The future of Canada remains in the hands of the federal Liberal Party. Monday’s (April 28) federal election saw Prime Minister Mark Carney lead the Liberals to a narrow victory on a campaign dominated by such issues as tariffs, affordability and annexation threats on the part of U.S. President Donald J. Trump. As of press time, the Liberals had secured 168 out of 343 ridings and will form a minority government, while the Conservative Party, which garnered 144 ridings, will remain in opposition. Parties need 172 seats to form a majority government.

Locally, the Liberals took hold of the newly reconfigured Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River constituency, a riding previously held by former Conservative MP Gary Vidal who chose not to seek re-election as a result of the boundary changes. The successful candidate Monday night was former NDP Athabasca MLA turned Liberal hopeful Buckley Belanger. “It was a long evening, we were hoping for a majority government, but things still worked out in our favour,” Belanger told Northern Pride when contacted Tuesday morning (April 29). “There was a great celebration last night in La Ronge, and I have been given four directives by the folks who supported us during this campaign. Number one is to work hard, which we plan on doing. The second is to make sure we stay humble. That is something I was taught early on in life, and I plan to take that advice. They also asked us to be very aggressive, which we plan on doing, and, of course, the fourth is to never forget who got you to where you’re at. Those four directives came through in spades last night and throughout the campaign. We’re going to begin work immediately.” As for the Canada-wide result, Belanger said the Liberals knew they were close to forming a majority government based on their ambition.

“We came up a little short, but certainly being declared Government of Canada – even in a minority situation – is important,” he added. “What I am looking forward to is opportunity when it comes to working with our prime minister. Mark Carney is a very impressive guy who has such a breadth of knowledge when it comes to trade and international economies, and so on and so forth. I look forward to learning from him and working with him… We want new perspectives from Ottawa… I am very optimistic about the future of Canada.” Last fall, Belanger was elected mayor of Ile-a-la Crosse. He held on to the position throughout the campaign and plans to continue to do so once sworn in as MP. “My intention is to stay on as mayor,” he said. “We have some projects we are working toward, and, at the end of the day, I made those commitments and I want to follow through with them. Thus far nobody has indicated to me I cannot continue completing these tasks or that job. We have a very capable deputy-mayor who can chair meetings in my absence, and, through technology and when home from Ottawa, there is an opportunity for me to continue doing that work.” Belanger received 5,680 votes (65.2 per cent) to Conservative candidate Jim Lemaigre’s 2,226 (25.6 per cent) and NDP candidate Doug Racine’s 802 (9.2 per cent).

Meanwhile, before the aforementioned electoral boundary changes, Meadow Lake was part of the Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River riding. Now, it is part of another reconfigured constituency known as Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake. In that riding, the successful candidate was incumbent Rosemarie Falk who represents the Conservative Party. “I’m deeply honoured and humbled voters in the newly redistributed riding of Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake have once again placed their trust in me to represent them in Ottawa,” Falk said. “Thank you to every voter, volunteer and supporter who made this victory possible. Your dedication and belief in our Conservative message helped deliver this win. I will continue to fight every day to be a strong voice for our communities and stand up for the values we share.”

Falk went on to say the Conservative campaign was built on a bold, common sense plan to address the serious challenges Canadians face. “Millions of Canadians, including those here in Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake, resonated with that vision and voted for the hope and real solutions it offers,” she said. “I know this is not the national result we hoped for, and I share the frustration and concern so many Canadians are feeling after a decade of Liberal mismanagement. Under Liberal policies, food prices have surged, housing costs have doubled and violent crime and disorder have been unleashed across our communities. Meanwhile, the government continues to block resource industries that could and should be powering our economy. I share the very real fears of Canadians facing the prospect of a fourth Liberal term after a lost decade of destructive policies. But, I also believe in the strength and determination of this country. I will continue to fight every single day to restore the Canadian promise — hard work earns you a great life with affordable food and homes on a safe street, under our proud Canadian flag.” Falk earned 26,001 votes (77 per cent) to Liberal Larry Ingram’s 5,943 (17.6 per cent) and the NDP’s William Petryk’s 1,595 votes (4.7 per cent). Monday’s election also saw Conservative leader Pierre Poiliever lose his Ottawa area riding to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy. The loss ends Poilievre’s nearly two-decade tenure as an MP. Also, after losing his Burnaby Central riding in B.C. to a Liberal challenger, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced Monday he would be stepping down as party leader.