Candidates in tight Manitoba riding vie for last minute votes

With a little more than a week before Canada’s 2021 election, candidates in one must-watch riding in Manitoba are trying their best to get voters on their side.

Conservative incumbent Marty Morantz and Liberal Doug Eyolfson are once again competing in the riding of Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley.

In 2019, Morantz defeated Eyolfson, the incumbent at the time.

While out door-knocking on Sunday, Morantz said voters are not happy about going to the polls after just two years.

“The first thing I hear at the door is, ‘Why are we having this election?’ People are very angry about this election, they don’t understand why we’re having it,” Morantz said.

Morantz, a former city councillor and lawyer, said Justin Trudeau’s minority government was stable and able to pass legislation.

Eyolfson, however, said the current parliament isn’t working for the country.

“The government has too many things that they want to do, that they need to do, to help Canadians and the only way to do that is a clear mandate from Canadians to do this,” Eyolfson said while door-knocking in another area of the riding.

Eyolfson, a physician, said health and safety is among the top concerns he’s hearing from voters, while the Liberal child-care plan is one part of the platform that’s being well-received.

“Erin O’Toole has said he doesn’t believe in our child-care initiative, he’ll tear that up. He doesn’t believe in mandatory vaccinations. Those are two very important things that are very important to Canadians,” Eyolfson said.

But Morantz said, aside from being upset with the early election, he’s hearing different concerns while campaigning.

“They’re worried about their future and that’s why in our platform we’ve said we’re going to secure the future of Canadians,” Morantz said. “We’re going to get young people back to work, we’re going to get small businesses back up on their feet, we’re going to get the economy growing.”

Both Morantz and Eyolfson believe they have enough support to win.

Also running in the riding are Madelaine Dwyer (NDP), Vanessa Parks (Green Party) and Angela Van Hussen (PPC).