Conservative Party of Canada incumbent Earl Dreeshen has been re-elected as the MP for the Red Deer-Mountain View riding.
“I’ve had a great group of volunteers and I feel strong support from throughout the riding,” said Dreeshen. ”I’m excited about going back (to Ottawa) and taking some of the things that I’ve heard throughout the constituency.”
Dreeshen, who has been MP for 13 years, defeated six other candidates during Monday’s federal election.
With 210 of 263 polls reporting (79.85 per cent), Dreeshen received 30,955 of the total 48,521 votes (63.8 per cent as of 10:45 p.m. Monday).
Nationally, the Liberals will once again have a minority government, as Canada re-elected Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister.
“I think it’s obvious that this election has changed nothing,” Dreeshen said.
“The numbers are the same as they were before. Conservatives win the popular vote once again.”
Dreeshen was first elected as MP of the Red Deer riding in 2008 after taking 73.23 per cent of the votes. He continued his winning ways in federal elections in 2011, 2015 and 2019. This election, Dreeshen experienced the lowest percentage of total votes he’s had since becoming MP.
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He said the People’s Party took some support away from the Conservatives.
“That would’ve allowed us to chip away at the Liberals. But that’s what democracy is all about – giving people an opportunity to have their say,” he said.
“(PPC Leader) Maxime Bernier once again does not win a seat, but he has been a bit of a spokesperson for some of the frustration and discontent we’ve seen around the country.”
Dreeshen said he wasn’t too surprised more people voted for the People’s Party this year.
“Some of the rhetoric I have heard made one believe that there could be some more people voting for the People’s Party,” he said.
“A lot of those people had been asking me how we’re going to get rid of Trudeau and I kept telling them they can do it during election. But they chose to go with a different group and it reduced the percentages, not just for myself, but for Conservatives across the country.”
Moving forward, Dreeshen said he hopes to build upon the base the Conservatives have nationwide and “when everyone isn’t so divided by some of the issues that have come about because of the pandemic, … we can start focusing again on what’s best for the country.”
Dreeshen said one thing people have been asking for is a comprehensive health plan.
“That’s something we’ll continue to work for. Hopefully we’ll find willing partners to have that discussion. It’s always an issue with Prime Minister Trudeau because he believes in more of a centralist government, trying to dictate to provinces. I’m hopeful that he will be a little more conciliatory since this is the second time that he has been reduced in seats.”
Mail-in ballots will not start being counted until Tuesday.
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