Giant killer Balsom enjoying the work of an MHA in Carbonear district

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

His race was one of the very last to be decided election night and because he came out as a lion tamer of sorts, beating a much more high-profile candidate, the newly minted member for Carbonear-Trinity-Bay de Verde was key to helping the PC Party regain political power after a decade on the sidelines. 

In the end, PC Riley Balsom, who just a year earlier had been working at Walmart before leaving his job to campaign full time, defeated high profile Carbonear town councillor and one of the Liberals’ star candidates Danielle Doyle by 374 votes.

“It was a true honour,” Balsom said of winning the seat. “I’m truly humbled that the people of the district here have voted for me to serve them in government for the next four years. We put a lot of hard work and effort into the campaign, and a big thanks goes out to my campaign team for everything they did.” 

Despite the polling results seesawing back and forth throughout election night, Balsom said he and his team knew they had the numbers to win and were confident that their identified voters had casted their ballots that day. Door knocking, said Balsom, made the difference.

“That’s the way you win elections here in rural Newfoundland and Labrador,” he said. “Nothing beats a good face-to-face conversation where you can speak to the residents on their steps, in their kitchens, in their living rooms, out in their gardens, wherever –hearing what they would like to see done in the province, and the issues that they have. And then being able to present them with the ideas and our platform on how we’re going to combat the issues that they have here.” 

Balsom said he enjoyed every day of the campaign and has been enjoying every day in his new role as MHA.

Within a week of being elected, Balsom, Minister of Justice and Public Safety Helen Conway-Ottenheimer, and officials in her department with the town of Small Point-Adam’s Cove and representatives of unincorporated areas regarding the recovery efforts on the North Shore, which Balsom said is a priority for him. 

“It’s about being a listening ear,” he said. “It’s about listening to your constituents, hearing what their concerns are, raising their issues, and doing anything that we can to help and support them in any way possible.”

To that end Balsom said he intends to prioritize better healthcare for his district next year, along with community safety, and keeping young people in rural Newfoundland and Labrador through tuition funds and paid work terms for placements that are difficult to fill. 

“That’s the sort of thing that’s going to keep the people here to help bolster our healthcare system,” he argued.

Balsom was recently appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier. 

“It’s a big responsibility to be able to help support our government in advancing our commitments that we made during the election,” Balsom said. “Just being able to be in this position and that the premier has placed this amount of trust in me, it’s a true honour and I’m grateful every day that I’ll be able to serve our government in this capacity.”

Balsom said his constituents will always come first. 

“If there’s anyone who needs to reach out to me, my office is fully staffed,” he said. “We’re here and we’re available.”