Brad Trost has done it again. The Conservative candidate has once more come out on top in the Saskatoon-Humboldt riding in a federal election.
Preliminary results from the May 2 election from Elections Canada show that Trost garnered 19,930 votes out of the 37,841 valid votes counted. That's 52.7 per cent of the popular vote.
Coming in second in the election race was Denise Kouri of the NDP, who earned 13,283.
Liberal Darren Hill received 3,021 votes, Green Party candidate Sandra Finley got 928 and Independent candidate Jim Pankiw earned the least amount of votes at 679.
In total, voter turnout was 67.5 per cent, with 37,841 of the 56,047 eligible voters filling out a ballot.
Provincially, nothing has changed. Saskatchewan elected 13 Conservative MPs and one lone Liberal, Ralph Goodale of Regina-Wascana. The Conservatives earned 56.3 per cent of the popular vote overall in the province.
Voter turnout provincially was at 64.1 per cent
Nationally, things were quite shaken up in the House of Commons, with the Conservatives finally gaining a majority government.
In total, according to preliminary results, the Conservatives won 167 seats - up from 143 before the dissolution of government this spring. They earned 39.6 per cent of the popular vote.
The NDP earned a spot as the Official Opposition by winning 102 seats, up from the 36 they held before dissolution.
And the Green Party will finally be invited to national debates, as they earned one seat in the House of Commons, up from none last time around.
On the negative side, the Bloc Quebecois dropped from holding 47 seats in the House to just four, prompting the resignation of leader Gilles Duceppe.
The Liberals also suffered in Monday's election, dropping from 77 seats to 34. Leader Michael Ignatieff lost his seat, calling into question his future as leader of the party.
In total, voter turnout across the country was at 61.4 per cent.
In Saskatoon, newly re-elected MP Brad Trost was excited about the support his party received from voters.
"I didn't think we'd do that well. I thought we'd be right on the bubble, whether or not we could make it. So this is great. This is outstanding... What can you say? You're always pumped when you win."
What does he feel a Conservative majority means for Canada?
"It means we're going to deliver. We actually plan to deliver on what we ran. It means the long gun registry is finally gone. It means taxes are going to be low. It means our defense plans are going to be there. We are going to develop the north. What we have promised, we will deliver."
Trost added that agriculture and natural resources issues will continue to be a priority for the federal government, as well.
"Saskatchewan voters were very much with our broad themes: stable economy, low taxes, tough on crime," he said.
When questioned about the abortion issue, which Trost spoke about at a recent provincial pro-life convention, Trost said that "We're not going to introduce legislation to criminalize it. Even the most ardent pro-lifers like me know that's not going to happen."
As for this riding, Trost said he "will continue to work hard. We're already planning passport clinics for the summer, and we're going to continue to do the same service we've tried. And we're going to try to figure out if we can up it to another level. I represent everyone from Broadway to Naicam and LeRoy to St. Louis, and everywhere in between. And I'll continue to do the best I can."
The Journal was able to catch up with Liberal candidate Darren Hill on election night, as well.
"It's certainly a bit of a shock. But this is what's great about Canada. It's a democracy, and at the end of the day, the people determine...who's going to govern. And we've clearly seen that they've sent a message," he said in reaction to the results.
"I don't think the Conservatives have won a majority because Canadians wanted them to. I think you saw a lot of Canadians shifting toward the New Democrats because they like their platform and what they stand for. And I think that's what gave the Conservatives their majority."
Hill will now return to his two full-time jobs, as the president and CEO of Junior Achievement Saskatchewan, and as a Saskatoon city councillor.
"I've got to make sure that residents of Ward One are being taken care of," he noted.
The Journal was unable to contact NDP candidate Denise Kouri, Independent candidate Jim Pankiw or Green Party candidate Sandra Finley prior to press time.
