for all marginalized groups - the socio-economically disadvantaged, the working oppressed, all kinds of minorities - stood out to me and inspired me to ger involved .

I received a medical education and training from my home country . I studied and worked in the biomedical science and cancer research field in the United States before my marriage and move to Canada shortly afterwards .

In New Brunswick, I have worked with immigrant serving agencies and research centres with a specific focus on empowering women and children. I co-founded an immigrant women's organization, and have undertaken various speaking engagements and projects to raise awareness in the community.

My experience in New Brunswick includes, but is not limited to :
Member of the NB Advisory Forum for Immigrant Women
Parent School Support Committees
Co-founder and Board Member of the Immigrant Women's Association of New Brunswick
Lead Community Champions Peer Advocacy Group for Immigrant or Ethnocultural minority Women dealing with violence
Member of Fredericton's Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee
Community Outreach for Asian Heirtage
Social Cohesion Ambassador for Dialogue NB
Board Member of the Multi-cultural Association of Fredericton
Panelist on the FB Show Truth Talks and Contributor for The Truth Movement NB ( An Intersectional Feminist Group )

I am a strong believer in collaboration and cross-cultural communication to break down barriers between communities and foster understanding, acceptance, and mutually beneficial support systems.

I believe fresh voices and new perspectives can be of a great benefit at policy making tables and would benefit my riding and the province as a whole. This is why I accepted the NDP nomination ( although its a snap election which does not give new candidates time for community outreach especially because of Covid ) because I wanted to encourage all skilled and motivated individuals to get involved in the political process, whatever their background.

The socialist policies of the NDP, which I represent, and their focus on improving access to health-care for all New Brunswickers, and educational reform can only lead to the betterment of this riding and the province.

As an ethnocultural minority myself, I feel its important to communicate to the community that we are no less invested in the streghthening and improvement of the communities we live and raise our children in. Ultimately we all have the same goal, which is the progress, development, and growth of this province .