Incumbent Conservative Party candidate Blake Richards was re-elected Monday night and admits to feeling “humbled” by the opportunity to continue to serve his Banff-Airdrie riding.
“I think it was almost 55,000 people that marked an x beside my name,” Richards said Tuesday morning. Richards received 71.3 per cent of the popular vote in the riding.
“It’s humbling. It’s something I don’t take lightly. It’s an honour to be that voice and I will be a strong voice for them.”
Richards celebrated with party supporters and community members at Rival Axe Throwing in Airdrie Monday night. Festivities were dampened though with the prospect of another four years of Liberal rule. Richards said he was surprised by the results and said he sensed during his campaigning that Canadians had an appetite for change.
He feels this “appetite” was satisfied in the way people voted last night.
“First of all, as conservatives, we did get the most votes of any party leading in the country. (The election) did result in an increase of seats for us, but obviously not as much of an increase as we had hoped,” he said.
Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s re-election as a minority government will result in a source of disappointment and frustration among Albertans, Richards said.
“My job is going to be to continue to fight hard, to continue to talk about and tell the story about what is happening here in Alberta and why it’s happening and why the rest of the country needs to sit up and pay more attention to that,” he said.
“That will be the job that I have and the message that I know our voters have delivered. I want to take that incredibly seriously.”
Richards hopes that his party will hold Trudeau accountable in the House of Commons. He didn’t mince words on his feelings on the current state of our country’s political landscape.
“Hopefully we won’t see four more years of this government. I don’t think that is what this country needs,” he said. Richards feels that Canada deserves better and he, and members of his party, will do their best to push for change sooner than later.
Richards heard the same message throughout the Banff-Airdrie riding. He said a lot of people have lost their jobs and they’re looking for hope.
“They’re looking for something that’s a signal that there’s going to be an opportunity to get back to work,” he said. He also mentioned small business owners in Cochrane and Airdrie who are struggling to keep the doors open and employees who are nervous about their futures.
“The hope has to come in the form of the realization in this country that the oil and gas industry is something, and is going to be a part of the future for a long time to come,” he said. He adds that oil and gas jobs make a contribution - not only to Canada’s economy - but also on a global level by providing a platform for Canadian innovation and technology. He says he’s worked hard to get that message across, even as another round of layoffs at Husky Energy Inc. might be affecting western Canadian staff with the majority happening in Calgary. The company hasn’t confirmed the exact number of layoffs and the reports came from employees Tuesday afternoon.
“So the message that I heard loud and clear during this campaign is that we need someone here to be able to fight for us,” he said. He pointed again to the unemployed Albertans in the Banff-Airdrie riding and reiterated that they are the people he’s fighting for.
Richards acknowledged that growth management challenges in Cochrane are on his radar. He said while these issues might not fall under the federal government’s umbrella, he will play a role in trying to help the best he can.
“I have to make it very clear, first and foremost, above anything else, is we need someone to fight for our community, our jobs, for our families and that is going to be job number one for me,” Richards said.
The population of the Banff-Airdrie riding is about 135,000 as of 2016. First elected in 2008, Richards serves as the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet Minister for Small Business, Export Promotion and Tourism. He is presently a member of the Finance Committee.
In 2010, Richards spearheaded a national petition that called for changes to the national pardons system. The petition attracted thousands of supporters from across Canada and in June 2010 Bill C-23A, a new law to limit pardons for serious crimes, received Royal Assent.
The following year he introduced Private Member's Bill C-309 in the House of Commons, and guided it through the House and Senate. It received Royal Assent in June 2013 and as a result, it is now a Criminal Code offence to conceal one's identity during a riot or an unlawful assembly.
