The ghosts of past campaigns be damned, Gerald Borrowman is going full steam ahead in his quest to be the next member of Parliament for the Souris-Moose Mountain Constituency.
The Weyburn native was in Estevan Thursday to open his campaign office in the Pinetree Plaza on Fifth Street and meet with members of the local media. Shortly into the interview, Borrowman was asked about the 2008 election when his party ran parachute candidate Marlin Belt who was a no-show on the campaign trail and whether or not Belt's lack of performance might hurt his campaign.
Borrowman was quick to point out the party recognized their past error and made steps to correct that wrong by ensuring they had a local candidate to go up against incumbent Conservative MP Ed Komarnicki.
"There was some deep concern by those of us who have been heavily involved in the provincial and federal Liberal party at that," Borrowman said. "When we, as Liberals, met a couple of weeks ago, our concern was that it be someone from within the constituency and we wanted to make sure that the Liberal message was carried throughout the constituency and that is going to be the major thrust, to make sure that Liberal platform is out there.
Borrowman said he is not concerned about any potential backlash and is instead focusing on relaying the Liberal platform and listening to the concerns of residents in southeast Saskatchewan. He noted the message they are receiving is that the public is growing tired of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and is ready for a new face in Ottawa.
"They don't like a highly centralized, controlling Prime Minister and PMO (Prime Minister's Office)," Borrowman said. "The issues that emerge quite easily in terms of our campaign are family issues. The reason I became involved in the campaign is we have a platform that we have consulted broadly with about 30,000 Canadians. We have a platform that is reaching out to Canadians and is very compassionate, and I think that is going to be the major issue once we put that in front of the electorate in Souris-Moose Mountain."
Asked about what issues specific to the constituency he is worried about, Borrowman said housing, which is normally a provincial matter, is an area that needs to be addressed in the very near future.
"Several of the non-profits that I sit on in Weyburn, as late as four or five years ago, I was pushing for a housing policy knowing that the economic boom was coming. Housing was an issue we needed to move on and we didn't. We have really been very slow and failed utterly to be proactive on housing," Borrowman said.
"I know there are incredible stresses on health care and one of the issues that already has emerged is rural doctors; there just aren't enough doctors. I know they are anecdotal but the stories that I hear in Estevan, it is hard to get to a doctor."
Borrowman also noted that rural crime and postal delivery are two other issues that concern him.
With election day less than two weeks away, Borrowman said he plans to run a vigorous campaign, splitting time between Estevan and Weyburn while also making numerous forays to rural communities. Although he admitted he won't be able to get everywhere he wants to, he plans to meet with as many people as he can.
"Some of the people who got me involved in the nomination, about a week after turned to me and said 'Gerald do you have any regrets?' My first response was no, but a couple of days later I paused and thought ya, I do, and the one I have is that people in major urban centres are at least going to have the chance to see me at an all-candidates debate, mainstreeting or whatever. But if you are one of the 250 people from Antler or if you are someone from Coronach, you are not going to meet me and that isn't fair and that I really regret.
"On the third of May, regardless of what happens, that I am going to regret. I think everybody should have a fairly equal chance to meet all four of us and hear what we are about but when a constituency is this big that just isn't on the table."
