As the mail-in ballots for the 2021 election are counted, the victor in Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes has been projected. Michael Barrett, the incumbent Conservative Party candidate, is now the MP-elect, and is projected to represent the riding until the next federal election.
Barrett, in a Facebook post, is thankful for his re-election. “Thank you to the people of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes for putting your trust in me to serve as your Member of Parliament,” Barrett says.
Other candidates are also giving their closing remarks publicly. Liberal candidate Roberta Abbott thanks her campaign team and the volunteers that helped with her campaign. “It wasn’t the result we were hoping for,” Abbott says, “but it is a relief that our Liberal government is back in power to continue the work we started toward the goals contained in our budget and our platform.”
Meanwhile, the NDP’s Michelle Taylor is disappointed in both the national and local results. “This is not the message I was hoping to post here tonight,” Taylor says. “So many people across Canada and right here in our riding desperately needed the affordability platform the NDP presented in this election. They will continue to leave prescriptions unfilled, dental pain untreated and stop by local food banks on their way home from jobs that don’t come close to living wages.”
Alex Cassell of the People’s Party thanks his supporters for their help with his campaign.
Lorraine Rekmans of the Green Party, in a statement to MyPrescottNow.com, says she’s “proud that the Greens ran a clean honest campaign.”
“Our volunteers worked hard and with passion for our platform and our party,” Rekmans says. “We obviously have a lot of work to do to get back on track and earn the voters’ trust.”