Pumped for run
Ufit’s Gord McNeilly, a former star NDP candidate, feels he can accomplish more as a Liberal
The star candidate of the P. E. I. NDP in the 2015 provincial election has joined the Liberal party. Gord McNeilly came closer than any other NDP candidate to winning a seat in the last provincial election. He lost the race in District 14 Charlottetown- Lewis Point to Liberal incumbent Kathleen Casey by only 109 votes.
But now he says he feels he can accomplish more by working with the governing Liberal party.
“I like the direction that Wade ( MacLauchlan) is attempting to take the Island. I think that he’s done a lot for the community and I want to help him in some small way,” McNeilly said Thursday.
The fitness instructor and coowner of Ufit Inc. says he has stayed out of the political arena since the election because he was unsure of his future plans.
But recently, the Liberal party approached McNeilly, asking him to moderate a policy forum at the party’s upcoming provincial annual general meeting. That’s when McNeilly says he decided it was the time to make the jump.
“This is a good time, two years after the election, to get a little bit more involved,” he said. He knows some of his NDP supporters might be disappointed, but he says his personal values remain unchanged. “It doesn’t matter so much about the colours you wear, it’s about what you’re able to do and how you’re able to bring your voices forward, and I think I can bring strong voices forward and maintain the values that Islanders have come to believe in and want in their politicians.”
McNeilly says he does not intend to challenge Casey for her seat in District 14, but he says he would be interested in running again if an opportunity arises.
As for the New Democratic Party, McNeilly says he is parting on good terms with leader Mike Redmond and wishes him all the best.
Redmond said Thursday he was “disappointed” by the news. “Gord has to do what’s right for Gord McNeilly, but if you’re fighting for social justice issues — I don’t think there’s any more important time than now — and he’ll have to justify that to the constituents of the district he ran in.”
The NDP leader also suggested McNeilly’s timing in joining the Liberals at this point in their mandate may not prove to be the most politically savvy move.
The party has been in power in P. E. I. for 10 years and has been facing a number of controversies, including ongoing fallout from the e- gaming scandal, proposed school closures and the upset over inaction on the recent electoral reform plebiscite.
“Now wouldn’t be the most appropriate time in my opinion to announce you’ve joined the Liberal party of Prince Edward Island considering the damage they are doing to the public purse and public confidence,” Redmond said.
But McNeilly says he believes working with the governing party offers him more opportunities to help the community – something he is passionate about.
“I think I could be put in a situation where I can do more, I think I can help the youth come forward and do things,” McNeilly says.