Re-elected Pinsonneault says Ford is the ‘strong voice’ against tariffs

Heather Wright/The Independent

It only took seven minutes for the congratulations to start.

Ontario PC Incumbent Steve Pinsonneault was declared the winner in the Lambton-Kent-Middlesex riding in Thursday’s provincial election by CTV London at 9:07 pm as a cheer went up at the Thamesville Sertoma Club Thursday.

It was the second time this year Pinsonneault has won the seat. He won it in a by-election 10 months ago.

Pinsonneault thinks that he’s being at the doors recently helped this election.

“I couldn’t get to all the doors this time. I got to a lot of doors, about probably a third of what I did last time, but I had three months last time,” says Pinsonneault.

The MPP elect and other Ontario PC candidates faced heat during the campaign because they didn’t participate in all-candidates meetings. But Pinsonneault was glad he spent the time going door-to-door across the riding.

“People want to talk to you. They want to tell you what their problem is, what they’re happy with, what they’re not happy with.”

Pinsonneault said he heard concerns about health care and education and tariffs.

Doug Ford called the election saying he needed a strong mandate to deal with US President Donald Trump who is threatening to place a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods going into the US. Pinsonneault says Ford has been effective holding back the tariff which was expected to start Feb. 1.

But Thursday, Trump said the tariff would move ahead March 4. Pinsonneault says that says more about Trump than it does about Ford’s ability to deal with US threats.

Trump, the MPP-elect says “is all over the place, but you need a strong voice to talk to him. You can have somebody that’s going to either be high strung or just not effectively deal with them. Like, let’s face it, if he puts it on the automotive industry, that’s going to be crippling for Ontario. We have to have our cards all in on this one, and I think premier Ford is the leader to do that.”

In Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, Pinsonneault hopes to continue promoting the trades, small business and economic development over the next four years.

“We’re going to make our keep our economy strong. We’re going to fight tariffs, and honestly, I think we’re going to with with Premier Ford in place. We’re going to come out better of the other side.”

Cathy Burghardt-Jesson of the Ontario Liberal Party, who drew 26 per cent of the vote, said she knew it would be a tough fight in a riding considered conservative.

“I knew what I was getting myself into but I was having genuine conversations, about concerns of the direction of the province,” she says. “I thought, those are happening in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, what’s happening elsewhere? And so I said, I guess I am shocked. I am shocked at how the vast majority that it…he went to the voters asking for a larger mandate, and it appears that he’s not going to get that larger mandate.

“So for $189 million what did we get? We got the status quo with key changes here and there, tweaks here and there, and you know, nothing’s changed.”