It was a night of shakeups on the political stage.
Congratulations to new North Island-Powell River Member of Parliament Rachel Blaney and all those who were victorious across Canada on October 19.
It is not an easy decision to run for office and we salute all candidates, winners and losers.
Hopefully, the Liberal Party of Canada, which won an unprecedented majority government and jumped from third-party status to government in one election, will live up to its election promises.
Maybe the added revenue from proposed legalization of marijuana will help the new government pay for its promises.
Our expectation is that the Liberals will not engage in the standard game that the Harper government did and invest vast sums of money in Conservative stronghold ridings as reward for loyal support, or to try to buy ballots with promises of infrastructure spending.
We all pay the same taxes, no matter who we elected to represent us.
Liberal candidates campaigned on a platform of a new kind of government, or at least one that does not have open disdain for democracy.
Speaking of the former prime minister, it really remains to be seen whether Stephen Harper will go back to Ottawa to take his seat as the representative for Calgary-Heritage. Can voters honestly expect Harper to accept anything less than driver of the bus?
Newly created ridings in the province made for some interesting races. In 2011, Powell River was a part of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country and had been represented by Conservative MP John Weston, but change was in the air this election as he lost that seat.
Powell River was hived off and joined North Island to form a new riding in which Blaney easily took victory.
NDP-dominated Vancouver Island showed how much currency the party had with its strategy to position as the only one who could beat the Conservatives.
It’s safe to say the creation of these new ridings did not give the Conservatives an easier go in 2015.
Now that New Democratic Party MP Blaney has taken the North Island-Powell River seat, let’s hope she provides something fresh and is able to work alongside the Liberals in Ottawa.
