Only a month ago, a Progressive Conservative majority looked like a foregone conclusion in federal polls, but local Liberal MP Terry Sheehan said the party is feeling “invigorated” by a meteoric rise into contention in the next federal election – which could be just weeks away.
“There's a new energy. We had a caucus meeting yesterday, and I can tell you everyone's pretty excited, invigorated because we're seeing a lot of people coming our way,” Sheehan told SooToday.
“We're getting new people, brand new Liberals, that are coming to our party.”
Whether it's due to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation, the Team Canada approach to the trade war with the U.S., or Mark Carney’s rise to power as Liberal leader and Prime Minister designate – or a combination of all three – Sheehan said polls show the party is now within “striking distance” of the Progressive Conservatives.
A recent Nanos poll shows the Conservatives with a one point lead over the Liberals, at 36 per cent versus 35 per cent support, compared to a nearly 20 point lead only a month ago.
With the looming and ever-changing threat of tariffs, and talk of Canada becoming the 51st state, Sheehan said Carney is the man for the job given his experience – which includes steering both the Bank of Canada and Bank of England through economic crises.
“Mr. Carney is the right man at the right time because of his vast and deep experience in business and economics,” said Sheehan, who mentioned he voted for Carney in the recent Liberal leadership race.
“I don't think people want to see Pierre Poilievre because they feel that he's not the best person to deal with Trump.
“Poilievre likes to worship the market, but he's never worked in the market or private enterprise,” he said.
Locally, Sheehan said he “absolutely” plans on running in the next election once again, and he said he's been speaking with major local employers – like Algoma Steel and Tenaris – about weathering economic hardship under the Trump administration.
“We have announced well over $5 billion (in) aid, which includes enhancing the work share program in EI, as well as support for small and medium sized businesses,” Sheehan said.
He said another aspect of Carney’s platform that he likes is the plan to create “one Canadian economy” by removing trade barriers between provinces.
“There should be one Canadian economy, not 13. Creating one Canadian economy will create higher paying jobs, prove affordability and strengthen our national security,” he said.
“We stand up to a bully, we continue to support our industry and our workers. We diversify our economy, both within Canada and throughout the world, and we buy Canadian.”
He said Carney plans to call a First Ministers meeting on the idea, which could ultimately help the aluminum and steel industries – which are under duress due to ongoing tariff threats.
“They're going to talk about tearing down interprovincial trade barriers, opening up trade corridors and prioritizing cross-provincial infrastructure projects that can have a big impact,” Sheehan said.
“Part of what I'm saying is that we need to buy Canadian and buy Canadian in our infrastructure programs, including steel and aluminum.”
As co-chair of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group, as well as chair of the All-Party Steel Caucus, Sheehan also said he hopes to see Canada diversify its trading partners so domestic industries can continue to grow.
With a federal election possible at any moment, Sheehan – who’s represented Sault Ste. Marie since 2015 – said “now is not the time for on the job training,” and highlighted his previous experience during Trump’s first term.
“I've got the energy and the experience to be successful, and it's going to be a very tough time over the next little while for this area, but I weathered the storm,” he said.
“We battened down the hatches and we were able to get back to smooth sailing – and that's what I offer.”