With only days left before the byelection in Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer was on hand to campaign for his candidate, Michael Barrett.
Scheer made two stops with Barrett on Friday, one in Kemptville at Grahame’s Bakery and another in Brockville at Barrett’s campaign office.
The byelection was called for Dec. 3 after the Conservative MP for the region Gord Brown died suddenly in May.
“These are sad conditions of why there is a byelection, but we have a great candidate,” Scheer said in Kemptville. “It’s tough shoes to fill, but I know Michael is going to step into this role and continue the tradition the Conservative Party has had, being a champion.”
Despite Brown and the Conservatives holding the area since 2004, it could be a close race between Barrett and the Liberal candidate Mary Jean McFall.
In the 2015 federal election, McFall ran against Brown, losing by less than 4,000 votes.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in town on Tuesday, making campaign stops for McFall much like Scheer did with Barrett — first in Kemptville and then in Brockville, to help give his Liberal candidate a boost before Monday’s byelection.
WATCH: Trudeau campaigns for Liberal candidate before byelection
Nevertheless, Barrett believes voters in the region will vote as they did in the last federal election.
“We’re getting a tremendous response, it’s very exciting to hear from people. They want to affirm the choice they made in electing a Conservative member here in Gord Brown in 2015.”
After Brown’s death, Barrett was thrust from municipal politics into the federal ring.
He worked as Conservative Party riding president for the region for two years and was elected a councillor for the Township of Edwardsburgh Cardinal region for the past three years. He announced in May that he would be running for mayor of the Township of Edwardsburgh Cardinal.
Those plans changed when the federal seat lay empty after Brown’s death, and Barrett won the Conservative nomination in August.
Barrett said having Scheer’s support on Friday was a boon for his campaign.
“People are looking for the leadership of Andrew Scheer, they’re looking to move away front the deficit budgeting, and growing the debt that Justin Trudeau has done, contrary to the promises he made.”
Polls for the byelection open on Monday in the riding.
—With files from Neil Mcartney and Kraig Krause