ENFIELD: A strong team and willingness to listen to constituents is being credited by the newly re-elected MP-elect for Kings-Hants as leading to a second term in Ottawa.
Kody Blois defeated challenges from four other candidates—Conservative Mark Parent; NDP’s Stephen Schneider; The People Party’s Steven Ford; and Sheila Richardson of the Green Party—in the Sept. 20 federal election. He had 20, 145 votes cast for him.
Blois entered Shooters Bar & Grill in Enfield on Sept. 20 at about 9:45 p.m. to loud cheers from the close to 60 people who had gathered at a viewing party of the election night results.
About a half hour after arriving and as his lead crept up past the 1,000 mark, Blois got up on stage to give a speech and thanks to his campaign team, supporters that were there and those that couldn’t be, and of course his fiancée Kim.
“Thirty-five days ago I said to Kimberley ‘hey babe, I’ll see you in 35 days,’” he said to a chuckle and applause from the crowd. “But when you have someone as understanding as my fiancée it allows me to pursue my passion. Thank you Kim.”
Following Blois being declared the winner, he sat down with The Laker News for a video interview. The full interview can be seen above.
The Belnan born Blois said the outcome had yet to hit him.
“It hasn’t obviously sunk in yet,” he said. “I’m happy with the outcome. As I said in my speech, politics is like life. You need good people in your corner. I’m very fortunate to have the best team around me.
“Anyone that gets into public life doesn’t do it alone. You need good people around you.”
He said at the end of the day he has a job to do with whatever government looks like. (This was asked before it became official that the Liberals would form a minority government)
“My job is to represent the people of Kings-Hants regardless of what happens across the country,” said Blois. “That’s a job I take seriously.”
Blois is proud to have the support of all those who voted for him.
“I believe it’s an affirmation of the work we’ve done over the past two years,” he said. “We’ve got a good team (at my office) that tries to do their best to help serve people every day. I hope tonight’s result is a bit of an indication that people are pleased with the work they’ve seen from me as an MP.”
Conservative candidate Mark Parent finished second with 13,182 votes, almost 7,000 behind Blois. He was disappointed in the outcome, but proud of the efforts of his team.
“Clearly, I am disappointed in the result but very proud of the campaign effort which me and my team managed to mount,” said Parent on Sept. 21. “It is disconcerting, however, that this unnecessary election was called; the most expensive in Canadian history and the results are almost exactly the same as before the writ was dropped.
“This should give everyone pause.”
Asked why the Conservative platform didn’t resonate with enough in Kings-Hants to send him to Ottawa, he maintains it’s a good platform.
“Indeed, I’m not convinced that it was not the platform that did not resonate with voters in Kings-Hants but rather the fact that Canadian politics, on the federal level, has become regionalized with the Maritimes feeling that our economic well being is tied to central Canada,” he said. “This regionalization bodes ill for the future stability of our country, which is one of the reasons why I ran.
“I am proud to be a Canadian and unless we figure how to pull the country together and learn to be proud of who we are, our national future will not be bright.”
He wished Blois well.
The NDP’s Stephen Schneider was third with 8,610 votes; the People Party’s Steven Ford had 1,938 votes while Sheila Richardson with the Green Party finished last with 938 votes.
Overall, 44,813 Kings-Hants residents who were eligible to vote—or just over 62 per cent—cast a ballot.
