By Aaron Mahoney

Election

Neudorf takes Lethbridge-East to become MLA-elect; Phillips projected winner in Lethbridge-West

Apr 16, 2019 | 11:49 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Entering a restaurant lounge to a crowd roaring its congratulations, MLA-elect Nathan Neudorf was nearly drowned by a sea of people wanting to shake his hand, hug him offer their congratulations Tuesday evening.

A new face to the political scene, Neudorf’s background is as a small business owner and former construction manager. But he said he wanted to build new bridges and thanked everyone for helping him along the way.

“I’m very excited, very relieved,” he said. “Very grateful, you can see the support – the teamwork that came and brought this together. This is not me on my own. So, I’m incredibly grateful, and thankful for the support that I had from family, friends, volunteers. It was incredible.”

He said his team took nothing for granted, and congratulated his running mate, the NDP’s Maria Fitzpatrick.

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“Hats off to her. We’re just thankful that our team got out. We talked to nearly 15,000 doors, and we built a base – and then to see the votes come in all day long, right in line with that we I.D.’d, so that gave us some confidence early on.”

Neudorf reiterated what UCP Leader and Premier-Elect, Jason Kenney emphasized throughout his party’s campaign, that the economy and jobs were key.

“People were dissatisfied before this previous government with the P.C.’s taking for granted the people that put them in power. So right from day one, we worked on earning that trust back. And I think that foundation put us in a good place.”

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In a blue wave election that swept across the province, Lethbridge-West remained in the hands of the NDP, but it sure was close.

Shannon Phillips will be heading back to Edmonton as one of only 24 MLAs for the New Democrats after the Canadian Press, and other outlets declared her as the projected winner with 47.11% of the vote with 95 of 98 polls reporting.

In a speech to supports at the Old Fire Hall in downtown Lethbridge, Phillips spoke about how proud she was of the work the previous NDP government did between 2015 and 2019.

“We reduced greenhouse gas emissions, we took action on the single biggest issue facing humanity in an oil and gas producing jurisdiction, and we succeeded. I am of the Jack Layton generation of New Democrats, and he famously said, ‘don’t let them tell you it can’t be done,’ and we didn’t.”

Phillips acknowledged that all lot of NDP supporters were shaken by a bit of grief tonight but added they must be steadied by a new resolve and a fresh determination.

“What we love is no longer, if it ever was, a rhetorical concept. As we move into more perilous times, remember our shared commitment and our hard work to achieve a more inclusive and generous province can be made real. We proved it, we have already lived in the world we only dreamed of before 2015, now we know it can be done.”

Speaking to the media afterwards, Phillips talked about how New Democrats haven’t historically won seats down here.

“And when they have won, they haven’t been re-elected, but now I have. It feels good to have the confidence of the voters here in Lethbridge, we have a big team, and they share in all of this success. I’m just pleased that we were able to achieve the result we were aiming for,” Phillips said.

As for why she was re-elected while much of the province opted for change, Phillips responded by saying that Lethbridge is a little more of a progressive place now.

“People do care about things like economic diversification, things related to renewables, the environment and they also care deeply about their public services. The proposed cuts from Jason Kenney makes people very worried in this community, so that’ll be something we have to articulate in the legislature each and every day. I’m quite convinced that I was asked to do that job by the electorate, and I will do that job.”

Phillips joins a slew of former cabinet ministers and former Premier Rachel Notley who will be returning to the legislature, this time as the opposition, and left her supporters with an optimistic message for the future.

“There is a yearning, especially among young people, that politics be conducted in a different way and that we defy the cynicism of our time. In the coming days, weeks, and years, the Alberta NDP will bring an authenticity and an unpretentious gusto to the defence of our values that will demonstrate every day that love and generosity can and will prevail. As Tommy Douglas said, ‘courage my friends, it is not too late to build a better world.’