Re-elected MPs happy to be back on the job in Halifax West, Sackville-Eastern Shore

The 2008 Federal Election has come and gone, and it's business as usual for voters in the ridings of Halifax West and Sackville-Eastern Shore.

Liberal incumbent Geoff Regan, who will be serving his fourth consecutive term, won re-election in Halifax West, capturing 41.5 per cent of the popular vote, defeating nearest rival New Democratic Party candidate Tamara Lorincz, Conservative Rakesh Khosla, Green Party nominee Michael Munday and Christian Heritage Party representative Trevor Ennis.

"It's always humbling to see not only the people who want to help out, but who want to support you and go out and mark their X," Regan said. "To have this kind of a victory is very encouraging and humbling, and I'm thrilled to have the privilege of serving Halifax West in the House of Commons."

When he heads back to Ottawa, Regan said his first priority will be to address issues specific to the economy, which constituents told him during the campaign was the issue that worries them the most.

"We (politicians) need to make sure that whatever actions are necessary to keep our economy as strong as possible are taken," he said. "People are preoccupied and concerned about where the economy is going, particularly people who are retired, for example, and are concerned about their savings and pensions and what's happening to those and the stock market. That obviously has to be the first order of business for the Government of Canada."

In Sackville-Eastern Shore, voters overwhelmingly endorsed New Democrat Peter Stoffer, sending him back to Ottawa with 61.5 per cent of the riding's popular vote. Also on the ballot on Oct. 14 were Conservative David Montgomery, Liberal Carolyn Scott, and Green Party representative Noreen Hartlen.

Stoffer said he was "confident" heading in to the election, but was surprised by the margin of his victory.

"It just shows what our office is doing for constituents," he said. "People want to vote for an individual who returns their phone calls and helps them with their concerns and raises issues in the House of Commons in a pragmatic way."

The veteran politician, who holds the critic portfolios in his party's caucus for Veterans Affairs, Fisheries and Oceans and shipbuilding, said he plans to remain busy when he heads back to Ottawa, beginning with his ongoing fight to improve benefits for veterans and their families, and current military personnel and their families under aspects of the Veterans First motion passed in the House of Commons.

"The No. 1 priority of that motion is ending the combat of military personnel and RCMP at age 65," he said. "Coinciding with that is getting the insurance benefit paid to military personnel payment for pain and suffering they receive when they leave the military (exempt) from claw backs. We're the only country that claws back disability income from veterans once they receive the insurance payment and it has to change.

"I'm also working on an extension to Veterans Independence Program services for all widows and veterans, including the RCMP members and their spouses as well."

Stoffer said he is also planning to continue his efforts to get government to keep their promise to replace vessels for the military and coast guard, strengthen Agent Orange compensation, and promote his party's principle that Fisheries and Oceans should operate in a co-operative, co-management community-based model rather than the top-down model it currently employs.

"I also want to get autism covered under the National Childcare Act," he added. "There are 300,000 children with some form of autism in this country, and there's no help for them. Getting this covered means the federal government would assist the provinces in delivering treatment for people with autism, and we consider that a terrific investment."

Stoffer also said he's preparing to reintroduce 38 Private Members' Bills in the House of Commons after he's sworn in that were stalled when the general election was called.

weekly@hfxnews.ca