PM expected to trigger federal election
Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to call an election in the next few days and when the call comes, Bren Munro will be ready.
On March 10, the Simcoe-Grey Federal Liberal Association announced Munro as their candidate for the riding. This week, her campaign office in Collingwood is prepped with lawn signs and poll maps, and she spent this week collecting the 150 signatures required by Elections Canada to get her name on the ballot.
Munro ran for the Liberals in 2021, when she was defeated by Conservative Terry Dowdall, but she is optimistic that the result will be different this time. A large block of Conservative voters in the Alliston- Tottenham-Beeton-New Tecumseth area have moved out of the riding due to boundary re-alignment, and
Munro said there is a lot of buzz in the northern part of the riding about the new Liberal leader.
“We’ve done ‘Pints and Politics’ fundraising meetings in Thornbury, Wasaga Beach and Collingwood. We’re seeing lots of support for Mark Carney. People believe that he can unite the country and strengthen our economy, and he’s a leader who can take on Donald Trump.”
Munro’s campaign manager Courtney Demers, who currently works in the house leader’s office said, “Once the election is called, she’ll be working full-time on the campaign, and I can focus on connecting with the voters, fundraising and working with the media.”
Munro already has a campaign staff of 60 volunteers ready to hit the ground running. They’ll be putting up lawn signs and working the phones.
“We have never been so ready in this riding,” she said.
Munro has been working since 2021 building her database, fundraising and staying in touch with supporters. She says in the run-up to the recent leadership race 1,100 new members have signed up.
Munro said she and her supporters will be door-knocking throughout the riding talking to voters about the issues that are important to them. So far, she says, “When we talk to people at their doors, the biggest concern is Trump. And the cost of living is right up there.”
According to CBC, as of Wednesday, the Conservatives have selected candidates in 258 of 343 ridings, the NDP has named 217 candidates, the Green Party has selected 208 candidates and the Liberals have selected candidates in only 185 of the 343 ridings.
