As the polls closed on election night, all eyes were on the Kings-Hants riding.
It had been nearly two decades since the incumbent MP had not sought re-election, and Liberal candidate Kody Blois was aware of the enormous task ahead of him.
“It’s not easy to fill Scott Brison‘s shoes, as I’m reminded right off the bat,” said Blois in his acceptance speech. “It’s tough to replace Scott because of the unique way he served this community and won the hearts of the locals,” he added.
Blois called Brison a “great mentor” and praised the example he set.
The crowd at Blois’ headquarters began clapping as the first votes were counted. When CBC declared the riding Liberal with 50 of 233 polls in, the crowd went wild. As of that time, he had a 1,229-vote advantage over the Conservative candidate, Martha MacQuarrie.
After that, Blois and his fiancée Kimberly MacLachlan showed up to much fanfare. Both his mother, Shelly Blois, and grandmother, Bernice Bailey, were visibly moved.
Bailey said, “I’m right up in the air” when asked how excited she was. She admitted that she was rooting for him to triumph. “I just can’t express how proud I am of him.”
During the speech he gave in honour of the occasion, Blois expressed gratitude to his many supporters and vowed to do his best for the area. Blois cited Scott Brison’s final parliamentary address, in which he stressed the importance of politics.
“I see my role as a member of parliament and being elected as an opportunity to serve the people and the communities I represent, and I can’t think of a greater privilege than that,” he said of his decision to run for office.
Blois was involved in the establishment of the East Hants Sport Heritage Society and the Come Home East Hants Association before going into politics.
This was Blois’s first attempt to run for political office.
On Tuesday, he promised to drive through “every corner of the riding” on his way to the office, waving to voters from the side of Highway 101.
Humble in Loss
Martha MacQuarrie, the Conservative candidate, claimed she had the best team despite losing the election.
She bragged that the campaign they ran was successful because “it was clean, it was fun, and we worked very hard.”
MacQuarrie claimed that there were some close races, and that she would continue to support her fellow lawmakers even though votes were still being counted in other ridings. She told her supporters that if the Conservatives ended up in the minority, they might be back on the campaign trail in 18 months.
Meeting so many people in the district was the highlight of the campaign, she said.
MacQuarrie remarked, “I have met so many wonderful people and heard so many fascinating stories; people have opened their homes to me and shared their life stories. It’s been great!”
MacQuarrie claimed that, thanks to her time spent in MLA John Lohr’s office, she was well-versed in the needs of the people who live in the Kings North provincial riding. She said that she would “continue to represent my constituents here” by working through Lohr’s office and by volunteering in the community.
She stated that the Liberal’s carbon tax has “widespread concern,” and that people are worried about making ends meet.
A Quick Rundown on Kings-Hants
- First in his family to go to college, Hants County native Kody Blois came from a modest background.
- He went to school for business, law, and public administration.
- He helped establish the Come Home East Hants Association and the East Hants Sport Heritage Society.
- Kody Blois, a candidate for the seat vacated by former Representative Scott Brison, is the fourth candidate in this round. Cheverie native Brison entered politics in 1997, initially as a Progressive Conservative. He defected to the Liberal Party in 2003 and served as the representative for Kings-Hants until February 10, 2019. Since its inception, the Kings-Hants riding has been a reliable support base for the Conservative party.
- During his 25 years in office, Conservative Pat Nowlan dominated the Kings-Hants riding, which was first created in 1968. In 1993, Liberal John Murphy was elected to represent the district for one term. Following his election in 1997, Brison served as leader until 2000, when he temporarily stepped down to make way for then-PC leader Joe Clark to enter Parliament. As a Grit, Brison was re-elected in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2015 after previously being re-elected in 2000 and 2003 as a Democrat.