With a margin of victory of over 4,000 points, Nathan Cullen the NDP candidate and the incumbent MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley will return to Ottawa once again to represent the huge tract of land that makes up the riding of the Northwest.
While Cullen makes his preparations for the resumption of his duties as MP, his competitors in the 2008 election will for the most part return to their previous lives before federal politics beckoned.
Of particular interest is the revelation in the Wednesday Daily News that Sharon Smith, the Conservative candidate in the election, had also submitted her nomination papers for the Houston mayoralty race, part of the municipal election set for November 15th.
Stressing that she had remained confident through the race, she was in her words responding to the urgings of her community to file those papers before the Friday deadline. Clearly, this is a lady that must like the prospect of campaigning for votes, having just tacked on an extra month of door knocking, all be it this time without the necessary highway travel. Even better for her campaign, she should have a ready made supply of lawn signs that will only require a little editing for use on the lawns of Houston.
As they say, it’s always good to have a fall back plan to work with when things wander off in an unanticipated direction.
It will be interesting to keep track of the voting results on November 15th to see if Houston has welcomed back their travelling candidate back into the municipal fold.
The Daily’s interpretations of the election night excitement were found as the front page headline story in Wednesday’s paper.
VOTERS RETURN CULLEN TO OTTAWA BY A LANDSLIDE
Incumbent MP looking forward to challenges of another term in nation’s parliament
By George T. Baker
The Daily News
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Pages one and two
The day started off with much hope from all six candidates seeking the nod in the Skeena-Bulkley Valley riding but only one would end up getting his ticket stamped for Ottawa.
Incumbent NDP MP Nathan Cullen won by more than 4,000 cotes on Tuesday and has been sent with a mandate to voice the concerns of B. C.’s Northwest.
“I think it’s a huge day. We have to let the dust settle but we will be the opposition for the Harper government,” said Cullen.
“We will work with the Harper government for the Northwest when it fits, and we will work against the Harper government for the Northwest.”
Cullen said he would focus on fighting proposals for offshore oil drilling along the B. C. coast, as well as coming to a solution to help fix the battered fishing industry along the North Coast.
In a riding that is the size of Italy with the population of a small Canadian city, it’s hard to discover a unified mandate, but Cullen said has been chosen to do so.
The campaign featured many voices this year, from Mary Etta Goodacre and her 9/11 conspiracy theory, to Hondo Arendt and his continued push to keep the Green party in the political limelight in the riding.
“Yes, it was a success, definitely my goal was to reach four per cent and we’re at five and a half so we did sweet,” said Arendt.
As for the runner up, Conservative Sharon Smith was happy with her campaign and like all the candidates, thanked her supporters for their tireless efforts.
“When you are not the incumbent, it makes it more difficult to win,” said Smith on finishing second.
Smith said she never gave up on the federal election even though she handed in her nomination papers for the mayoral election on Friday.
“The community urged me to hand in my papers but he federal election is what I’ve been focused on,” said Smith.
Around the local campaign offices, the scene was one of last minute polling and campaigning.
In the Conservative party office, father and son John and Rod McNish were buzzing around the office trying to figure out who was ahead.
For McNish, the all-candidates forum was a real showcase for Conservative candidate Sharon Smith that gave a chance for local Liberals to check out the Conservative candidate if they felt uneasy voting for the Liberals this time.
“Our campaign was obviously trying to connect wit the disillusioned Liberals and I thought we did that” said Rod.
In the NDP campaign, the office was filled with activity as they were busy cross-referencing promised votes with actual votes.
Volunteer Dave Rolston said that cross-referencing was being done only by the NDP and Conservatives in Prince Rupert, which he said proved the power of volunteer work in this campaign.
According to CTV, at 9:30 p.m. the national voter turnout was 58 per cent, a drop from 64.9 per cent in 2006. See page 19 for more.
The unofficial vote count broke was Nathan Cullen 16,978; Sharon Smith 12,458; Corinna Morhart 1,895; Hondo Arendt 1,606; rod Taylor 1,090 and Mary Etta Goodacre 108.
Lowest voter turnout in history
Canwest News Service
The Daily News
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Page 19
OTTAWA-Nearly 10 million eligible voters took a pass on casting a ballot Tuesday, plunging election day turn out to a historical low, according to preliminary Election Canada figures.
Only 59.1 per cent – 13.8 million out of 23.4 million - of eligible voters made the trip to a polling station, breaking the previous low from the 2004 election that saw a 60.9 per cent turnout, according to the preliminary figures.
More Canadians, however, voted Tuesday than in 2004 when 13.6 million eligible voters marked in their electoral choice.
“We don’t expect them to change significantly” said Benson.
Newfoundland and Labrador recorded the lowest turnout among the provinces with only 48.1 per cent of eligible voters casting a ballot, according to the preliminary figures. Alberta had the second lowest turnout with 52.9 per cent, followed by Manitoba with 56.8 per cent, Ontario with 59.1 per cent, Saskatchewan with 59.4 per cent, Nova Scotia with 60.7 per cent, British Columbia with 61.1 per cent and New Brunswick with 62.8 per cent. Prince Edward Island had the highest turnout with 69.5 per cent of t hose eligible casting a ballot.
The Yukon had the highest turnout among the territories with 63.7 per cent of the registered voters making the trip to the ballot box, followed by Nunavut with 49.4 per cent and the Northwest Territories with 48.6 per cent.
