Simcoe-Grey’s incumbent Terry Dowdall emerged victorious from Monday’s federal election with a clear mandate, getting 47 per cent of the vote.
The Conservative MP said despite his own victory, it was a bittersweet night because the Conservatives weren’t able to get ahead of the Liberals and they lost some seats.
Dowdall gathered with supporters and volunteers at a restaurant in Collingwood to watch the results come in.
Dowdall said the national result is a disappointment.
“We’re looking at the exact same numbers for the parties, pretty much, prior to this election. To go through all of this, spend all that money,” Dowdall told The Echo. “I’m disappointed and I’m actually embarrassed that the government spent $612 million basically for no reason when the seat count is staying the same – and there was no time at all that there would have been a confidence vote.”
Dowdall said he is pleased with Conservative leader Erin O’Toole’s performance during the campaign, raising his profile, and that the platform resonated with voters. Dowdall said he would support O’Toole remaining leader of the party, but Dowdall said he hopes his popularity won’t be tested again at the ballot box for a while.
“Especially now, with Covid, I think we should just find a way to govern and move the country forward so we can get back to a somewhat normal lifestyle,” said Dowdall.
He said he heard during the campaign that a lot of people are frustrated.
When asked to comment on the increased support for the PPC, Dowdall said his party’s polling shows that of that shift, 40 per cent of PPC support was drawn from Conservative voters. He said despite many of their big issues, including lockdowns and vaccine passports, being provincial issues, that vote shift was due to frustration with the government.
Dowdall acknowledged that it did take seats away from the Conservatives.
“It certainly affected some ridings,” he said. “There’s no doubt, when you look across Canada, that few extra per cent here or there… We probably would have been close to a minority Conservative government if in some of those ridings they didn’t have as high of a vote count as they did.”
Now that the election is over, Dowdall said he will be back to work pushing for better internet services for the riding, making life more affordable for seniors and those struggling to find housing. He is also thinking about how to fill employment gaps in the region and how Canada can be more self sufficient by manufacturing essential products, noting the lack of access to personal protective equipment as highlighted by the pandemic. He is also concerned about health care delivery, specifically the two hospital expansion projects underway in the riding, noting that one of his disappoints is that the Conservatives had proposed to double health care transfers to the provinces.
“I want to thank those that went out and voted. No matter which way they voted, my office represents everybody when they have issues, that’s our role,” said Dowdall.
Simcoe-Grey Results
Terry Dowdall, Conservative
47.1%
35,548 votes
Bren Munro, Liberal
27.8%
21,026 votes
Lucas Gillies, NDP
13.4%
10,090 votes
Adam Minatel, People’s Party
7.3%
5,534 votes
Nicholas Clayton, Green Party
3.9%
2,933 votes
Ken Stouffer, Christian Heritage Party
0.5%
383 votes
Voter turnout: 75,514 of 121,142 registered electors (62.34%)
does not include electors who registered on election day.
Population: 129,944
Number of electors on list: 121,142