Your news this week: Jr. High basketball champs - 6 Bingo fundraiser in Andrew - 8 County takes lunch to farmers - 12 OPINION: No pity for Alberta - 4
Proud to be an Independent CANADIAN Publication
FREE
Vol. 14, No. 48, Wednesday, October 23, 2019 www.LamontLeader.com
Stubbs crushes opponents - returns as Lakeland MP Conservatives dominate Alberta, while Liberals win Canada and Trudeau returned as Prime Minister
Re-elected Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs
Stubbs hopes to revive rural crime motion BY JOHN MATHER With a minority government and support from the New Democrats, Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs hopes she may be able to revive a rural crime bill that was killed by the Liberal majority in the last government. They will do another draw for private members bills after this election so I’m going to go and talk to my colleagues,” said Stubbs. Oct. 21. “There might be an opportunity because the NDP actually worked with me on my rural crime motion 167.” she said. “They helped add some clauses and I went back and forth with them to arrive at a motion both our parties could support. “I think it was that pressure and the outcry from more than 100 organizations across the country that put the Liberals in a box and forced them to support it to second reading.” She said it was unfortunate they then used their majority to “totally punt” the report after that. “There may be opportunities here because I’ve worked with the NDP before and now they can make some headway trying to prioritize it federally.” Stubbs, who served as the shadow minister for Natural Resources, said she hadn’t heard whether there would be an opening for her in the new shadow cabinet the Conservatives from. “I’ll be happy to play whatever role is assigned to me,” she said.
BY JOHN MATHER Lakeland Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs cruised to an easy victory in the Oct.21 federal election. “I’m thankful the majority of voters in Lakeland trusted me and the work I have been doing for them in Ottawa,” she said. Surprisingly, the NDP candidate Jeffrey Swanson finished second in the riding even though he didn’t attend any of the election forums. Stubbs won with 47,551 votes while Swanson received 3,634 votes. Liberal Mark Watson finished third with 2,492 votes and Peoples Party of Canada candidate Alain Houle tallied 1,440 votes. In other area ridings, Garnett Genuis was easily returned for a second term in the Sherwood ParkFort Saskatchewan Riding with 52,950 votes. Second place went to the NDP candidate, Aidan Theroux with 8,667 votes and the Liberal, Ron Thiering, finished third with 7,167. Conservative Damien Kurek won in Battle RiverCrowfoot with 52,497 votes against 3,089 votes for second place finisher Natasha Fryzuk of the NDP. Liberal Dianne Clarke was third in the riding with 2,485. Stubbs explained the second place finish by the NDP as progressive voters in the riding who may have voted for Prime Minister Trudeau last time, shifting their votes to the NDP because, “they realized they can’t trust him.” Stubbs admits in a minority government where Alberta is primarily Conservative blue the days ahead will be “challenging and complex.” “It’s more important than ever, that Conservatives continue what we’ve been doing for the past four years and that is being the voice for Alberta, Western Canada and rural Canadians.” “With the anti-private sector, anti-oil and gas, antiAlberta left holding the balance of power … we know that we have our work cut out for us.” Stubbs said she was surprised by the rise of the separatist, nationalist sentiments in Quebec where the Bloc Quebecois made major gains in seats to form
the balance of power in the minority government. Across the country the Liberals won 157 seats to hold the government, with Conservatives won 121 seats, including all of Saskatchewan and Alberta with the exception of the Edmonton Strathcona riding won by the NDP. The Bloc won 31 seats in Quebec, and the NDP finished fourth with 24 seats. The Green party upped its count to three seats with two wins in BC and one in New Brunswick. “What is so stark here is the regional alienation and division across the country and that is a direct result of Trudeau’s divisive, cynical politicking of the past four years,” said Stubbs. “He’s set Canadians against one another, rural Canadians against urban Canadians, and provinces against one another. This is the consequences … a divided house of commons and deep divisions across the country that in my lifetime is unprecedented. “I’ve got the message loud and clear from the people in Lakeland that they want me to continue what I’ve been doing for he last four years in Ottawa and that’s kicking butt.” “From the results tonight that fight has never been more important.”
A voter cats his ballot under the watchful eyes of Elections Canada officials during the Oct. 21 federal election in Lakeland. Incumbent Conservative Shannon Stubbs swept to her second term with a margin of more than 40,000 votes over the second place finisher.