Trudeau, Harrietha target Tories as by-election campaign begins
Justin Trudeau visited Lac La Biche, Wabasca, and Fort McMurray over the course of the weekend with the party's candidate in Fort McMurray-Athabasca, Kyle Harrietha. The writs have been dropped for the by-election in the riding, which will take place on June 30.
The leader of the federal Liberal party made a stop in Lac La Biche Friday in a flurry of activity before the launch of the by-election campaign to replace former MP Brian Jean.
Justin Trudeau visited Lac La Biche, Wabasca, and Fort McMurray over the course of the weekend with the party’ s candidate in Fort McMurray-Athabasca, Kyle Harrietha. The writs have been dropped for the by-election in the riding, which will take place on June 30.
“There are many things that are needed here, but we have a government that throws up its hands and says, ‘We know we’ re going to get elected in (the) Fort McMurray riding,’ ” Trudeau told a crowd of more than 50 May 9 at the Lac La Biche Canadian Native Friendship Centre. “I can think of no better way than for this riding, this community to lead... the change that we all know is coming in 2015.”
Trudeau gave a speech just under 15 minutes long that touched on collaboration, the slow growth in middle-class incomes, the importance of the Keystone XL pipeline and claimed there is a decline in trust in the sitting government before taking 30 minutes of questions on the Federal Court of Appeal ruling on the rights of Metis, job creation and the environment.
The Liberal leader’ s visit came on the same weekend as the Conservative government hosted a federal funding announcement in Lac La Biche, with by-election candidate David Yurdiga and Westlock-St. Paul MP Brian Storseth, and an announcement in Fort McMurray of $378,000 in new infrastructure projects, at which Yurdiga and federal cabinet ministers Rona Ambrose and Kellie Leitch were in attendance.
The Prime Minister’ s Office announced May 11 that the by-election will take place on June 30. In the early stages of the campaign, Trudeau and Harrietha took aim at what they called the neglect of the riding during the term of former MP Jean, who served for ten years from 2004 until resigning in January.
“Lac La Biche’ s support for the Conservative Party is taken just as for granted as it is in Fort McMurray and Wabasca, and that’ s reflected in the lack of attention to the riding,” said Harrietha. “I’ ve seen that over the last number of years, that no-one’ s paying attention to the actual needs of the residents of this riding... $0 in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, no dollars for the level crossing issues here in Lac La Biche (in 2012).”
Lac La Biche’ s support for the Conservatives in the past has been formidable. No Liberal has won here since 1957, and Jean took the riding during the 2011 federal election by almost 18,000 votes, with Liberal candidate Karen Young placing third and earning 500 votes less than Jean in Lac La Biche.
But Trudeau, making his second visit to the riding in two months, said he’ s excited.
“I’ m very excited about our opportunity here, in this riding,” Trudeau said. “With a candidate like Kyle Harrietha, who is deeply grounded in the concerns of this region, I know that there’ s going to be a real fight in this by-election,” he said.
The crowd was mostly in the corner of the Liberal candidate, with some supporters traveling from Athabasca and out of the riding in Edmonton.
“I think he did very well. I think he brought up a lot of important things,” said Anne LeMay, from Lac La Biche. “I liked the part about the environment working with the economy.”
“I was quite impressed with both Kyle and Justin’ s speeches. He answered the questions very well,” said Walter Bunting, of Athabasca.
“I’ m amazed,” said Elsie Anderson, of Lac La Biche. “I’ ve never seen, Stephen Harper never came here.”
Before the speech, Trudeau and Harrietha met with members of the business community and the Lebanese community, as well as with Lac La Biche County.
“Both of of them are aware of the situation in Lac La Biche and aware of the social impact here in terms of affordable housing,” said County councillor Jerry Haymour, who said he spoke to Trudeau about temporary foreign workers and partnership on railway crossings. “He fully understands. I am impressed with him for a young man, (with) the quality of a leader and maybe he’ ll be the Prime Minister.”
Local issues addressed by Trudeau in his speech included railway crossings, infrastructure and economic development.
“I’ m so proud to be able to put forward a strong, local voice like Kyle who understands deeply the concerns of people living in Northeastern Alberta, who is ready to speak loudly for an overpass over the railroad here, or an underpass, either way, (and) the need for investments into our highways, because our natural resources are traveling through here,” he said.
The other two candidates in the by-election are the NDP’ s Lori McDaniel and the Libertarian Party’ s Tim Moen. The June 30 by-election will likely be the last for Fort McMurray-Athabasca, which will become Fort McMurray-Cold Lake in the 2015 federal election.
