Philip Lawrence was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Northumberland Clarke on Monday, April 28, 2025.
With results still being tallied into the early morning hours of Tuesday, it was clear that Lawrence (Conservative) would take the riding for a second term.
The numbers of Tuesday were 32,692 (72%) for Lawrence and 29,588 (46%) for Liberal candidate John Goheen which is a different of 3,104 votes.
Catching up early Tuesday morning with Lawrence at his campaign headquarters.
Lawrence had high praise for all his volunteers during the campaign, “who are the best.”
Next week he said with a smile that he hopes to reacquaint himself with his family, and then it’s back to work.
It’s expected Parliament will be recalled towards the end of May.
It’s still up in the air what will happen after Conservative leader Pierre Poilevre lost his seat he’s held since 2004.
Lawrence said although he lost his riding, “we had the most popular votes since Brian Mulroney. We gained seats going up to 104.”
“We’ll see what happens whether he runs in another seat or if there is a by-election – but I’m 110% supportive of Pierre.”
The Liberals getting their fourth mandate, but have a minority government.
“Having them on a minority puts them on a shorter leash. Quite frankly we have to look what’s happened in the two-and-a-half years – the NDP completely collapsed. I think that’s in no small part because of their failure to stand up to the voters instead of being lap dogs to the Liberals.”
“Hopefully they will have learned their lesson.”
One of the goals if the Conservative government was elected was to get tough on crime.
“We likely won’t be able to put it forward because we are not in government but I would be more than happy if the Liberals were to copy from our sheets and include things like bail reform and mandatory minimum sentencing.”
Lawrence said laws need to be stronger for the repeat offenders.
“When someone has committed the same offence 30, or 40 or 50 times it’s time that person spent some time in jail. Not out of a sense of vengeance, but out of a sense of public safety.”
“You should be able to walk the streets of downtown Cobourg and not feel unsafe.”
“I would love it if Mark Carney and the Liberals adopted some of our ideas on crime.”
While canvassing during the election the biggest concern people relayed was the cost of living.
“Their bills were more than their income. Seniors on fixed income could not deal with the cost of living.
A 25-year-old couldn’t get out of their parents basement because they couldn’t afford a house.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
