As part of our coverage of the federal election, Investment Executive is profiling candidates who are working or who have worked in the financial services industry. Here we look at Liberal Party candidate Rick Limoges.

When Rick Limoges decided to run for office in 1999, he got some help from Paul Martin, the MP. Now Limoges is hoping to return the favour to Martin, the PM.

Limoges, an advisor with Berkshire Investment Group Inc., is the Liberal Party candidate for the Windsor-Tecumseh riding in southwestern Ontario. A former counselor for the city of Windsor, Limoges decided to make a run at federal politics five years ago, and was encouraged to run for a seat by friend and Windsor native Paul Martin.

Limoges won his seat, in a by-election in April 1999, representing the riding of Windsor – St. Clair, now Windsor Tecumseh. But he was narrowly defeated in the November 2000 general election. Now he’s hoping to return to Ottawa and in the process help Martin carry on as prime minister.

Limoges, 48, started out in the financial services industry with the Bank of Montreal in 1980, and worked his way up to senior vice president, trust and investment services for the Windsor to Sarnia area. During that time he also served on the Windsor City counsel from 1985 – 1999. After his defeat in 2000, he joined Berkshire.

“I’ve found that the Berkshire Group have been a very good company to work with,” he says. “They allow me a great deal of flexibility. They’re also very supportive of individual efforts in the community.”

Indeed, while Limoges credits Martin for encouraging him to run for office, he says he originally got into politics because of his desire to help people and represent the community.

If Limoges wins back his seat, he will probably pass his book, made up primarily of professionals, friends and contacts from the Windsor area, to the colleagues in his office. The branch he works in employs 16 people.

In addition to his work in financial services, city counsel and Parliament, Limoges has also chaired a number of committees and worked with the Police Services Board, Tunnel Commission, Waste Management Authority, Children’s Aid Society and Handi-Transit.

Limoges is running against Conservative Party candidate Rick Fuschi, member of a new vehicle launch team at Daimler Chrysler Corp., and the incumbent, NDP MP Joe Comartin, a lawyer for the Canadian Auto Workers Union.