Moncton Centre was expected to be a riding to watch but the incumbent, a former Liberal who ran as an Independent candidate, was easily defeated by a new Liberal.
At the centre of a harassment scandal earlier this year, Chris Collins believes he ran an ethical and honest campaign, “I can go out of politics with my head held high, and knowing that my integrity is intact. I am very proud of the campaign that we ran. I am very proud of my wife for hanging in there and doing this. I am also proud of the team we were able to assemble in a very short period of time.”
He added that the scandal dogged him with voters as he campaigned door to door, “They didn’t know what happened, and I couldn’t tell them. I couldn’ talk to them about exactly what happened, because I’m not going to violate the confidentiality of that file.”
The Liberal MLA-elect in the Moncton centre riding, is Rob McKee, who has a recognizable family name in provincial politics, with his father and grandfather who were both MLA’s.
“Definitely added pressure and I have big shoes to fill I guess, but I am going to try and be my own person. I am proud of the work we put in, the good honest campaign that we put forth with our message of opportunity and fairness.”
McKee will now have to give up his seat on Moncton city council which he won in the spring of 2016.
“I am appreciative of the opportunity I had to represent the citizens of Ward 3. I am not leaving them hanging, and I will continue to work hard for citizens of Moncton as a Liberal member of Moncton Centre,” McKee says.
Moncton’s Community Food Centre bears the name of McKee’s uncle, the late Peter McKee who was a well-known Catholic priest in the region.
