Blaikie continues family legacy in Elmwood-Transcona

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This article was published 20/09/2021 (622 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Daniel Blaikie has been re-elected as Member of Parliament for Elmwood-Transcona.

“I feel gratitude for the folks of Elmwood-Transcona giving me a shot at representing the riding in a third parliament,” Blaikie, who was first elected in 2015 and re-elected again in 2019, told reporters outside his campaign office at 844 McLeod Ave. “And I’m thankful to all the people who worked on the campaign.”

The son of former area MP and MLA Bill Blaikie, Blaikie campaigned on being accountable to the people of Elmwood-Transcona. He also promised he would continue pushing a national pharmacare program.

“Canada continues to be one of the countries that pays the most for prescription drugs, and we’re the only country in the world that has public health insurance that doesn’t have some kind of national drug prescription plan,” Blaikie said.

A lifelong area resident, Blaikie added that he also hopes to push for stronger health care support from the federal government.

“People in northeast Winnipeg, who are looking almost six years ago now on an expansion of Park Manor Personal Care Home, are seeing the folly of the Conservatives having cancelled that when they came to power (provincially) in 2016, and are really hoping to see some leadership out of Ottawa, to get some of those projects built,” he said.

Blaikie also spoke of the need for strong federal policy to fight the climate crisis.

“The pandemic has taught us a little bit about what happens when disaster strikes,” Blaikie said. “And people are looking at what’s happening with the climate and wanting to know they have a government that first of all is trying to reduce the likelihood of a climate disaster and also beginning to make a plan for how we’re going to support people through all these kinds of extreme weather events and economic consequences of climate change as it continues.”

With another Liberal minority government in Ottawa, Blaikie said the NDP are well positioned to hold the Liberals to account and to push for policies and programs they believe in.

“We’re willing to sit down and work with whomever is willing to work with us on a particular issue and get results on that issue,” Blaikie said. “The focus is on Canadians, that we’re actually getting something done that will make their lives easier.”

Elections Canada reported that Blaikie had earned 20,791 votes, or 49 per cent of the vote, once all 188 polls reported. Also on the ballot in Elmwood-Transcona were Rejeanne Caron (CPC), who finished with 11,768 votes; Sara Mirwaldt (LPC), who earned 6,169 votes; Jamie Cumming (PPC) with 2,435 votes; and Devlin Hinchey (GPC) with 676 votes. 

A total of 70,335 electors were registered in the riding when polls opened on Sept. 20, while 41,839, or 59.49 per cent, voted. Preliminary number of voters who voted in advance in this year’s election in Elmwood-Transcona was 13,894, over 3,600 more than in the 43rd general election of 2019. Additionally, 2,335 advance mail in voting kits were issued. 

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@canstarnews.com Call him at 204-697-7112

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