Former Mayor of Meadow Lake Gary Vidal kicked off his federal election bid Thursday night. (Tyler Marr/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Tyler Marr

Vidal kicks-off federal election bid

Sep 13, 2019 | 11:14 AM

In a riding where all three major parties have a shot to win, Gary Vidal knows it will be critical to talk, engage and listen to as many prospective voters as he can.

Vidal is running for the Conservative Party in Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River. The former mayor of Meadow Lake kicked off his campaign in the city late Thursday to a hearty crowd of supporters.

Vidal hopes the Conservative commitment to fiscal responsibility and credibility will sway voters after four years of Liberal rule under leader Justin Trudeau.

“I can’t run my home in a way that I spend more money then I take in, consistently. I can’t run my farm or business or as the mayor of the city of Meadow Lake, I couldn’t run my city that way,” he said. “I struggle with the concept why we think we can spend $15 or 20 billion a year more then we bring in and somehow believe that is going to be sustainable and effective in the long term.”

He said a Tory government would lower taxes for the middle class and help spur the economy, which would result in more dollars for social services and programming. Liberal policy, he said, revolves around massive deficits and spending, which brings higher taxes in the long term and an ultimate reduction in critical services.

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Through door-knocking, Vidal said several self-identifying Liberal voters are frustrated with the lack of ethical behaviour and integrity shown by Trudeau. He promises a Conservative government would offer a counter to this.

“This is a leader who promised to be open and accountable and transparent four years ago,” he said.

On the environment, Vidal said the carbon tax will be repealed under a Conservative government and replaced with a responsible environmental program that actually makes a difference and doesn’t hurt pocketbooks.

“If we elect an NDP member of Parliament for this riding, in essence, all we are doing is giving Justin Trudeau four more years of rule,” he said. “The only way, if we are going to stop Justin Trudeau … is to elect a Conservative MP.”

Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River is the third largest provincial riding in Canada and boasts a large Indigenous population. Vidal admits it will be hard to connect with everyone in the riding in under 40 days, but maintains if he wins, he will make the effort to do so over the next four years.

“I would ask those people to consider my history and my record of dealing with Indigenous people and dealing with First Nations people in my role as the mayor,” he said, pointing to how Flying Dust First Nation Chief Jeremy Norman was the first to endorse his campaign.

“Our relationship as chief and mayor, as co-hockey coaches and parents and we went to school together speaks to my ability to build relationships with the Indigenous community,” he said.

He challenged people to look at his history, record and work with Indigenous communities and to give him a chance over time to expand his ability to build relationships in a broad sense. The riding, he said, deserves a member of Parliament who wants to represent everyone in it.

NDP candidate Georgina Jolibois won the 2015 election by 71 votes after a recount over Liberal Lawrence Joseph. Vidal is facing her, Tammy Cook-Searson, who is running under the Liberal banner, the Green Party’s Sarah Kraynick and the People’s Party of Canada’s Jerome Perrault.

Canadians go to the polls on Oct. 21.

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tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr