Motz secures victory in Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner

Southern Alberta Newspapers Photo by Collin Gallant. Conservative candidate Glen Motz discusses Monday's election result with former Medicine Hat mayor Ted Clugston at the CPC campaign headquarters in Medicine Hat on Monday night. Motz was elected as MP for a fourth time in the 45th General Election, but his party appeared poised to repeat second-place showing in the national contest.

By Collin Gallant
Southern Alberta Newspapers

Glen Motz won his fourth election in nine years on Monday night in Medicine Hat, but the country and Conservative Party appeared headed to a familiar result as well.

Just as local results began coming into Motz’s campaign headquarters on Dunmore Road, national TV networks playing on big screens declared a likely win for the Liberal Party in the 45th General Election.

“I’m honoured to be able to serve the people of this riding again — it’s a privilege,” Motz told reporters at 9:30 p.m. after half of local polling stations reported he had an insurmountable lead.

“Looking at the national scene, things are tightening up… I’m still optimistic there’s the potential of a Conservative minority… I’m disappointed that that’s where we’re at as opposed to where I thought we’d be.”

Motz clung to the hope of a Conservative minority, but addressed the potential of another Liberal minority government, and the potential of the new Liberal Leader Mark Carney needing the support of two or more other parties to keep government. 

“I share in the (regional voter’s) frustration,” said Motz. “The NDP have underpinned Liberals for years, and they’re paying the price at the polls, big time.”

The Conservative Party campaigned heavily for several years under leader Pierre Poilievre against Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau and a support agreement from the New Democrats. Those seemingly popular issues however, changed in January with Trudeau’s resignation and the emergence of trade and sovereignty issues. Carney also adopted some key CPC points.

Motz said it is too soon to discuss the party’s campaign under the leadership of Poilievre, especially with a tenuous result and a working relationship to be decided in the House of Commons. 

“I’m hopeful that we can sit down together and work on some things (as parliamentarians) for the people of Canada, but the reality is that we may be at this again inside a year,” said Motz. “It depends how close the minority is and who props up whom.”

There were no unanswered questions in the local race.

At press time, Motz totalled 32,615 votes over second-place challenger Tom Rooke of the Liberals (7,273), to capture about 77 per cent of votes.

New Democrat Jocelyn Johnson (2,077) was third, and Green Party candidate Andy Shadrack a distant fourth.

In the national contest, the Liberals held an slight edge in popular vote at press time and were leading in 161 ridings (where 172 constitutes a majority of seats), while the Conservatives led in 150.

CPC supporter Judy Ried was among two dozen supporters who viewed results at the campaign’s watch party.

“I thought everybody was looking for a change,” she told reporters. “I look at the Liberals as the same party with a different leader. With Pierre (Poilievre) it would have been a huge change.

“I worry for Alberta, (despite Carney’s pledge to promote energy development and pipelines), I can’t see it happening.”

Motz, a retired police inspector from the Hat, was first elected in a 2016 byelection, and then earned a majority of votes in general elections of 2019 and 2021. In the same contests, Liberals received minority mandates. 

He collected 65.4 per cent of the vote in 2021, when two challengers from other right of centre campaigns — the People’s Party and Maverick Party — combined for 11.8 per cent of votes of the riding.

That year, Johnson, running for a first time under her maiden name of Stenger,  earned 14.1 per cent.

This time, progressive voters in deep southern Alberta apparently switched to Liberal candidate Rooke, a well-known name in Medicine Hat, but a late entry and at 81, the oldest local candidate in recent memory. He secured about four out of five non-CPC votes.

Local CPC volunteers took a lot a pride in pushing the majority higher, said CPC campaign manager Ryan Thorburn.

“We worked really hard for this,” he said, noting that that the ground game in the 2021 campaign was made harder by campaigning through the COVID pandemic.

“We had a great team, getting people out to vote,” said Motz.