The Kings-Hants riding continues to attract Conservative MPs more than two months after Liberal incumbent Scott Brison held on to his seat in the May 2 election.
Canada’s Minister of State for Transport, Steven Fletcher, attended a meet-and-greet styled appreciation ceremony organized by the Kings-Hants Conservative Association at the Clockmaker Inn on King Street in Windsor July 5.
Fletcher has been elected to the House of Commons in four consecutive elections to represent Manitoba’s Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia riding.
During his visit to Kings-Hants, Fletcher thanked the group of about 45 guests in attendance for their support of the Conservative party.
“Kings-Hants is obviously an area that the Conservative party did very well in, and I look forward to there being a Conservative Member of Parliament here after the next election,” said Fletcher during a brief interview at the event.
He said the Conservative’s Kings-Hants candidate, David Morse, proved to be worthy opposition for Brison.
“I think (the King-Hants Conservative) candidate in the last election did a very impressive showing (and) closed the gap substantially.”
Brison won his seat in 2008 by 6,796 votes. In May, Brison beat Morse, a first-time federal candidate, by 1,173 votes.
I think that they’re very aware in Ottawa how close it was (this election) and I think this was one that was seen as a safe Brison seat… and I’m not sure people feel that way anymore. - David Morse
Fletcher predicts the results will be different the next time Kings-Hants voters head to the polls for a federal election.
“David is very experienced and I think he has demonstrated a great ability to bring forward results,” he said.
Morse says it is significant that ministers continue to visit the riding he wants to represent in the House of Commons.
“I think that they’re very aware in Ottawa how close it was (this election) and I think this was one that was seen as a safe Brison seat… and I’m not sure people feel that way anymore,” he said, after a chat with Fletcher.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Windsor April 30, Tony Clement toured the Kings-Hants riding as Canada’s Minister of Industry March 15, and Conservative MP Candice Hoeppner spoke at an anti long-gun registry rally in Windsor Feb. 16.
“Up until the election campaign we rarely had any ministers come to Kings-Hants and over the last six months, we’ve had quite a number come,” Morse said.
“The fact that they’re still coming after the campaign, we think that bodes very well for our association and, obviously, we’re on Ottawa’s radar screen.”
