Disappointed, but by no means dejected.
That was the tone Liberal flagbearer Kristina Tesser Derksen offered up tonight amidst an unsuccessful bid to unseat PC incumbent Zee Hamid as Milton MPP.
“I feel satisfied. We ran a campaign with a lot of integrity, energy and hard work,” said the local town councillor and mother of four, from her election night gathering at Ned Devine's Irish Pub. “I’m enriched by the experience. We met people where they were and had answers for them.”
While not marginalizing the looming tariff concerns, Tesser Derksen believes the focus on this may have come at the expense of critical issues like healthcare and education.
“Those are their (provincial government’s) bucket items, and they’ve been neglected. I hope they reevaluate their priorities. Not that tariffs aren't a serious concern, but that's primarily a federal issue.”
Falling about 2,500 votes short of victory, Tesser Derksen – who garnered roughly 41,44 per cent of the vote – felt a rare winter election was a detriment to MPP hopefuls, particularly with the impediments caused by the recent snow storms.
“It (campaigning) was really difficult. The volunteers could only stay out in short shifts. Thankfully it wasn’t bad today (for voting),” she said.
As for whether she’d consider throwing her hat in the provincial election ring again, Tesser Derksen offered a resounding yes.
“100 per cent, absolutely.”