Conservatives' Kerr takes West Nova seat

Conservative Greg Kerr is on his way to the House of Commons as West Nova’s new Member of Parliament following his Tuesday victory over incumbent Liberal MP Robert Thibault.

Kerr led early on and maintained his lead poll after poll. When the evening ended he had 16,779 votes to Thibault’s 15, 185. NDP candidate George Barron had 7,097 and the Green Party candidate Ron Mills had 2,114 to independent candidate Cindy Nesbitt’s 844.

Speaking with the Vanguard after he won, Kerr said one of the main concerns he encountered while on the campaign trail was the economy and as he campaigned he heard from many who said they felt Prime Minister Harper was the right person to "help keep our economy strong." He also said he felt it was difficult for the Liberals to sell the carbon tax issue and heard that a lot when he went door to door.

Kerr said while campaigning he put some 9,000 kms on the Conservative van "in an effort to get the message out."

This was Kerr’s second try to unseat Thibault. He lost by just 512 votes in the 2006 election.

Thibault was first elected to the House in 2002 and during Liberal governments he held cabinet posts including that of Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, more recently he was the Liberal health critic.

Kerr, who resides in Annapolis County, is no stranger to politics having held four cabinet posts in John Buchanan’s Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative governments, including the finance portfolio.

Elsewhere in Nova Scotia, there were no surprises. Peter McKay held onto his seat in Central Nova; Gerald Keddy kept his on the South Shore/St. Margaret’s, and Scott Brison held his Liberal seat in Kings-Hants. In Halifax the NDP candidate, Megan Leslie, kept the seat previously held by Alexa McDonough who did not reoffer. Independent Bill Casey was elected in Cumberland Colchester.

The Conservatives ended the day with 143 seats to give them a minority government, the Liberals have 76 seats, the Bloc 50, the NDP 37 and there are two independent members.