Clinton Emslie, the Liberal candidate in the Cariboo-Prince George riding, talked about the campaign and its last-minute nature after coming in second behind incumbent Conservative Todd Doherty in Monday's federal election.
“Considering we only entered the race three weeks ago, I think we did a lot in those three weeks,” Emslie said. “I’m literally about to fall over from exhaustion. But basically, I think we gave it our all, and we can only hope for the best and that people connected with the message we provided.”
Born in South Africa, Emslie immigrated to Canada a decade ago. More recently, he moved to Quesnel from Ontario to be closer to his granddaughter. He currently runs both an immigration practice and a business consultancy.
One of the highlights of Emslie’s campaign, he said, was the development of a plan tailored specifically to his riding and its potential constituents.
“I think people connected with the plan I put together for our rally,” Emslie said. “I was the only candidate who actually came up with a plan for our riding, as opposed to trying to fix all of Canada’s problems. I think people connected with that and were really excited about it. I think that will show in the polls when we start seeing the results.”
Despite Prince George being a traditionally Conservative riding, Emslie believes there are several issues where Liberals can make a difference.
“We’ve got a lot of challenges ahead,” Emslie said. “With the trade war, our timber industry is under attack, and it’s a core component of the backbone of everything in the Cariboo-Prince George riding. So, from that standpoint, I think there’s a lot of work to do. Our universities are also affected by a downturn in students, partly because of the immigration program, and there’s a lot of work to do there as well. Because of my business background, I had several ideas to help develop an alternative industry for us. So, there’s a lot to do and a lot of excitement.”
Election night saw the Liberals and their party leader, Mark Carney, win government. When The Citizen spoke to Emslie, he was both excited and optimistic about Carney’s victory.
“I feel very happy that he’s been chosen, and I feel very confident that he’ll continue to win. We’re watching the CBC live broadcast at the moment, and they’ve already called it,” Emslie said.
Emslie expressed gratitude to everyone he encountered during the campaign.
“I just want to thank everyone we encountered over the last three weeks and thank them for their enthusiasm, support, trust, and belief in the campaign I was running,” Emslie said. “I hope, for their sake, that they are successful.”
The Citizen reached out to Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies Liberal candidate Peter Njenga for comment but was unsuccessful.
