Souris-Moose Mountain will remain a Conservative riding for at least the next four years.
Conservative candidate Robert Kitchen was elected as the new member of Parliament for Souris-Moose Mountain during Monday night’s federal election. The Estevan chiropractor captured 26,315 of the 37,516 votes cast in the riding during the election, or 70.1 per cent of the popular vote, to easily defeat the other three candidates.
Vicky O’Dell of the New Democratic Party finished second with 5,131 votes, or 13.7 per cent. Steven Bebbington of the Liberals was third with 5,076 votes (13.5 per cent), and Bob Deptuck of the Green Party was fourth with 994 votes (2.6 per cent).
Approximately 72 per cent of the 52,093 eligible voters in Souris-Moose Mountain voted in the election.
“I’m just living on Cloud 9 right now,” Kitchen told the media shortly after he was elected. “It’s just been so much fun. We’ve worked hard at this … it’s been 2 1/2 years to get to this stage.”
But he won’t be part of the governing party. The Tories were defeated by the Liberals, ending nearly a decade of Conservative rule under Stephen Harper. Harper resigned after the Tories were defeated on election night.
The Liberals captured 184 seats to form a majority government. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will be the next prime minister. The Tories were next with 100 seats to become the official opposition. The New Democratic Party will have 43 seats, the Bloc Quebecois 10 and the Green Party one.
“I’ve been focused mainly on here. That’s most of what I’ve done,” said Kitchen. “I was hoping to see a slightly different turnout, but we have good responses in the west, and we will build from that.”
Kitchen said the Tories still have some good people in their caucus, and he hopes that will help in going forward.
But he recognizes it will be a challenge to bring forward the concerns of the constituency when his party is in opposition.
People he spoke to during the campaign were chiefly concerned about the economy. They wanted to talk about creating jobs, and keeping money in their pockets.
“Pipelines in the Moosomin area are definitely a concern, and we’ve expressed that a number of times,” said Kitchen.
In his victory speech, Kitchen said he would be a proponent of pipelines, including Energy East.
“This is the safest and most economical way to transport oil,” said Kitchen. “It opens up new marketplaces for exports, and it creates jobs for our communities.”
He also said he would support ongoing free trade agreements, including the recently-signed Trans-Pacific Partnership, which he believes will boost prosperity and create economic growth.
He also wants to bring forward concerns about water and sewage treatment centres that he heard during the campaign.
Kitchen paid tribute to his volunteers and his family for their contributions and sacrifices over the last two years.
“There is an old saying that volunteers don’t necessarily take the time, but they always have the heart,” said Kitchen. “And this is indicative of the supporters of this campaign. You’ve given me your best.”
As for his family, they stood by with “unwavering love and support” in the last two years since he first announced his intentions to run for office.
Kitchen said he thought he knew a lot about the political process entering the campaign, but now he knows much more.
“I’ve learned the part I enjoy the most is talking to people,” said Kitchen. “With this riding being so big, it’s tough to get to everywhere, but I plan on doing as much as I can to be in every area, as often as I can, so people can sit and talk to me. I want people to be able to talk to me.”
While he will be sitting as the riding’s MP in Ottawa, he believes his seat belongs to the people of the constituency, including those who didn’t vote for him.
“I will take the voice of this riding to the prime minister and to the caucus with authority and clarity,” said Kitchen. “I want my fellow members of Parliament to know exactly what Souris-Moose Mountain is all about.
“We are a proud and hard-working group of people who contribute in countless ways to the backbone of Canada’s economy.”
Kitchen said he is looking forward to getting into Ottawa and learning about the job. It’s going to be an “exponential” learning curve, he said, but he believes he’s up for the challenge, and he wants to do great things for Souris-
Moose Mountain.
