Tuesday October 22, 2019
Ward 8 Coun. Ben Henderson DAVID_BLOOM DAVID BLOOM / DAVID BLOOM/POSTMEDIA
Edmonton will be without an elected official in the federal government for the first time since the 1980 election as a sea of blue washed over the city.
Without a member of the governing Liberal Party to represent Alberta’s capital in the cabinet, there is some concern about the weight Edmonton will have on the decision-making table.
“This is the scenario that was concerning me,” said Ward 8 Coun. Ben Henderson on Monday evening as the two previously-held Liberal seats in Edmonton turned Conservative blue. “We’ve gone from having a strong and effective voice in cabinet to not having anybody in caucus, let alone in cabinet.”
Former Edmonton city councillor Amarjeet Sohi served as minister for two high-profile portfolios in the Liberal cabinet, but was defeated in the riding of Edmonton Mill Woods by Conservative candidate Tim Uppal. Randy Boissonnault also lost his seat in Edmonton Centre with NDP candidate Heather McPherson taking the only non-Conservative seat in Edmonton Strathcona.
Prior to the election, Henderson raised his hesitancy of not having a voice in cabinet to fight for city needs, specifically infrastructure funding.
“We were spoiled the last couple of years because we had a voice in cabinet,” Henderson said.
He pointed to funding for the LRT, affordable housing and the Yellowhead Freeway conversion as projects Sohi fought for under the infrastructure portfolio.
Henderson said he believes the Liberal government’s current commitments to infrastructure funding and affordable housing will remain in place for the city, but it’s how the city advocates for help that could be impacted.
Mayor Don Iveson took to social media Monday night to congratulate Justin Trudeau on his re-election.
“Regardless of how the electoral map looks, mayors across the country are united in our efforts to build globally competitive cities,” Iveson said in a tweet.
Iveson and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities have called for a public transit fund and permanent doubling of the gas tax as their top priorities. The Liberal Party has committed to an additional $3 billion in transit funding, but hasn’t committed to the gas tax ask.
Premier Jason Kenney didn’t comment on the results Monday night, but has shown his allegiance to the Conservative Party throughout the campaign, calling the party the best choice for Alberta’s oil and gas industry.
“I hope that you’ll vote for a new federal government that will help get a fair deal for Alberta, that will help us to responsibly develop our resources,” Kenney said in a video posted to Twitter Monday afternoon.
The Edmonton and Calgary chambers of commerce issued a joint release Monday congratulating the Liberal Party on its minority government and stressing the importance of working with all sides, as Alberta voted largely in opposition to their re-election.
“Canada is at a crossroads, and we must take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us. We can make bold choices now to boost competitiveness or risk watching from the sidelines as other nations compete and win,” said Edmonton Chamber of Commerce CEO Janet Riopel in the statement.