By Emilie Quesnel [1]
BELLEVILLE – Liberal Neil Ellis is the new MP in the Bay of Quinte.
Ellis defeated his closest competitor, Conservative Jodie Jenkins, by almost 10,000 votes.
As Ellis entered the Empire Theatre in downtown Belleville after winning, he was greeted by the applause of media and supporters. Ellis told everyone that “the drinks are on me and the bar is open!”
Ellis gave an acceptance speech once he arrived at the theatre. He thanked all of his voters.
“The riding is red now!” he said, referring to the Bay of Quinte, an area that has been Conservative for some time now.
“Having a win this big speaks volumes to not only my team, but also my peers,” Ellis said during his speech. “Everybody is a somebody to me.”
The Conservatives kept a distant second throughout the election night while the NDP and Green Party remained much farther behind. Independent Trueman Tuck stayed in last place. The Liberals won by 8,401 votes.
Jenkins addressed the Conservative’s loss by saying “we didn’t do anything wrong during this campaign, we are bigger than election results…We worked hard and obviously the results aren’t what we wanted, but i think there’s been obviously a move across the country that didn’t agree with what we’re doing.”
The 2015 Canadian federal election is the Bay of Quinte’s first ever as its own electoral district.
In previous elections, this area was divided between two ridings: Prince Edward-Hastings and Northumberland-Quinte West. Both have traditionally voted predominantly Conservative.
The change in ridings is a result of the federal electoral redistribution of 2012, which came after the 2011 census. The results of the census often lead to adjustments of electoral districts based on population changes.
The other candidates were Terry Cassidy [2] (New Democratic Party), Rachel Nelems [3] (Green party) and Tuck [4].
Ellis is well-known in the area because of his political past; he was mayor of Belleville from 2006 to 2014. Born and raised in the area, Ellis has been a prominent local figure even before his mayoral career. For 28 years, he was the owner and operator of a local business as well as an advocate for municipal issues.
Jenkins acted as Belleville city councillor from 2010 to 2014 and is very active in the community. He grew up in Prince Edward County and has served on several local committees. Jenkins also has a past in broadcasting, having worked as a radio personality for multiple broadcasters. In previous elections, Jenkins has run as an NDP candidate.
Jenkins was absent for many of the candidates debates held in the area during this election period. His absences have been used as a point of attack by the opposing parties during the debates. Jenkins said his team was focusing its energy on door-to-door campaigning instead.
Cassidy made an early election-night appearance at the Wild Card Brewery in Trenton where the viewing party for his team was taking place. Cassidy spoke with press and supporters. When discussing platforms, policies and credibility, he said, “I think we win on all three counts, so I’m completely happy with that.”
Upon Ellis’s win, Cassidy addressed the prominence of strategic voting in the election. “There was a definite conspiracy to make sure that people voted strategically…I think that was one of the major factors that affected us,” he said.
Questions or comments? Send me a tweet at @emilie_quesnel [5]!