The federal Conservative leader made his pitch to Atlantic Canadians during a campaign stop in Saint John on Thursday.
Erin O’Toole acknowledged that his party has ground to make up in Atlantic Canada after winning just four of the region’s 32 seats in the last election.
“I want to know your thoughts, hopes, fears and dreams, and I hope that at the end of this campaign, you’ll look at Canada’s Conservatives a little differently,” O’Toole said.
O’Toole spent several years living in Atlantic Canada during his time in the military and said they were “some of the best years of his life.”
He said the region has been let down by the Liberals and it is time to have a prime minister who personally knows and understands Atlantic Canada’s challenges.
“I know that, despite the region’s greatness, families here face the same worries: skyrocketing housing prices, a cost of living crisis, and underfunded healthcare from the federal partner,” said O’Toole.
As O’Toole focused on his party’s recovery plans, reporters peppered him with questions about the COVID-19 situation in Alberta as that province declares another public health emergency.
The Conservative leader has previously praised Premier Jason Kenney for his province’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
O’Toole repeatedly dodged questions about whether he still feels the same, instead scolding Liberal leader Justin Trudeau for calling an election during a health emergency.
“As prime minister, I will work with all premiers, regardless of stripe to fight against the pandemic. A pandemic that we need to fight and Mr. Trudeau didn’t fight, he called an election. A $600-million election,” he said
