In the aftermath of the federal election, two of the four runners-up expressed how pleased they were about how their campaigns went, even if the results were not quite how they wanted.
Diane Neufeld, the candidate for the People’s Party of Canada, placed second behind the incumbent Robert Kitchen for the Conservatives, with 3,436 votes or 9.2 per cent of the ballots cast.
She was pleased and surprised to end up in second for her first time to run in an election.
“I am very proud of the people who were behind me and who helped me. I came in second, and that’s an awfully big accomplishment considering this has been a PC stronghold for many years,” said Neufeld. “I’m very proud of what’s been accomplished.”
She felt very positive about her campaign and about the positive reception people gave her as she went around the riding.
“I met hundreds and hundreds of people, and they were just amazing people. Just showing them the PC platform versus the Liberal platform – once they realized they’re the same, it didn’t take much for them to say they would support our party,” she said.
It’s too early to say if she would run again if this minority government only lasts a couple of years, but she said she would definitely help if someone wanted to run for the PPC.
Asked if she was happy how her campaign went, Neufeld said, “Absolutely, it was very positive. I couldn’t have done anything different. We all knew to win would be an incredibly big hurdle. I’m not a politician, but I have learned so much and met so many amazing people.”
Maverick Party candidate Greg Douglas was disappointed but not overly surprised at the results of the election.
“It’s a little bit sad. You spend $600 million on an election, and we essentially are sending back the same crew to Ottawa,” he said.
He was philosophical about his own results in Souris-Moose Mountain, and pointed out the Maverick Party is brand new, and he was only one of 29 candidates running in Western Canada.
“One always wants to get more support. With a brand new party, every vote we got we earned,” he said, paying tribute to his “small but mighty campaign staff” for helping him.
“The people in Souris-Moose Mountain are the best people. I had a blast out there. They were thoughtful and receptive, and it makes me believe in democracy when people are willing to hear you out,” said Douglas, pointing out that every person he talked to about the need for the West to get more respect agreed with him.
“In 36 days, there’s only so much you can do. My impression of the riding was wonderful. They wanted Trudeau out in such a big way,” said Douglas, adding he congratulates Kitchen for being re-elected to the seat.
“He’s a good man. Unfortunately, the Liberals and the Conservatives are all the same. … It’s sad to see. We’ll see what happens here in the next little while.”
The other candidates, Hannah Duerr of the NDP and Javin Ames-SInclair of the Liberals, declined to offer any comments on the election.
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