KING-VAUGHAN: Schulte celebrates victory

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 20, 2015
By Tim Kelly

Amid a red Justin Trudeau tide sweeping the nation, King-Vaughan’s Deb Schulte got her own sense of vindication.

The newly-minted MP celebrated a victory Monday less than a year after losing her Vaughan regional council seat.

She soundly defeated Conservative challenger Konstantin Toubis with Natalie Rizzo of the NDP and the Green Party’s Ann Raney well back.

With 167 of 233 polls counted, Schulte had 19,917 votes to 16,702 for Toubis. Rizzo had 2,701 votes and Raney had 802 votes.

An emotional Schulte hugged and thanked supporters and took time out to praise the leader she believes led her party to power.

“He’s (Trudeau) an amazing leader and I think people began to realize that the longer they saw him in action. They began to see the potential and what he had to offer the country. I’m really, really proud to be part of team Trudeau,” Schulte said outside a raucous victory party at 9baci at the corner of Keele and McNaughton streets in Maple.

She said her win was the result of “an amazing team and hard work. No question in my mind. I think we had an amazing platform and an amazing team,” Schulte said.

Her tough defeat in the fall of 2014 taught her some lessons she said she put to use this time around. She said it was especially important to build up a proper election ground game.

And she’s excited for the new opportunity in public life she’ll have going from sitting on municipal council to a spot in government in Ottawa.

“It is a wonderful opportunity to go in a different direction. I’m just so thrilled this has turned out the way it has. We worked really hard. It’s an amazing opportunity to serve this community and I feel I can do so much more in this role.”

Before Schulte made her appearance a few hours after the polls closed, her supporters got more and more excited as Liberal vote and seat totals climbed ever higher.

“I’m so excited, I’m really happy,” Maple resident Antonina Rotolos said about the Liberal success.

Patricia Alarcon of Maple said: “I know he (Trudeau) will do better than anyone. I’ve been waiting for this day. He will be good for immigrants and for everyone.”

Nick Spadafina, a Maple senior said, “the best candidate I’ve known is Deb. She’s part of the community. She’s good for the old Italian people. She’s good for the club.”

Maple/Kleinburg councillor Marilyn Iafrate was one of several Vaughan councillors - regional councillors Mario Ferri and Gino Rosati stopped in to congratulate Schulte as well - to visit the Schulte party.

Iafrate said she wasn’t surprised by Schulte’s win.

“She has a lot of support in the community, always has. I’ve been predicting this since last November when I pretty much pushed her into getting into this. People like her and people voted for her. They know how tremendously ethical and honest she is. She is a go-getter,” said Iafrate.

“She should have won the last municipal election - for whatever reason she didn’t. She’s come back even stronger. I think this is far more impressive than winning even a municipal election, so good for her.”

Nationally the Liberals cruised to a majority government with the Liberals leading or elected in 184 seats and needing just 170 for a majority. The Conservatives will form the Official Opposition with 102 seats, the NDP in third place with 41 seats, the Bloc Quebecois with 10 seats and the Green Party with one seat.