While he may have lost locally, his party may hold the balance of power in their hands.
Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte NDP candidate Dan Janssen is hopeful the new Liberal minority government will be able to work with the NDP on bringing great ideas to Canadians, and he said their coalition track record speaks for itself.
“I think it’s great. In the past, NDP and Liberal coalition governments have been able to put forward really important legislation that’s been able to help out Canadians,” said Janssen, pointing to free health care as one example of a policy put forward through the collaborative efforts of both parties.
“I’m excited to see what happens over the next four years,” he added.
Some policies Janssen is hopeful the Liberals and NDP will work together to achieve are universal pharmacare, proportional representation voting and reconciliation with First Nations.
“Universal child care is another one we’d like to have implemented. It’s huge,” he said. “When both parents have the ability to go to work it can lift a family up out of poverty.”
Janssen said the platform put forward by the NDP party stood out.
“I think the NDP put forward a platform that really captured the imagination of a lot of people, but unfortunately it seemed, at least I feel, there’s a lot of people voting strategically,” said Janssen. “Not only in this riding, but in a lot of ridings.”
Looking forward, Janssen said he still believed wholeheartedly in the NDP.
“I’m a labour activist,” he said. “That, I won’t be able to just turn off. I’ll be working on behalf of our community, whether it’s fighting for labour rights or the environment. I’ll be advocating for things people rely on in our community.”
“This has been an amazing opportunity, going out and meeting with so many people. I wish I could have hit every single door. I truly do. We had a small campaign, but it’s those people and those conversations. It was worth every second,” he added.
Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte results
(200 of 204 polls reporting)
- Doug Shipley – CON — 20,155
- Brian Kalliecharan – LIB — 15,982
- Dan Janssen – NDP — 7,639
- Marty Lancaster – GRN — 6,592
- David Patterson – PPC — 924