While Cullen makes his preparations for the resumption of his duties as MP, his competitors in the 2008 election will for the most part return to their previous lives before federal politics beckoned.
Of particular interest is the revelation in the Wednesday Daily News that Sharon Smith, the Conservative candidate in the election, had also submitted her nomination papers for the Houston mayoralty race, part of the municipal election set for November 15th.
Stressing that she had remained confident through the race, she was in her words responding to the urgings of her community to file those papers before the Friday deadline. Clearly, this is a lady that must like the prospect of campaigning for votes, having just tacked on an extra month of door knocking, all be it this time without the necessary highway travel. Even better for her campaign, she should have a ready made supply of lawn signs that will only require a little editing for use on the lawns of Houston.
As they say, it’s always good to have a fall back plan to work with when things wander off in an unanticipated direction.
It will be interesting to keep track of the voting results on November 15th to see if Houston has welcomed back their travelling candidate back into the municipal fold.
The Daily’s interpretations of the election night excitement were found as the front page headline story in Wednesday’s paper.
VOTERS RETURN CULLEN TO OTTAWA BY A LANDSLIDE
Incumbent MP looking forward to challenges of another term in nation’s parliament
By George T. Baker
The Daily News
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Pages one and two
The day started off with much hope from all six candidates seeking the nod in the Skeena-Bulkley Valley riding but only one would end up getting his ticket stamped for Ottawa.
Incumbent NDP MP Nathan Cullen won by more than 4,000 cotes on Tuesday and has been sent with a mandate to voice the concerns of B. C.’s Northwest.
“I think it’s a huge day. We have to let the dust settle but we will be the opposition for the Harper government,” said Cullen.
“We will work with the Harper government for the Northwest when it fits, and we will work against the Harper government for the Northwest.”
Cullen said he would focus on fighting proposals for offshore oil drilling along the B. C. coast, as well as coming to a solution to help fix the battered fishing industry along the North Coast.
In a riding that is the size of Italy with the population of a small Canadian city, it’s hard to discover a unified mandate, but Cullen said has been chosen to do so.
The campaign featured many voices this year, from Mary Etta Goodacre and her 9/11 conspiracy theory, to Hondo Arendt and his continued push to keep the Green party in the political limelight in the riding.
“Yes, it was a success, definitely my goal was to reach four per cent and we’re at five and a half so we did sweet,” said Arendt.
As for the runner up, Conservative Sharon Smith was happy with her campaign and like all the candidates, thanked her supporters for their tireless efforts.
“When you are not the incumbent, it makes it more difficult to win,” said Smith on finishing second.
Smith said she never gave up on the federal election even though she handed in her nomination papers for the mayoral election on Friday.
“The community urged me to hand in my papers but he federal election is what I’ve been focused on,” said Smith.
Around the local campaign offices, the scene was one of last minute polling and campaigning.
In the Conservative party office, father and son John and Rod McNish were buzzing around the office trying to figure out who was ahead.
For McNish, the all-candidates forum was a real showcase for Conservative candidate Sharon Smith that gave a chance for local Liberals to check out the Conservative candidate if they felt uneasy voting for the Liberals this time.
“Our campaign was obviously trying to connect wit the disillusioned Liberals and I thought we did that” said Rod.
In the NDP campaign, the office was filled with activity as they were busy cross-referencing promised votes with actual votes.
Volunteer Dave Rolston said that cross-referencing was being done only by the NDP and Conservatives in Prince Rupert, which he said proved the power of volunteer work in this campaign.
According to CTV, at 9:30 p.m. the national voter turnout was 58 per cent, a drop from 64.9 per cent in 2006. See page 19 for more.
The unofficial vote count broke was Nathan Cullen 16,978; Sharon Smith 12,458; Corinna Morhart 1,895; Hondo Arendt 1,606; rod Taylor 1,090 and Mary Etta Goodacre 108.
Lowest voter turnout in history
Canwest News Service
The Daily News
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Page 19
OTTAWA-Nearly 10 million eligible voters took a pass on casting a ballot Tuesday, plunging election day turn out to a historical low, according to preliminary Election Canada figures.
Only 59.1 per cent – 13.8 million out of 23.4 million - of eligible voters made the trip to a polling station, breaking the previous low from the 2004 election that saw a 60.9 per cent turnout, according to the preliminary figures.
More Canadians, however, voted Tuesday than in 2004 when 13.6 million eligible voters marked in their electoral choice.
“We don’t expect them to change significantly” said Benson.
Newfoundland and Labrador recorded the lowest turnout among the provinces with only 48.1 per cent of eligible voters casting a ballot, according to the preliminary figures. Alberta had the second lowest turnout with 52.9 per cent, followed by Manitoba with 56.8 per cent, Ontario with 59.1 per cent, Saskatchewan with 59.4 per cent, Nova Scotia with 60.7 per cent, British Columbia with 61.1 per cent and New Brunswick with 62.8 per cent. Prince Edward Island had the highest turnout with 69.5 per cent of t hose eligible casting a ballot.
The Yukon had the highest turnout among the territories with 63.7 per cent of the registered voters making the trip to the ballot box, followed by Nunavut with 49.4 per cent and the Northwest Territories with 48.6 per cent.
No comments:
Post a Comment