GUYSBOROUGH — In a stunning – if not altogether surprising – result for residents of Guysborough-Tracadie, incumbent Progressive Conservative MLA and former agriculture minister Greg Morrow swept his Liberal and New Democratic Party opponents in yesterday’s (Nov. 26) provincial election, earning 77.5 per cent of the votes cast.
Elections Nova Scotia confirmed the count for the constituency – the largest by geographic area in Nova Scotia – with all 26 polls reporting shortly after 11 p.m. Morrow received 3,119 votes, followed by Liberal George Grant with 589, and NDP candidate Deborah Martinello with 319. Of the 4,027 ballots cast, 37 were either rejected or declined. Voter turnout was 51 per cent.
In an interview with The Journal, a weary-sounding Morrow said he was pleased by the result of what he described as a determined door-knocking campaign over the past month, visiting communities throughout the exclusively rural riding that encompasses more than 4,000 square kilometres from Canso to Ecum Secum to Trafalgar to Upper Big Tracadie, and all points in between.
“It was a lot of ground to cover, but I heard from many people who appreciated all the hard work and our determination to be accessible to people,” he said. “I think they heard that we are laser focused on the [issues] that matter to them ... on healthcare ... on making life more affordable.... They voted based on our track record and what we are offering.”
The outcome in Guysborough-Tracadie was consistent with a provincewide wave that – bucking recent electoral currents elsewhere – appeared to embrace political incumbency.
Shortly after the polls closed, Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservatives seemed all but certain to secure a supermajority of at least 39 seats in the 55-seat legislature, compared with its 34 when the writ dropped in October.
The NDP, which ended the evening with at least 10 seats, compared with six prior to the election, will now form the official opposition under Claudia Chender, re-elected in Dartmouth South. The Liberals, which came into the campaign with 14 seats under Zach Churchill were leading in only two seats for most of the night.
During the campaign, Morrow listed a string of measures he was proud to introduce to Guysborough-Tracadie during his first term as MLA, including a “historic investment in cellular infrastructure through the Cellular for Nova Scotia Program [that paid for] nine new towers to address service gaps.” He also noted that the area needed better roads.
On election night, he acknowledged that healthcare continues to be a leading preoccupation among area residents. “People are obviously concerned about [it],” he said. “We [as a government] have invested a lot of money in this over the past three years ... But people [also] understand that it takes time to change. There’s there’s still much to come ... There are better days ahead.”
Martinello did not respond to The Journal’s request for a statement – sent to the provincial NDP office – before press time. But in an interview following the results, Liberal candidate Grant said, “I only ran because nobody else would put their name forward and [I believe] in order to have a democratic system [all] parties have to be represented.”
Grant, a Guysborough businessman who is considered a longtime Liberal, told The Journal during his campaign that he had no intention of actively canvassing because he – now in his 80s – felt that he was “too old” and had “more or less limited mobility.”
He said, on election night, “I kept my head down [during the campaign] and just simply did not make any kind of a concerted effort to run. There was no party support. There were no signs made up or flyers, or any of that sort of thing.”
Morrow said he’s looking forward to getting back to work.
“Tomorrow, it’s business as usual.”
