“I enjoyed being politically active. I was worried that a long-shot candidate in rural ridings would be on their own … but we had a very active campaign team. There were over 50 volunteers all around the riding, and there was work to do every day.”
He said that even for the short campaign schedule, it was still a full-scale effort from the NDP campaign team. “We have some experienced volunteers that helped out, and made sure we made the most of the campaign.”
“There are over 150 towns in our riding that could be visited. I would love to be able to spend more time in each community, besides just getting my signs outs. I felt that we made some lasting connections during the election campaign.”
With the Liberal government voted in as a minority government, there is no certainty on when another election might be called. McPhee said at the moment, “I feel really gung-ho about representing the NDP, and would love to run as their candidate again. It would be something that I would need further discussion with my family and loved ones.”
Federally, the NDP will hold a strong bargaining position to push the Liberals on some of the big-ticket policies it proposed during this election, with a projected 25 seats. “Erin O’Toole and the Conservatives also had a progressive agenda. If they are serious about some of the things they promised, I can see the NDP supporting some of their policies,” said McPhee.
McPhee would like to see electoral reform discussion happen at the federal level. “Even though the Conservatives won the most votes (in the popular vote), Trudeau still was voted back in as our Prime Minister.”
“We really see unfair results when it is a constituency-based voting system. It is a little distorted, and hardly any moves are made. It would be better to change to a proportional voting system.”
