Peter Schiefke brings ‘passion for change’
Vaudreuil-Soulanges voters have elected a new member of parliament after Liberal candidate Peter Schiefke won in the Oct. 19 federal election in the notorious swing riding. According to Schiefke’s camp, the new MP-elect knew that running in Vaudreuil-Soulanges would be an uphill battle since the riding was not a known Liberal stronghold. In the past half-century voters have elected Liberal, Conservative, Bloc Québécois and NDP members of Parliament. Schiefke, 36, a married father of a 10-month-old son, credits his team of 32 interns and over one hundred volunteers for the success of the grassroots campaign. « We knocked on 4,000 doors and made 40,000 odd phone calls but we didn’t expect to win this big , » Schiefke said Tuesday morning. He said he had spoken with outgoing NDP MP Jamie Nicholls, who congratulated him on the win. “He wished me luck and offered me some pointers,” Schiefke said. The two men will sit down later this week to discuss the transition. And though he is not sure where his riding office will be located, Schiefke said many people liked the Vaudreuil-Dorion St. Charles Ave. location of his campaign office. “We may keep it near there,” he noted. One thing he is committed to is following through on a promise to hold monthly town hall meetings if elected. They will start as soon as he can get them arranged, he added. Schiefke, who graduated from Concordia with a bachelors in political science and later a Master of Science in renewable resources from McGill, has worked with former U.S. vice president Al Gore and David Suzuki on sustainable development projects. Considered an expert in sustainable and community development, Schiefke served as National Director of Climate Reality Canada, the Canadian division of an organization founded by Gore. The organization’s aim is to educate people on environmental issues.
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