The re-elected Conservative in York-Simcoe riding, in Monday night’s federal election, says Canada now faces a challenge.
Supporters for the Conservative party incumbent, Peter Van Loan, never wavered in their certainty of his re-election, even in the face of early Liberal momentum.
Following the ballot count, Van Loan supporters gathered in the clubhouse of a local golf club to watch the results come in from across the country.
The Liberal party momentum that earned the Grits a majority government was not enough to defeat the Conservatives in York-Simcoe, though it did narrow the margin of victory for Peter Van Loan, who received 50 per cent of the vote, while Liberal candidate, Shaun Tanaka was able garner 37 per cent of ballots.
Van Loan said he was worried about how the incoming Liberal government will affect the economics of both his constituency and Canada.
“I am disappointed and surprised (with the results,)” he said. “I think that it will make for a challenging time for the country.”
Georgina resident, Don Ennis, who has been a supporter of Peter Van Loan’s since he first ran for office, had no doubt about Van Loan’s re-election.
“I was confident in Peter because he has done an awful lot of work,” he said, adding, “He’s everywhere (in the community) and how can you fault that.”
Since its borders were redrawn in 2004, York-Simcoe’s representative in Ottawa has been Peter Van Loan of the Conservative party and since 2004 he has increased his share of the vote (63 per centin 2011) in each subsequent election.