Conservative Candidate for the riding of Souris-Moose Mountain, Steven Bonk, has been elected as Member of Parliament, taking over as incumbent for Dr. Robert Kitchen. Bonk was stationed at the Weyburn Legion for election night, with local dignitaries including MLA for Weyburn-Bengough Mike Weger, MLA for Moosomin Montmartre Kevin Weedmark, and Weyburn Mayor Jeff Richards.
Bonk addressed those in attendance, thankful for the support he has felt from the nomination through the campaign.
“It's just such an important time in our country. I just really, really appreciate, I guess, just the acceptance and the help and the warmth I felt from all the people here. It's very, very appreciated. So thank you.”
He later discussed the result saying he’s pleased with the results in the riding, but disappointed in the federal results projecting a Liberal government.
“I'm very pleased that we have really good people who just seem to get things here in Souris-Moose Mountain and we need to export that kind of logic to the rest of the country because after seeing tonight's results or preliminary results, the rest of the country could sure use a little bit of that kind of common sense that we have here in Souris-Moose Mountain.”
Reflecting on the campaign season and what he planned to take to Ottawa, he observes people feel unheard by the Liberal government, saying concerns have been raised regarding the systems in place.
“They want the right to farm, to work in the resource sector, to provide jobs for their fellow citizens, to provide income for their family, to support their communities, and they feel like they've been under threat from the federal government for the past 10 years. This is one of the main concerns that I've heard from people in the riding, and they were really looking forward to a Conservative government that can bring some hope to them, some hope to just let them do what they do best and support their industries instead of vilifying them.”
Further remarking on the Liberal government, specifically regarding the building of a pipeline and Canada’s energy corridors, Bonk says he struggles to believe the word of Liberal party members.
“The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior and the Liberals have a strong track record of trying to keep our resources in the ground and stopping any major projects from happening, so I don't have a lot of faith in them, but hopefully the Conservatives can push them to realize that there's utility and some potential in Canada, only if they just let us do what we do best.”