French not saying no to a run in Avalon
By Mark Squibb
With Trudeau’s Liberals tanking in the polls and longstanding Liberal MP Ken McDonald announcing he will not be running next federal election, a Conservative win in Avalon is within reach – given the right candidate.
No candidate has yet stepped forward in any official capacity, but rumours have been swirling.
One strong contender that comes to mind is Terry French of Conception Bay South.
French represented Conception Bay South in the House of Assembly from 2002 to 2014 and served as mayor of CBS from 2017 until 2021. He is currently employed as president of the Construction Labour Relations Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
“Yes, certainly, I am very interested in how the next election is going to turn out, and yes, I am considering being a candidate, but, having said that, as interested as I am, I have a full-time job that I really, really enjoy,” said French when contacted Wednesday. “And so, it would be a big lifestyle change, flying back and forth to Ottawa and living in Ottawa. I was in the political realm, so I certainly know what it entails.”
French allowed that things have changed since he resigned from the world of provincial politics a decade ago — particularly the invasion of social media.
“There’s a lot that can be said on social media that isn’t accurate, whereas 10 years ago, there was less of that happening,” said French.
The CBS native also said his children are older now, and so he could put his name forward without fear of missing Monday night softball games of other activities his kids are involved in.
French said he recently suffered a burglary at his CBS home, and the incident has nudged him towards candidacy in a bid to crack down on crime.
The skyrocketing cost of living and it is affecting people has also turned his mind towards possibly running, he said.
“I too buy groceries, and pay taxes, both of which I believe are gone crazy of late,” said French. “I don’t think I’ve gone into a grocery store the last two years, or year-and-a-half certainly, and haven’t run into somebody who looks at me and says, ‘Oh my God Terry, have you seen the price of this lately?’… and so, these things bother me. It affects me personally, and it affects my community, and I’ve always been a community guy, and try and stick up for the person I live next to, and because of that you’re tempted to raise your hand, and so yes I’m considering it.”
French, who styles himself as a more centre leaning conservative, said his philosophy aligns closely with that of the federal Conservative Party led by Peirre Poilievre.
“Being a political junkie, if nothing else, I followed Pierre Poilievre when he was a critic in Opposition for some time, and I was always very impressed with the way he handled committee work and in the House of Commons he was always very good on his feet,” said French. “And the more he’s been out there and the more has been talking, the more he’s been making sense to me about a lot of things, whether it’s about being tough on crime or the cost of living, or reducing taxes, these are things that speak to me, and I am one of many. These three of four things that he talks about all the time are hitting home with a lot of people… and so I think Pierre Poilievre is certainly someone I can get behind. To me, he’s making a lot of sense.”
Unless Trudeau calls an early election, Canadians will head to the polls and vote their new federal members in on October 20, 2025.