Wow!

It was well past midnight that I was driving home with my wife Kim and son Malachi after having spent the evening of the election doing analysis on CBC television and watching as the first Progressive Conservative government in 16 years was elected. Somewhere on that early morning drive as we talked about both the provincial results and the results in the Steinbach Constituency the only word that we could say was “Wow!”

In particular, the overwhelming support that we received in the Steinbach constituency really was impossible to put into words. Every election it just feels that the support cannot get any greater and we were speechless that it did again. The support that we as a family have received from residents of the Steinbach constituency extends far beyond an election or votes. Almost daily we are approached by residents who give us an encouraging word or who tell us that they are praying for us. It’s impossible to express what a difference that makes to us.

There are far too many people to thank for the success of the election to put in this article. There are literally thousands of people who have supported the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party, either with their votes, their ideas or their donations since 1999. I am thankful for that support and glad that they have been rewarded with a government that they trust will make Manitoba better.

I also thought on election night about two of my predecessors who were not with us to celebrate winning government. Albert Driedger served as the MLA for the Steinbach Constituency during the 1990s and Jim Penner was the MLA from 1999-2003. Both of them helped to provide a foundation for the win that happened on election night and I am grateful to them both.

During the election I had the opportunity to speak with thousands of Manitobans. The overwhelming message that I heard from them was that they wanted change. They were concerned about the finances of the province and about the possibility of even higher taxes. They understood that the problems that the province is facing won’t be solved overnight, just like they were not created overnight, but they wanted things to start moving in the right direction.

As a member of the new government I will continue to work hard for constituents to ensure that the priorities they have expressed are brought to the Legislature. I am optimistic about the future of Manitoba but also realistic that it will take work and determination, as a team, to achieve the changes that we want to see for our children and grandchildren. I look forward to doing that work together with you.

On behalf of my wife Kim and son Malachi, thank you so much for your incredible support and consistent encouragement.