With a federal election expected soon, People’s Party of Canada (PPC) candidate Chey Craik is looking forward to winning over more voters and offering an authentic conservative vision.
The PPC electoral district association nominated Craik in April to represent the party for the Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan constituency. This is the second time he is pursuing federal politics after running in the 2019 election while attempting to unseat incumbent Tom Lukiwski.
Craik finished fourth out of five candidates with 1,613 votes or 3.59 per cent of the vote.
“I think because we made good in-roads last election, and they believe in me as a candidate and the party and I align so well, I think it’s a natural fit,” Craik said recently. “I have good people skills, and we’re letting people know there’s a better option out there.”
With Lukiwski retiring after 17 years as MP, Craik hoped voters would review the options this year and not “check a box because they’ve always checked a box.” He was confident that he could be a voice of change and thought the party’s main pillars — individual freedoms, fairness, responsibility, and respect — would resonate more strongly this year.
“If people really want freedom in Canada, they only have one choice: the PPC. … we’re a populist and nationalist party that puts Canada first” and doesn’t pander to foreign organizations, he continued. “Our leader is from Quebec with truly western values. I think we are the only party that can truly bring Canada back together.”
National media outlets have reported that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau planned to trigger an election on Aug. 15 and set Monday, Sept. 20 as voting day.
This election is a step toward repairing Canada’s “broken” political system, said Craik. He thought the country needed to stop alternating between the Liberals and Conservatives since it was only leading Canada “further and further down the hole.”
This downward spiral has included endless spending and endless pandering to special interest groups that don’t benefit Canadians, he continued. He was surprised that the Liberal government so easily passed its multi-billion-dollar budget in the spring with little pushback from the opposition parties.
The main issue that has bothered Craik, though, is that he says Trudeau has been found guilty of “endless ethics violations” and accused of criminal negligence and bribery scandals, and nothing has been done to address these concerns.
“That can’t be allowed to go on. He (Trudeau) should be held to the highest standards in the country — and they just give him a free pass,” Craik said, “not only in his party but in the House of Commons in general. It’s brutal.”
Craik also didn’t like how the federal government — and some provinces — had allegedly used the pandemic to grab more power and exert more control over people’s lives.
Besides the PPC, other conservative-minded parties include the Maverick Party and the Conservative Party of Canada. However, Craik didn’t think vote splitting was a valid concept since it was simply a “marketing campaign” from the Conservatives.
Lukiwski captured 31,993 votes in the 2019 federal election or 71.12 per cent. Craik pointed out that even if some votes went to the Maverick Party — “the Bloc Quebecois of Saskatchewan and Alberta” — and he and Conservative candidate Fraser Tolmie spit the vote, that didn’t leave room for any other party.
“If you want a reasonable, strong voice in Ottawa, I’m your guy,” he added. “We need to let people realize that … we are the better option … that if you want your freedoms (and autonomy) back — if you don’t want the government to micromanage every aspect of your life — then we are the only option; I am the only choice.”
