Thunder Bay lawyer to run for Liberals in Thunder Bay-Rainy River

Don Rusnak is the new face of the Liberals in Thunder Bay-Rainy River.

The local lawyer edged out fellow candidates Vince Riccio and Randy Boyd on Monday night to capture the party nomination in the south-side riding, which voted Liberal from 1993 to 2008, but has belonged to John Rafferty and the NDP for the past seven years.

Rusnak said earning the chance to run in October’s federal election for the Liberals feels amazing.

“My team has worked very hard at getting this nomination. The next step is getting the riding back for the Liberal party,” Rusnak said, moments after learning he’d won.

He’s confident he’s got what it takes to turn the riding red again adding it’s his sincere belief that Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s platform resonates with voters in Thunder Bay.

“Like I said in my speech tonight to the Liberal members here, infrastructure is very important and taxes are very important to the people of Thunder Bay and Rainy River,” Rusnak said.

“The current member has done very little, if anything toward those ends. Although he has been in opposition, there are still things you can do. I think a lot of people are disappointed with that member and the Liberals offer something else.”

Rusnak said nine years of Conservative rule is plenty.

Too much in fact.

“It’s been less open, less free, less fair,” he said during his initial nomination speech.”

Boyd thanks his supporters in a short speech from the podium after the results were made public.

“I sort of would go out with trepidation to ask and have people thrilled to (help) and that will always stay with me,” said Boyd, a professor at Lakehead University and ordained minister.

About 245 party members cast ballots in the vote, though final vote results were not made public. The vote was a first for the Liberals in the riding, using a preferential ballot format that eliminated the last-place finisher in the first round.

Voters ranked candidates in order and those who voted for the eliminated candidate saw their vote then shift to their No. 2 choice.
“This is a truly historic ballot in Thunder Bay-Rainy River,” said riding association president Wayne Tocheri.

Rusnak will face off against the NDP’s Rafferty, Christy Radbourne of the Green Party and Moe Comuzzi-Stehmann, the Conservative runner up in 2011.