Foothills voters have once again voted to have John Barlow represent them in Ottawa, with 69 per cent of the vote.
Barlow, the Conservative incumbent, was declared the winner in the Foothills riding in the federal election on Sept. 20.
“It’s incredible,” said Barlow. “We work so hard all year long to earn every single vote, and the confidence and trust of our constituents, and I think that showed again today.
“Honestly, I still get goosebumps every day when I walk up to Parliament Hill and see the Canadian flag flying there. It’s just an unbelievable opportunity, and I love the job.
“To know my constituents have that faith in me means more than I could ever say.”
As of 8:30 a.m. Sept. 21, Barlow had 42,648 votes (69 per cent); NDP Michelle Traxel, 6,778 votes; People’s Party of Canada’s Dan Hunter, 5,003; Liberal Paula Shimp, 4,218; Maverick Party’s Josh Wylie, 2,180; and Green Party’s Brett Rogers, 770.
Despite a win in the Foothills, Barlow will likely sit with the Opposition as it is expected to be a Liberal minority government. Unofficially. the Liberals had 158 seats, the Conservatives, 119; Bloc Québécois, 35; the NDP, 25; and the Greens, 2.
In 2019, the Liberals won a minority government with 157 seats while the Conservatives took 121.
Barlow said the results were disappointing, though not entirely unexpected.
“I thought we had a chance to win it, but I kind of thought at the end we would be coming out of it and leaving at the same spot,” said Barlow. “It’s unfortunate we had some splinter parties steal some votes from us that cost us some very tight seats.”
He said going forward, it is important to unite the Conservative side to form a strong front against the Liberals.
While some ground was gained in Atlantic Canada, he said urban Canada needs to be the focus for the Conservatives going forward.
“We finished part of that job today, winning some seats in the Maritimes, but we still didn’t have that breakthrough in Ontario,” said Barlow.
On the local front, he applauded his opposition, noting it’s the first time candidates from other parties have been from the Foothills riding.
“Kudos to them. Putting your name forward is never easy and I have a lot of respect for them,” said Barlow.
It was the fourth time Barlow was elected by Okotoks area residents. He was first elected in the then Macleod riding in a byelection in 2014. He replaced Ted Menzies.
NDP candidate Michelle Traxel said being a local candidate was part of the reason she gained much more ground than the NDP party typically sees in the Foothills riding. She nearly doubled the number of votes for the NDP candidate in 2019.
“It truly is my home and I think that spoke to a lot of people, because it was the first time they knew the candidate, they had a history with that person and they felt confident in voting for me,” said Traxel. “It wasn’t a sprung-on, last-minute candidate, it was actually a community member.”
She said the numbers were more than she expected going into the race, and she hopes to have the opportunity to represent the Foothills as an NDP candidate in the next election, with more time to prepare. Traxel filed her nomination 36 days before the election.
“I’d be really interested to see what the results would be if we could put together a proper campaign and put that dedication into it,” she said. “I think there’s a lot of potential here and I want to see where it goes.”
PPC candidate Dan Hunter congratulated Barlow and said he was encouraged by the number of votes the PPC earned, especially in the Foothills, which saw one of the highest total votes for the party.
“I’m really grateful to the people of the Foothills for supporting our message, which was really that we don’t want any more lockdowns, we don’t want vaccine passports,” said Hunter.
He said the PPC gained ground across the country, and the message was well-received, but he was disappointed that didn’t turn into seats in the House of Commons.
“I was disappointed to not see any candidates win for the PPC across Canada, and I was very hopeful that Maxime (Bernier, PPC leader) would win his riding, so that was disappointing,” said Hunter.
Foothills Liberal candidate Shimp said the election was an endorsement in Canada for Trudeau’s handling of the COVID pandemic.
“I think Mr. Trudeau had Canada’s back through this pandemic,” Shimp said. “I believe it is one of the most vulnerable times in the last five or six decades in this country and they have put Canadians at the top of their priority.
“I believe that we are looking for a government that will position ourselves in the global economy to come quickly out of the pandemic.”
She said the Liberals’ commitment to the environment also resonated with Canadians.
Shimp readily admits Barlow and the Conservatives are a juggernaut in Foothills. However, she said that, as of 9 p.m. he had received 69 per cent of the vote, as compared to 82 per cent in 2019.
She complimented Traxel for running a solid campaign in picking up considerably more votes for the NDP than in 2019.
The Mavericks’ Wylie said the result will mean much the same for Canadians and Western Canadians.
“This certifies the premise of the Maverick Party that we do need regional representation — the polarization of Central Canada and Western Canada is emphasized with the results of this election,” Wylie said.
He said his concern is regardless of the future of Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, Barlow and Western Canadians won’t have much clout in the party.
“When they are strategizing on how to win the next election, they certainly aren’t going to come to the conclusion they need more votes in Alberta,” Wylie said. “The conclusion is going to be they need more votes in Ontario and Quebec – which is more incompatible with the values and economy here in Western Canada.”
He said he fears Barlow will be forced to support policies put forward by his party.
With files from Bruce Campbell
