Congratulations to Viviane Lapointe and Jim Bélanger, our new local MPs. I would also like to extend my thanks to everyone in Sudbury and beyond for helping in any way with our election campaign.
Upon reflection, I feel truly blessed with the amount of support the voters of Sudbury showed our team with the signs you accepted and the record votes you cast. Our volunteers were dedicated and very positive throughout the process.
Our door-knockers took up the challenge and we had so much fun meeting the people of Sudbury and stopping in at the neighbourhood restaurant afterwards for a coffee or a drink and some food, telling stories about our great interactions of the day. We braved terrible weather and that made it all the better. Sadly, I see people belittling this process in comments. In reality, it is the most democratic thing we can do — make direct connections with people. Our literature-drop folks also covered the city like magic, and I am forever grateful for your efforts.
Thank you to all who made donations. We raised the full campaign funding and we have left money in the account for next time. We had some maximum donations of $1,750 and many donations under $50, even one of $1.05 from a young Pierre supporter.
Thanks to Dr DeBlacam for rounding on my patients last week, as my week of hospital call fell on the week of the election. My medical staff and colleagues and my patients were all supportive in their opinions and put up with a few last-minute schedule changes during the process without complaint.
For all the online trolls out there, I was at work at 9 a.m. the morning after the election after a 2:30 a.m. late night. I also worked my clinic and the campaign at the same time for all but the last week.
Thanks to our campaign office staff and the sign crew. We identified supporters and sign locations, and relentlessly delivered as soon as we had supplies. Our cleanup crew was amazing after the vote.
Our GOTV was impeccably delivered. The day of election we predicted 39 per cent support, which would have won a traditional three-party race here in Sudbury. We came in just over that number on E-day, but the NDP strategic vote ensured a Liberal win. Thanks to the folks in Ottawa and especially to Pierre Poilievre for stopping here twice this cycle as a true champion of Sudbury and also getting record numbers of Conservative support across Canada.
Thank you to my campaign manager and the marketing team, both of you are now personal friends. Your work was precise and reflective of the positive messaging we wanted, even though the strategic Kingsway signs oddly were taken down on Election Day — two days before our contract expired. And to my other close circle of advisers and supporters, you know who you are, you don’t need your names in lights. You went above and beyond the call of duty taking this as a challenge rather than a job and we spent a lot of time together, which will be missed. Our EDA board members were ever helpful as usual.
My friends and family, especially my wife, were patient and understanding and sacrificed a lot of our time together to help me out. Lots of love for all of you.
Thank you to the leaders and workers in this community for taking time to meet with me in your workplaces. I hope this government can deliver your needs. Thanks to the staff and residents of nursing homes and retirement homes for meeting with me. Thank you to the local media, I enjoyed engaging with our local journalists from CTV, Sudbury Star, Sudbury.com and CBC, not every time, but on all requests I felt were fair. Thank you to our debate organizers, CARP and Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, I enjoyed participating fully in your debates.
And finally, thanks to Maggie, you beautified our office with your artwork and your personality and I think I owe you a Twigs Rainbow Burst Cake. Even though we didn’t win the election, we won the day!
Ian Symington ran for the Conservative Party of Canada in the Sudbury riding in the April 28 federal election.