MITCHELL – Conservative incumbent John Nater will return to his seat on the Opposition benches to represent Perth-Wellington in the next parliament.
He was declared the winner of the riding in the April 28 election, which resulted nationally in a Liberal victory, although the final seat count was still not confirmed the following morning.
Vote counting was halted with about a dozen ridings still considered too close to call, with counting of special ballots set to resume on Tuesday morning.
Results showed the Liberals certain of at least a minority government, with a majority not completely ruled out.
In Perth-Wellington Nater won with 33,850 votes, or 53.2 per cent of the 63,683 votes cast in the riding (all results are still unofficial).
Liberal candidate David Mackey placed second with 25,892 votes (40.7%), the NDP’s Kevin Kruchkywich garnered 2,875 (4.5%) and Wayne Baker of the People’s Party received 1,066 (1.7%).
Nater celebrated his win, after the riding was called in his favour just before midnight, at the Mitchell Golf and Country Club with his wife Justine and three children beside him.
After an introduction by his daughter Ainsley, who noted she was “100 days old” when her father was first elected to parliament in 2015, Nater thanked supporters, staff and volunteers while addressing the gathering.
“It is my great honour, and with great humility, I thank the people of Perth-Wellington for re-electing me to serve as your member of parliament and voice in Ottawa,” Nater told the crowd.
“It is a responsibility that I do not take lightly, and one that I will cherish for as long as I have the honour of serving in this office.”
After thanking his wife, kids, family and friends for their support, Nater said “tonight, we celebrate democracy.”
He explained that when able to participate in Canadian citizenship ceremonies, he likes to remind those taking the citizenship oath there are several important positions in a democracy, but no position is more important than that of a citizen.
“Today, the citizens of Canada, from coast to coast to coast, have elected the 45th parliament. Democracy only works when people participate,” he said.
Nater then thanked his fellow candidates for putting their names and ideas forward.
“A function of democracy needs meaningful debates and disagreements, which are settled at the ballot box,” Nater said.
“For far too many around the globe, the simple act of casting a ballot is far out of reach. So tonight, we celebrate the democratic process.”
‘The people have spoken’
Mackey said he is pleased with his results.
“We had a strong campaign if you compare it to any other campaign in the past,” he told the Advertiser on Tuesday morning.
“It was one of the strongest, if not the strongest, Liberal vote turnout pretty much … since the riding was created.”
He added, “Prime Minister Mark Carney is good for Canada,” and, “Today is not the day to have concerns, today is the day to celebrate a democratic process with voters using their superpowers to vote.”
He congratulated Nater, noting “the people of Perth-Wellington have given him their vote of confidence to be our member of parliament, so I wish him success.”
Mackey said he’s not sure if he will run again and thanked his “team and all the volunteers and … all the people who gave me their vote of confidence.”
On Tuesday morning, Kruchkywich seemed disappointed but not shocked with the NDP’s results, both locally and across the nation.
“It’s obviously not the numbers we were hoping for but I still think looking at how it’s all played out, the NDP is in a position to once again do some good work,” Kruchkywich stated.
In Perth-Wellington, Kruchkywich said he believes “a lot of the fear got into the vote.”
“The Liberals tend to do better when people vote out of fear,” he added.
“The focus is on some form of austerity so they can balance the budget and the numbers look good, and they’ll forget about taking care of the people who need help,” Kruchkywich stated.
“That’s where the NDP comes in.”
He said he is unsure if he will run again and will require more time to evaluate a decision.
Baker said he fears the worst under another Liberal government.
“We’ve chosen who we’ve chosen,” Baker stated. “John has earned another term as MP … the people have spoken.”
“My attitude hasn’t changed, we are in a very difficult place in this country on a national level,” he said.
“I really believe that we are going to look back on the [Justin] Trudeau years quite favourably, but I hope I’m wrong on that prediction.”
Mackey was not immediately available for comment.
‘A voice for our people’
On Monday night, as he watched the national results come in, Nater said, “It’s clear that we will be heading back into minority Parliament, and it looks like we’ll probably be sitting in the opposition benches once again.
“But for me, it does not matter on which side of the House of Commons I sit. My guiding purpose in the House of Commons is to be an advocate for our communities, a voice for our people.
“And tomorrow morning, I’ll be back in the office, doing all I can for the people I have the honour of serving.”
Nater addressed the concerns he heard from riding residents while on the campaign trail.
“It will surprise no one that many of those conversations and concerns were about the Trump threats and tariffs, especially among farmers and manufacturers. There were concerns from families who weren’t sure how they were going to make ends meet when the month lasts longer than the paycheque.
“There were young people who’ve lost hope that they will ever be able to afford their own home. I met with farmers and agribusinesses who are being crushed by government policies, red tape and international pressures.
“These are the people who quite literally feed our country, but who also feel like government is actively working against them.”
Nater continued, “And I met with small business owners who are agonizing over what to do next … just hoping that tomorrow … will bring clarity, but so often that clarity never comes …
“These are the concerns that will motivate me each and every day to improve the lives of our neighbours throughout Perth-Wellington.
“But while there are many concerns, there is also hope, hope that our great country Canada will live up to its full potential.”
Speaking with reporters later in the evening, Nater noted that with another minority parliament anticipated, parties will need to find ways to work together to address urgent concerns facing the nation.
Poilievre, Singh lose seats
As of Tuesday morning, national results showed the Liberals leading or elected in 168 ridings, the Conservatives at 144, the Bloc Québécois at 23, the NDP at seven and the Green Party at one (leader Elizabeth May).
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre lost his longtime seat in his Carleton riding, while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh failed to get elected in his BC riding of Burnaby Central.
With his party failing to maintain official party status (a minimum 12 MPs), Singh announced his resignation on election night.
Despite losing a massive polling lead through the campaign, as well as his own riding seat, Poilievre vowed to stay on in remarks on Tuesday morning.
-With files from Georgia York
