Lone N.S. Tory to win federal seat says party could have responded faster to Trump turmoil

Anjuli Patil · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 29, 2025 8:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 25 minutes ago

The lone Nova Scotia Conservative to triumph a spot successful the national predetermination says tariffs, Donald Trump and the illness of the NDP ballot led to losses for his enactment successful his location province.

Chris d'Entremont, who volition again correspond Acadie-Annapolis successful Ottawa, told CBC's As It Happens on Tuesday that the Conservative Party could person had a quicker effect to concerns astir the U.S. president arsenic "it was truly connected the minds of electors arsenic we were going doorway to door."

He besides said an earlier sojourn from enactment person Pierre Poilievre also could person made a difference.

"They were voting for change," d'Entremont said. "I conscionable don't deliberation determination was an statement connected what that alteration really was."

He said helium and Liberal campaigner Ronnie LeBlanc "pretty overmuch divided the ballot up the middle."

Conservative incumbents Rick Perkins successful South Shore-St Margarets and Stephen Ellis successful Cumberland-Colchester some mislaid their seats to Liberals.

D'Entremont, who has kept his national riding bluish for the past 3 elections and was antecedently a Progressive Conservative MLA, said issues successful the fishery are what won his riding for him.

LISTEN | As It Happens afloat interrogation with Chris d'Entremont:

"That acold and beyond is the No. 1 issue," helium said. 

Jack Wright, 1 of d'Entremont's constituents, told CBC News that d'Entremont represents his riding well.

"Even though he's not successful government, helium inactive does his best," Wright said. "He's acrophobic astir the fishery, which is precise important here."

D'Entremont said the provincial Progressive Conservatives and the national Conservatives would beryllium omniscient to determination person together.

"There conscionable seems to beryllium ever that question of whether we're really the aforesaid benignant of Conservative," d'Entremont said.

"We're a bigger structure sometimes than what possibly immoderate of the different mainstream parties are — but we each person the aforesaid issues astatine bosom and I deliberation we should beryllium moving overmuch person together."

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said helium would not run for the national Conservative oregon Liberal leader. Last November, Houston said determination was "no national equivalent" of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party. 

Meredith Ralston, down the 1997 documentary Why Women Run — which followed the governmental contention successful Halifax betwixt Alexa McDonough and Mary Clancy — told CBC's Maritime Noon connected Tuesday she is not amazed by predetermination results successful the Maritimes.

She said Houston and Ontario's Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford not publically supporting Poilievre's campaign highlights the divided wrong the Conservative movement.

"And I deliberation that the Progressive Conservatives spot themselves arsenic a kinder, gentler benignant of Tory and truthful don't enactment each the different, what immoderate radical benignant of telephone 'mini-Trump' facet of Conservatives erstwhile they're going aft alleged woke policies, erstwhile they're going aft universities," Ralston said.

"Those kinds of things that benignant of punctual radical of Trump, 'Axe the Tax,' the slogans, truthful I don't deliberation that helped him astatine all."

Ralston said that Poilievre should person been much responsive to the Trump situation.

"If you tin spot Canadians are not travelling to the U.S., they're starting to boycott U.S. products, they're booing the national anthem of the United States wherever usually we don't bash worldly similar that — to work the country there, you person to pivot what you've been going connected astir for the past 3 oregon 4 years," she said.