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Campaign moves on to the Battlefords

Following all-candidates forums in Unity and Lloydminster this week, the major candidates in Battlefords-Lloydminster were back on the campaign trail meeting the electorate and looking for votes.

Following all-candidates forums in Unity and Lloydminster this week, the major candidates in Battlefords-Lloydminster were back on the campaign trail meeting the electorate and looking for votes.

Two campaign events took place Thursday in the Battlefords. The first was a morning event at the NDP campaign office of Glenn Tait, which officially opened at the corner of 12th Avenue and 98th Street, North Battleford. 

The candidate was there along with a number of NDP volunteers and supporters from the riding. Also on display was food, much of which was coloured in NDP orange, including carrots, oranges, melon and other fruit.

Tait cut the cake for the grand opening. Not surprisingly, it was carrot cake.

The plan is for the office to house the NDP campaign activities in the riding through election day. The tentative plans are to watch the election results from that location.

The NDP campaign has been active in putting up signs, with a number of them spotted along Highway 16 between the Battlefords and Lloydminster.

In speaking to reporters Wednesday night in Lloydminster, Tait said his campaign seemed to be going well. He planned to attend a number of events before election day, where he could meet as many people as possible.

But Tait admitted it was a struggle to juggle his harvest activities with campaigning.

“I wish I could be in 10 places at once. I just can’t be,” said Tait. “There’s about 80,000 people in this riding to talk to. I would love to do it, I love talking to people one-on-one.”

A larger event Thursday was a fundraiser for Conservative Gerry Ritz at the Tropical Inn.

There was a good turnout of supporters for a lunch that included beef on a bun.

They heard a speech from Ritz, and that was followed by an extensive question and answer session in which the mainly partisan audience posed questions on familiar topics that included the Syrian refugee issue, the niqab issue, pipelines, the Senate and other issues.

He roasted Liberal leader Justin Trudeau in his speech over his now infamous remarks praising the dictatorship of China.

“For him to say that’s what we want to emulate, that scares me a little bit.”

“That became the moniker then, ‘he’s just not ready.’ And I was talking to a farmer the other day and I said, ‘I see you’ve still got your canola out,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, it’s the Trudeau variety, just not ready,’” said Ritz to laughs from the audience.    

In speaking to the News-Optimist Ritz expressed confidence about the Conservatives’ prospects in the election Oct. 19.

“I think there will be some surprises on election night, much to the chagrin of some people who’ve touted our funeral,” said Ritz.

“I feel confident, I feel good. I mean, I’m not ready to predict a majority or anything like that. I think there’s a lot more recognition out there from real people on the street that the economy is in good shape, leadership is solid, and we need to carry on what we’re doing.”

But Liberal candidate Larry Ingram was also expressing confidence about Liberal chances after the Lloydminster forum.

“We’re doing awesome nationally, aren’t we?” said Ingram, who believed the New Democrats were in big trouble.

“The NDP have really under budgeted their expense account, they’ve really set themselves up for a disaster, and that makes it so that people are telling me ‘anybody but Conservative,’ they’re definitely voting Liberal.”

The “ABC” movement was a real one, said Ingram. “When I’m out knocking on doors … this is what people tell me. Especially anybody raising their family, anybody affected by this oil industry drop —‘anybody but Conservative.’”  

Independent Doug Anguish has also been campaigning and attending election forums. He now has a campaign office open on 100th Street and a number of his signs have been going up.

After the Lloydminster forum Anguish said his plan was to “go around and get as many votes and exposure as I can,” and get the word out about his independent run.