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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-10-23, Page 6Continued from page 1administration.Soon after graduating, Lobbreturned home to work withhis father at his auctionbusiness. He took a post atWescast Industries in Wingham, where he would hold several titles, working in the finance department and eventually as a business analyst. In 2007, Lobb began work with Desire2Learn, a software company where he set up shop as a purchasing manager and cost analyst. However, it was back in 2000, when Lobb first became a member of the Conservative Party as the treasurer and official agent for Huron- Bruce, that he first had a vision of his future as a politician. “ Inn 2005, I went to our policy convention in Montreal. That’s where I really felt I had witnessed grassroots politics for the first time,” he said. “Our riding association came up with the policy on supply management. It was revised at the convention then with over 3,000 people on the convention floor, voting on a policy from Huron-Bruce, it got adopted. That inspired me.” When Lobb won the nomination in the 2006 election, he said he saw it as “a heck of a challenge, but a heck of an opportunity. I was 28- years-old, a very young age to win a nomination. It was won with hard work and good teamwork and that concept has carried us through right to this election,” he said. Though defeated by Steckle that time, Lobb saw a small victory, saying that he had reduced Steckle’s margin of victory by 90 per cent. With his big victory over Steckle’s successor, McClinchey, Lobb announced to the gathering at the Candlelight Restaurant Oct. 14, “I have a few fingernails left, compared to the last election.” Lobb was ahead in the polls, according to CBC from the very first and he never looked back, extending his lead on McClinchey with every reported poll. Lobb garnered just over 22,000 votes from the people of Huron-Bruce, while McClinchey came up short, counting just over 16,000 votes. The New Democratic Party saw its candidate, Tony McQuail receive 7,500 votes while Glen Smith, newcomer to the Green Party saw over 2,600 votes come his way. “I believe passionately in knocking on doors and connecting with people. I feel as though that was the connection we made with people this time around,” Lobb said. “Right since day one, running a positive campaign was our goal. At the end of the day, I feel as a resident of Huron-Bruce that win, lose or draw, you want to deliver a positive message and tell people what you want to do, and that’s what they want,” he said. “They don’t want to hear the negative stuff.” Lobb says he has his finger on the pulse of the driving forces of the riding. “The key thought from the beginning was to reconnectHuron-Bruce to Ottawa and tolisten to the constituents, go toOttawa, work hard and be aneffective team player with theConservative caucus and beable to deliver tangible results back to the riding,” he said. Lobb and his family have had a strong base in Huron County for decades. However, his reach into Bruce County did not initially extend as far as he would have liked, so one of his first tasks was to introduce himself to the northern end of the riding. He relied on the support of friends, volunteers and former MPs to assist him in the north end of the riding. “We had a heck of a good team in Huron County and I didn’t know many people in Bruce County,” he said. “So we put that together and we worked and we worked and we worked and while others were out cutting ribbons and going to gala dinners, we were working.”Lobb cited the results he gotfrom places like Port Elginand Kincardine, saying that hiswork in Bruce County paidoff, in addition to his strongnumbers throughout Huron County. “A man once said to me, there are two kinds of horses, the showhorse and the workhorse. Well, the people of Huron-Bruce just elected a workhorse tonight.” Lobb says that while he worked hard and connected with people, knocking on nearly 9,000 doors in Huron- Bruce, he felt strong results in the election came at a federal level. He feels very strongly that Harper is the man to lead Canada through tough economic times and into the future. Agriculture, for instance is one of Huron-Bruce’s main driving forces, something that Lobb thinks is a good fit for the Conservative Party. “The Conservative Party, at its fundamentals, is agrassroots party. We havemembers of parliament invirtually all provincesthroughout the country and forrural issues, there are a lot ofrural members of parliament in the Conservative Party,” he said. “So you’re going to have a strong voice in Ottawa for rural Ontario and rural Canada, which is great for the people of Huron-Bruce.” Lobb says it’s important for the political representation to stay in tune with the drivers of the riding and vice versa. “A successful person needs to be proactive, so that’s why I’m saying we’re going out and meeting with the stockholders of the riding, proactively meet with them so we can work together in a positive manner so we can get results,” he said. “I think that’s the real key. The people in manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, tourism, energy, expect a visit.” PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2008.Lobb gets more than 22,000 votes Celebration Newly-elected Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb was able to raise his arm in victory on Oct. 14 as both he and the Conservative Party were able to pull off a win in Canada’s 40th federal election. Lobb celebrated at the Candlelight Restaurant in Goderich with his wife Andrea and dozens of volunteers and supporters. (Shawn Loughlin photo) Ontario high school students are now learning and earning credits in ways you may never have imagined. With Specialist High Skills Majors— part of the Student Success Program — students can focus on a career path to match their skills and interests in sectors as diverse as health and wellness, landscaping, construction, and business, to name just a few. By making courses more relevant to students, kids get a better understanding of a subject because they learn it in a real work environment. Each major is a bundle of 8 to 10 courses, part of the overall 30 credits needed for graduation. Students learn on the job with employers, as well as in school. At graduation, they receive a specially designated diploma. To learn more about Specialist High Skills Majors and other programs like Dual Credits and Expanded Co-op,contact your school or visit ontario.ca/studentsuccess. “ WHAT DID YOU DO AT SCHOOL TODAY?” AND YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED AT THE ANSWER. ASK YOUR CHILD STUDENT SUCCESS PROGRAM SPSPECECIAIALILS T HI G H S K ILLSLS M MAJAJORORSS Paid for by the Government of Ontarioontario.ca/studentsuccess 28_0505_28277 MinEd SpecialistSkills_Size01_ST.indd 1 9/23/08 7:27:02 PM