Tony Baldinelli will serve as Member of Parliament for Niagara-on-the-Lake’s riding once again.
Taking a lead of just over 2,500 Liberal candidate Andrea Kaiser, Baldinelli was named winner of the Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake riding late Monday night, marking his third consecutive electoral victory.
Speaking with reporters Monday evening at his election party at Delphi Banquet Hall in Niagara Falls, Baldinelli outlined several concerns, including the need to address the industrial carbon tax on the steel and aluminum industries to protect jobs, to revise the excise tax on duty-free products, and to eliminate the 2035 electric vehicle mandate.
“I worked (at General Motors) facility in St. Catharines for four summers — it put me through university,” he said.
“My job now is to ensure that we can keep that facility going,” he said.
“What (the Liberals) have tried to do is stoke fear in the community about what’s going on in the United States instead of responding to the issues that matter most to the people here,” Baldinelli said.
Throughout the campaign, Baldinelli pushed a platform focused on affordability, public safety and economic development, he said.
Being able to represent the people of NOTL and Niagara Falls is a “tremendous honour,” Baldinelli said.
“I can be that voice and that advocate to bring forward their concerns to Ottawa,” he said.
In an interview with The Lake Report during election night, Baldinelli said he gained unwavering support from voters by forming strong bonds with residents in his riding — and he plans to continue building these relationships.
“I tell constituents, ‘I’m just like you,'” he said.
“I’m blessed that I’m able to represent the people of this riding.”
The Lake Report spoke with some of Baldinelli’s supporters during election night. They emphasized his personability and work ethic.
“Tony is the most hardworking person I know. He’s our incumbent. He’s the person for the job,” Sheila DeLuca said.
Alana Hurov, founder of Jewish Niagara, cited his support of communities like her own.
“Tony is a great example of just how the Conservative Party gets behind the Jewish community and minority groups. That’s a big reason why I’m here, supporting the campaign and the Conservative party,” Hurov said.
Liberal candidate Andrea Kaiser told The Lake Report that while she may not be walking away with a win in her riding, she’s still celebrating a federal victory with Mark Carney and the Liberal party’s federal win.
“I am absolutely ecstatic,” she said.
Kaiser looks forward to returning to her role of regional councillor, she said.
The Lake Report reached out to Baldinelli for updated comment regarding his plans for the riding this term, but he was not available to chat before publication deadline.
Baldinelli won the Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake riding with 29,774 votes, followed by Liberal Andrea Kaiser at 27,194 votes, NDP Shannon Mitchel with 2,335 votes, Celia Taylor with the Green Party at 518 votes, PPC candidate Dinah Althorpe with 481 votes, Daniel Shakhmundes with the Libertarian Party at 160 votes and Yawar Anwar with the Centrist Party at 128 votes.
