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Gerald Soroka elected Yellowhead MP

Oct 21, 2019 | 8:53 PM

First-time Conservative candidate Gerald Soroka has been elected Member of Parliament for Yellowhead.

With 259 of 259 polls reporting:
Gerald Soroka – CON 45,206
Kristine Bowman – NDP 3,781
Jeremy Hoefsloot – LIB 2,842
Douglas Galavan – PPC 1,576
Angelena Satdeo – GRN 1,235
Cory Lystang – LTN 215
Gordon Francey – VCP 105

Soroka is a lifelong resident of Evansburg, and up until the election campaign was serving as Mayor of Yellowhead County.

He replaces Conservative Jim Eglinski who served for two terms as MP before retiring.

Soroka told rdnewsNOW during the election campaign that his priorities include adequate mental health care, and being part of a government that promotes unity, not separation.

He first ran for office as a town councillor in 2004 and also held the position of vice president of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties from 2008 to 2010.

Sorkoa spoke with Adam Ophus (B-94) the day after being elected…

How do you feel about the election results both locally and nationally?

“Well, locally I’m very pleased and proud of everyone that put their trust and faith in me. Nationally on the other hand, not so happy, sort of you know you won the battle but lost the war.”

Do you feel more or less pressure now given the election outcome?

“I think there’s a lot more pressure for all conservative candidates, because, you know, the province definitely went pretty much all blue except one seat, and they want to make sure that our voices are heard in Ottawa and making sure that we can get our economy back online.”

What do you feel is the biggest issue facing the Yellowhead riding, and what does the future hold?

“The biggest issue is definitely our economy. You know, I don’t care if it’s oil and gas, forestry, agriculture, every one of our major industries are suffering and we need to make sure that we get that going forward in Ottawa. We have to get our economy back to a place where each and every person has a stable job and a good income coming in. We have the natural resources right here. There’s no reason why we are not going and utilizing our natural resources.”

How do you feel about Premier Jason Kenny’s talk about staying united and understanding Alberta frustration?

“Definitely, we need to have that strong alliance. I believe that the message has been sent the Trudeau. If he does not try to address the concerns of people in Alberta and Saskatchewan, he did say in his victory speech that Alberta and Saskatchewan is a part of Canada and he is going to work towards that.”

Why should Justin Trudeau care what Alberta wants since Monday’s election showed he didn’t need its vote at all?

“That’s one of the problems, everyone just looks at is the number of seats. The big thing is if you’re going to be the Prime Minister of Canada you are there representing all Canadians regardless of how they voted, and I think that’s where he has to take that stance that he is there for the betterment of all of Canadian not just the people that voted for him.”

How will you represent those that voted for you?

“One of the things I’ve done as the mayor of Yellowhead County is I’ve always been accessible to everyone and listening to their own concerns and issues. It’s going to be no different as Member of Parliament, is making sure that those issues and concerns are brought forth to the federal government; making sure that my voice is heard in Ottawa, making sure that all of our voices are united right across the province and heard in Ottawa. That’s probably our strongest voice is our unity, making sure that we are all in this together regardless of what political alliance and working towards a better community and commitment to our country.”

Is there anything you would like to say in the Clearwater county area?

“I know we’re going through some very difficult times right now and I’m am going to do my best to try to make the economy a lot stronger, trying to make sure our commitment to our residence is there, we want to serve the people to the best of our abilities and that’s my commitment to each and every one, and not only to the voters that supported me, but to everyone across this riding.”

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