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Tories hope to win back Atlantic votes, say Liberals taking region for granted

Sep 13, 2016 | 2:30 PM

HALIFAX — Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose told MPs and senators they need to earn back the trust of Atlantic Canadians, who did not elect a single Conservative last year under the leadership of Stephen Harper.

The federal Conservative caucus gathered for a two-day retreat in a downtown Halifax hotel Tuesday, hoping an east coast sojourn might help them regain ground in the region.

Ambrose criticized how the federal Liberals have treated the region since coming to power — naming an Ontario MP as minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and suggesting the east coast may lose its historic seat on the Supreme Court of Canada.

“They’re already taking all the support they’ve received for granted,” she said to caucus applause. “The people of Atlantic Canada deserve representation on the Supreme Court and that is what we are fighting for.”

MPs acknowledged they had an uphill battle trying to win over voters who turned their back on the party, electing Liberals in all 32 seats. That followed the election of 14 Conservatives in Atlantic Canada in 2011.

As well, all four Atlantic provinces have Liberal governments.

Lisa Raitt, MP for the Ontario riding of Milton, said her focus will be on boosting the economic fortunes of the region through job creation and stemming the loss of people to other parts of the country.

“I grew up here in Cape Breton and for 40 years I watched Liberal governments try to put money into the hands of individuals instead of trying to help individuals start small businesses,” she said.

Conservative MP Erin O’Toole, who also has ties to the East Coast through his time with the Canadian Forces, said the first thing the party has to do is hit the streets and let people know they’re aware of issues important to the region, like the economy and military.

“We were united in the fact that we wanted to come to Atlantic Canada to show that one of the true disappointments of the election was not having a foothold here,” he said.

Ontario MP Michael Chong said the party needs “to speak to the real challenges that people in this region face — challenges with seeking employment and challenges of supporting families.”

The caucus met with the leaders of the four provincial Conservative parties, several of whom said they were pleased it chose to hold its planning session for the upcoming parliamentary session in the seaside city.

“Being on the ground, talking to people, having that face-to-face — that’s the way you regain that support,” said Bruce Fitch, New Brunswick’s interim Progressive Conservative leader.

“We need a partner in Ottawa on the opposition side to defend this part of the country,” said Nova Scotia Conservative Leader Jaimie Baillie.

One prominent Conservative who might have helped an Atlantic revival, former Nova Scotia MP Peter MacKay, announced Monday on the eve of the retreat he would not enter the Conservative leadership race.

“It’s a bit of a loss because he would have been an outstanding candidate and I think he would have had a very good chance to win,” Ontario MP Peter Van Loan said.

Raitt said she will announce soon whether she will toss her hat in the ring with declared candidates Maxime Bernier, Chong, Tony Clement, Kellie Leitch and Deepak Obhrai.

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Alison Auld, The Canadian Press