Conservative incumbent Mike Lake has done it again. The projected winner of the Alberta riding of Edmonton-Wetaskiwin has secured his seat as MP with 55.8 per cent of the vote and 27,287 total votes with 267/268 of total polls reporting.
Lake has represented this area since 2006, and won the majority vote in the last election with a grand 72 per cent of the vote. This will be his sixth term as the elected MP of Edmonton-Wetaskiwin.
“It is an honour to have the opportunity to represent any are of the country, but this is where I grew up and it is a complete privilege to represent the people here,” Lake told the Pipestone Flyer election night after the votes had been called in his favour.
Lake says that this year’s celebration and campaign was different from all the elections previous, as they kept it low key following provincial COVID-19 restrictions.
He states that while this pandemic election was different than his other campaigns, his team saw a swell in volunteers and, “at the local level I feel more connected to my constituents then I’ve ever felt.”
Lake says that although he won his riding it is frustrating that federally Canada ended up just as they were last election, including a blue sweep in the prairies, but ultimately the Liberal government taking up the head spot.
“It just highlights again the alienation the people are feeling here,” Lake states that he has heard repeatedly from constituents the frustration of not having their voices heard and the power lying in the East.
“People are fired up right now and we have to harness that in a positive way.”
“Coming out of this election the challenge for me is giving voice to that frustration and hopefully a constructive voice.”
He hopes that with the Liberals winning a minority and not majority government, an outcome that he predicts Justin Trudeau was disappointed by, that, “hopefully that is a bit of a wake up call”, and that the federal government will be more inclined to listed to other voices—including those in the west.
Lake says that he is honoured to continue representing the constituency that he has for the last 15 years.
“This is a big constituency… it is very diverse and it is a privilege to be able to represent it.”