McAllister wins Springfield-Ritchot PC nomination

St Adolphe’s Adam McAllister will be the next PC candidate for Springfield-Ritchot, replacing the retiring Ron Schuler who has been the elected PC MLA for the constituency for 27 years.

McAllister won the PC nomination on Tuesday, beating the only other contender, Niverville’s Craig Tomlinson.

The nomination meeting held in Grande Pointe had a festive atmosphere as the line to vote stretched into the parking lot. Eager PC members donned blue hats being given out and packed the hall for opening speeches from the candidates.

Both candidates focused on sharing their values which included faith, family and integrity. They talked about the importance of education, health care, creating economic growth and the need for the constituency to have strong representation.

Where they differed was their experience.

Tomlinson has a background in the air force as a helicopter pilot, was co-owner of a travel agency, a First Officer for Air Canada, a consultant for Lockheed-Martin and a chief of staff for Provencher MP Ted Falk.

McAllister comes to the role with an electrical engineering background, priding himself on his consultant work and problem-solving skills involving large capital projects and Manitoba’s skilled trades.

He expressed his thankfulness to the people that helped him run and those who helped his competition.

“So many people helped in this nomination and I appreciate it,” he said in his victory speech. “I also appreciate the people who were on Craig’s team. He’s an incredible person and my hope is that we can all work together to defeat the NDP and keep this area Conservative.”

After the event he said winning the nomination was overwhelming and humbling.

“It was a clean and well fought race, and it was incredibly fun and incredibly exciting for me,” he said. “I’m excited to get to work now to keep this area conservative and to put forth a strong campaign in the next election.”

McAllister said he worked hard to connect with PC members who wanted to have their voices heard.

Springfield-Ritchot MLA Ron Schuler said attending the meeting felt good, recalling it was him who received his first nomination 27 years ago.

“I am really excited and really pleased about this nomination meeting,” he said, adding there were two great candidates and an impressive turnout.

He said the fact that party members supported the youngest candidate, (McAllister is in his early 30s) is not surprising.

Many years ago, they replaced the retiring Glen Findlay with a 36-year-old Ron Schuler.

“It is time for Ron Schuler to step out of politics and allow somebody new, new energies, new ideas, to come in,” he said. “Thank you to everyone who supported me for 27 years. It is time for Ron Schuler to step out of politics.”