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Liberals get their day after nine years

After nearly a decade of Conservative rule, Liberals in the Okotoks area have something to cheer about. “The election I was pleased at the national level, but I’m not pleased at the local level,” said former Okotoks town councillor Laurie Hodson.
Okotoks area Liberals are delighted to have prime-minister designate Justin Trudeau, here during a recent stop in Okotoks, form a majority government as a result of the Oct.
Okotoks area Liberals are delighted to have prime-minister designate Justin Trudeau, here during a recent stop in Okotoks, form a majority government as a result of the Oct. 19 federal election.

After nearly a decade of Conservative rule, Liberals in the Okotoks area have something to cheer about.

“The election I was pleased at the national level, but I’m not pleased at the local level,” said former Okotoks town councillor Laurie Hodson. “I think they refer to me around here as Mr. Liberal. That goes back to the Ken Hughes days when he was a Member of Parliament (PC Macleod, 1988-1993). I guess forever…”

Prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau and the Liberals won 184 seats in the Oct. 19 election. The Stephen Harper-led Conservatives had been in power since 2006 and won a majority in 2011.

In the Foothills riding, Conservative John Barlow won with approximately 75 per cent of the vote, well ahead of Liberal candidate Tanya MacPherson who was second.

Hodson believed Canadians wanted a change from Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“I think this time around there was a pretty negative attitude towards Mr. Harper himself and then the collapse of the NDP, those were a couple of factors that helped bring the Liberals to power,” Hodson said.

He said Trudeau was able to bring youth to the political scene.

“But, more important than any other factor he brought a positive approach to politics,” Hodson said. “That positive attitude did a lot for the Liberals.”

He said Canadians and Albertans are getting fed up with negative campaigning and some of the pot shots taken in the media, including from Okotoks Western Wheel columnists Allen King and Dean Leask.

“Whether you are a Canadian or an Albertan I feel we don’t appreciate being talked down,” Hodson said. “I felt personally insulted by the attitude and I am really tired of the negativity and I’m really tired of what I have seen in the Western Wheel and have seen for far too long.”

Although pleased with Trudeau’s win, the former town councillor of 18 years has some concerns, particularly with the Liberal platform to run a deficit to restore the economy.

“He (Trudeau) took the left momentum from (NDP leader Thomas) Mulcair and claimed it as his own,” Hodson said. “Do Liberals generally support deficit positions? As a member of the Liberal party, but the right-side of the party, I can tell you I don’t.

“But, I think there is room in our party for tolerance, but I don’t like deficits.”

He’s pleased to see Albertans elect four Liberal MPs — including Calgary electing a Grit for the first time since Pat Mahoney in 1968 under the leadership of Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Justin’s father.

“I’m hoping Albertans won’t be written off,” Hodson said. “I think Alberta is facing some challenging times and it has to do with the long-term future for the energy sector.

“I’m hoping between Rachel (Alberta Premier Notley) and Justin we can move to a direction of diversification.”

Denise Fuller, Liberal Foothills riding president, called Trudeau’s majority “a pleasant surprise.”

“It’s exciting and (with four Alberta MPs) there will be good representation across Canada,” she said.

She added Trudeau will listen to Albertans.

“Absolutely, he has been to Okotoks himself three times,” she said. “He’s demonstrated that he wants to hear what is going on.”

Being a Liberal in the Okotoks area for the past 20 years, has been a bit like Don Quixote battling windmills.

“I haven’t been alone,” Fuller said. “I’m an inclusive person and I like to hear lots of different perspectives. I am very proud to have Justin Trudeau be our prime minister, because he’s so inclusive himself.”

Justin is the son of Pierre Trudeau, not a reshaping of his father.

“He is his own person,” she said. “His personality is different than his father’s. He is very approachable.”

Denise is the mother of Dustin Fuller, who ran unsuccessfully against Barlow in the 2014 Macleod byelection.

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