NDP candidate Eileen Jones-Whyte of Eganville had high praise for her campaign manager, Dez Bair-Patel,
saying he was amazing to work with. Ms. Jones-Whyte finished third in Algonquin-Renfrew-Pembroke
Monday as support for the NDP shifted to the Liberals.

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Pembroke – The New Democratic Party’s (NDP) fall from second to third place in Algonquin-Renfrew-Pembroke was certainly not the result candidate Eileen Jones-Whyte was hoping for, yet she remains steadfast in her belief of the importance of her campaign in sharing the party’s policy with the public.

With 261 of 262 polls reported, Ms. Jones-Whyte collected 2,430 votes (3.71%), while incumbent Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant had 36,455 (55.6%), and Liberal Cyndi Mills polled 24,839 (37.89%). It was a marked decline for the NDP from the 2021 election when they captured 4,335 votes and 19.4 per cent of the vote, finishing second in the race.

Ms. Jones-Whyte noted the party’s decline locally mirrored what occurred nationally.

“As much as I wanted this election to be local and about what’s best for us here in Algonquin-Renfrew-Pembroke, there’s a national theme, and with our Westminster system, people have to make that decision as to whether they’re voting locally, or whether they’re voting nationally.

“A lot of people said to me, ‘My heart is with the NDP, but I’m making a national decision,’” she added. “There’s a lot of the people who are being told to vote strategically.”

She said what is disappointing about people voting strategically in the riding is they are doing it without any local data.

“What makes it even worse is that some of the websites say here’s the choice in your riding, but they’re just using national data, they don’t have local data,” she remarked.

Ms. Jones-Whyte said some people told her they voted Liberal because they really wanted Mark Carney to be the PM, but their heart was with the NDP.

“My answer was, ‘Welcome back to the fold,’” she remarked. “I know that they’re with us, but they’re being asked to make decisions.”

She said the Liberals had a sort of “perfect storm” going for them, with President Trump’s actions on tariffs bringing the nation together in a strong show of patriotism, coupled with a new leader.

As she watched the numbers come in Monday night, she was hoping the NDP’s count would rise or at least hold.

“We’re a better nation for having the NDP,” she stated. “We need that third party to avoid that bipartisanship that we have in the United States.

“There’s so much that we have in Canada, that the NDP has used to bring about change that’s really good for everyday Canadians,” she continued. “I’m proud of the NDP for doing that.”

Ms. Jones-Whyte said the campaign was an amazing experience, where she had the opportunity to talk to many people and share the message that ‘love is stronger than hate’, ‘hope is stronger than despair’ and ‘community is stronger than isolation’.

“Our purpose is to get the word out that what the NDP stands for is really good for people,” she explained. “I don’t know how many people said it was time for change.”

She felt good about her role in the debates, saying they gave her the opportunity to present what she was hearing, and what the party’s policies were. She added in the last debate, she had the opportunity to speak on human rights, which had not previously been addressed.

“Human rights is key to everything, and what a privilege it is to be on a stage in front of people, and to be able to talk about something as important as human rights, and the importance of standing up for people who are being discriminated against.

“It’s humbling, it’s overwhelming,” she continued.

Despite the hectic pace of the campaign, she described the experience as “really fun” in an energizing type of way.

“My team has been wonderful, there have been people all around doing all sorts of jobs,” she noted. “And Dez (campaign manager Dez Bair-Patel) and I have worked together very closely.

“I really like working with him – we’re two different demographics, we’re different skill sets, and I love learning from him.”

Ms. Jones-Whyte also had huge kudos for her husband, Mark Jones, and their children.

“He’s an amazing support for me all of the time and my children, although they are working outside of the area, they’re there with me all the way.”

She spent election day on the ‘Get Out The Vote’ campaign, making phone calls, ensuring people had a plan and transportation to vote, etc.

The evening was spent watching results come in with supporters at Festival Hall.

“How nice it is to be with a group of like-minded people,” she commented. “We go across demographics and that is one of the things I’m really proud of.

“We are not a closed camp,” she added.

She had high praise for party leader, Jagmeet Singh, who lost his riding and announced he will step down as leader.

“He is an inspiration that man, when you hear him talk, he’s so heartfelt. Jagmeet Singh will go down in history for the good he has done.

“He brought us dental care, he brought us a framework for pharmacare, he pushed the $10 a day childcare,” she added. “He’ll go down for what he brought us as Canadians.”