Matthew Rae isn’t taking in this election cycle from the sidelines, unlike some of his Conservative brethren.
Rae, the incumbent for Perth-Wellington, bucked the trend that others in his party favoured when he elected to take part in debates and other community meetings. After fielding questions for nearly two hours at the Stratford & District Chamber of Commerce all candidates meeting Thursday night, Rae said that while knocking on doors is the best way to meet people and hear their issues he felt it was necessary to step back onto the debate stage again.
“In an election, especially a snap election, some of our members have attended debates and some have chosen to be at the doors where it’s important to be,” he said. “For me, I attended debates last time and so I’m attending them this time.”
Like he mentioned during the debate that featured him, Liberal candidate Ashley Fox, Jason Davis of the NDP and Green Party candidate Ian Morton, Rae said he most frequently hears people’s concerns over what is being done about the provincial reaction to US President Donald Trump’s insistence on a tariff war with Canada.
“It’s something I hear at almost every other door at this point, and I know it’s a concern for many people whether they work in the vast majority of businesses in Perth-Wellington that are dependent on trade with the US,” he said. “Whether it's in auto or agriculture, there's a lot of concern about how a re-elected PC government will protect those industries and those workers and be there for them and their families.”
There is some sentiment in the public that this election is an unnecessary waste of taxpayer dollars given that the Ford government did not have to face one until June 2026, but Rae stands behind the decision to call it now so that the province and its residents are in a better position to take on Trump.
“We’re seeing (Trump) changing his mind almost daily and he continues to make threats about Canada being the 51st state,” he said. “We’ve been very clear that Canada is not for sale in that aspect, and so the premier always says the best ideas come from outside of Queen’s Park, and this election is necessary to hear from people directly about our plans to protect our businesses and our families and workers from these threats south of the border.”
Advanced voting for the 2025 Ontario general election concludes on Saturday, Feb. 22, while voting day is set for Thursday, Feb. 27.