Gallant projected to secure 7th victory for Tories

Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke Conservative candidate Cheryl Gallant was slammed by opponents for being the only no-show at an all-candidates meeting earlier this month.

But in very early results, voters appeared ready to turn up to deliver her a seventh consecutive victory over nine competitors Monday.

At press time with just seven of 247 polls reporting, Gallant had 55.9 per cent of the vote, followed by Liberal Ruben Marini with 20 per cent, New Democrat Eileen Jones-Whyte with 11.9 per cent, Green Ian Pineau with 6.6 per cent and David Ainsworth of the People’s Party with 2.8 per cent.

The field also included Robert Cherrin of the Veterans Coalition Party, Libertarian Stefan Klietsch and independents Dan Criger, Jonathan Davis and Dheerendra Kumar.

On election day, there were just more than 86,000 registered voters in the vast rural riding northwest of Ottawa that covers all of Renfrew County and includes Pembroke and Petawawa.

Gallant was slated to meet supporters at the Pub House by Milano’s Pembroke while Marini was at Santa Fe Grill and Bar in Deep River.

In 2015, Gallant won with 46 per cent of the vote over Liberal Jeff Lehoux with 33 per cent. Third at 11 per cent was former Liberal MP turned independent Hector Clouthier, whom Gallant defeated in 2000 to become one of two Ontario MPs elected for the Canadian Alliance.

At the all-candidates night in Killaloe that Gallant skipped, Criger, who founded a chain of local convenience stores, said that people in the riding want Conservative representation but “unfortunately, they do not want the person they have to vote for to get that.”

But Gallant criss-crossed the riding meeting constituents.

Judging from her Facebook feed, her strategy featured more video chats with supporters and appearances at community events — she was at Renfrew food truck rally, a craft fair in Arnprior and a food expo in Deep River the day of the Killaloe debate — than policy debates.

She’s voted against cannabis legalization and assisted suicide and in favour of reopening the same-sex marriage debate and been outspoken on issues like freedom of religion and the right to private property, including firearms.

In a written statement before the election, Gallant said that affordability was the biggest issue for constituents and linked it to deficits that taxpayers will one day have to repay.

She said that her first priority if re-elected was compensation for property owners who’ve suffered flood damage, which she blames on a federal government plan to create new wetlands.