People’s Party of Canada (PPC) candidate Chey Craik ran his 2019 campaign from his kitchen table, but this election, he has an office on one of the busiest streets in Moose Jaw.
To celebrate his 2021 campaign headquarters, nearly 50 boisterous friends, family, volunteers and residents turned up on Aug. 30 to watch Craik cut a ribbon to open his 33 High Street West office officially. The space used to house Trino’s Menswear, which pulled out of Moose Jaw in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“The location is amazing. It’s a great opportunity to be out in the community,” said Craik. “We’ve had so many supporters and interested people come in just to talk and see what it’s all about and to realize they do have a good, alternative choice.”
Having nearly 50 people show up is also huge, considering it was a Monday afternoon and many people came from work, he added. This amount is an indicator that the PPC is “turning the tide” and gaining more favour.
Craik is one of six candidates running to become the new Member of Parliament for the Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan constituency. He came in fourth in 2019 with 3.59 per cent of the vote and is looking to improve upon those results.
Craik believes a better voice to represent the riding is needed, especially since he feels the constituency hasn’t had an effective voice to express voters’ concerns in the last few years.
“I hate to say it, but we’ve had a hollow suit. And do we need another hollow suit? No,” he said. “We need someone who’s going to stand up for this riding … . I will fight for us. I will make Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan known.”
The policies of the PPC have been resonating with many people, Craik said. For example, many people have told him they are against the carbon tax — the Conservative Party is for it, he noted — and want fewer taxes.
He pointed out that no amount of taxation will fix the atmosphere. Instead, the government should focus elsewhere, such as preventing Montreal from dumping billions of litres of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River.
“When they (voters) talk about a moral compass, they are with us. They don’t want the government to dictate to them how to live,” he added.
Knocking on voters’ doors has been a positive experience, Craik said. Whereas he had a handful of volunteers help him in 2019, he now has a large team — 10 times bigger — throughout the riding, helping him connect with smaller communities.
Many people wanted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau out of power in 2019, while those same people want him out in this election too, continued Craik. However, voters have realized voting the same way won’t produce different results, which means they need to vote for something different and someone different.
Former MP Tom Lukiwski won this constituency with 71 per cent of the vote two years ago, but he retired recently, which has opened the door for a new representative.
“It’s more work to beat the incumbent. We saw that last time. But with no incumbent and no strong opposition, I believe we’re going to make strong in-roads this time that is going to shock everyone,” stated Craik, noting when he wins, he’ll show everyone that vote-splitting among conservatives is simply a myth.
“I’m going to surprise people. I really will.”
PPC leader Maxime Bernier will be in Moose Jaw on Thursday, Sept. 2, for a rally at noon in the Mae Wilson Theatre.
Meanwhile, voting day is Monday, Sept. 20. Craik plans to hold a get-together at Dooley’s Nightclub to watch the results.
