Published Apr 29, 2025 • 5 minute read“Hello Sydney-Glace Bay” before thanking wife, family and supporters as he becomes first MP in new riding Photo by Christopher ConnorsMike Kelloway is returning to Parliament but he’ll be representing a different riding in his third term.“Hello Sydney-Glace Bay,” the Liberal MP told supporters after handily winning the newly formed seat in Monday’s federal election.Kelloway, who previously served as MP for Cape Breton-Canso since 2019, took more than 52 per cent of the vote in a crowded field of eight candidates vying to become the first-ever Sydney-Glace Bay representative in the House of Commons.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentWith 205 of 211 polls reporting as of 1 a.m., on Tuesday, Kelloway had 23,679 votes compared to 16,720 for Conservative candidate Anna Manley. New Democratic Party hopeful Kimberly Losier was a distant third with 2,460 votes, followed by Marxist-Leninist candidate Nikki Boisvert (694), Libertarian Michael Pittman (609), Independent Joe Ward (571), People’s Party of Canada’s Jeffrey Evely (548), and Canadian Future Party candidate Chris Gallant (207).Kelloway said the biggest change he noticed while campaigning in the new riding was the addition of the former towns that made up the what was known as Industrial Cape Breton. Sydney-Glace Bay Liberal candidate Mike Kelloway shares a hug with a supporter during election night at Flavor 19 in Sydney on Monday night. CHRIS CONNORS/CAPE BRETON POST Chris Connors‘COLOURFUL GESTURES’“This is an urban riding for all intents and purposes with some enclaves of rural. So there were some issues that might be a little bit more different in intensity than in rural, but they’re very similar. Affordability, housing shortages are very much a rural issue as it is an urban issue, but there may be intensity because of that density of population,” he said.Article contentDescribing the campaign as generally “very positive,” Kelloway noted that he and his team were sometimes greeted by “colorful gestures” on doorsteps.“I think we live in a day and age where elected officials or potential elected officials are under a different type of scrutiny from folks. And some folks feel, quite frankly, and it’s a small minority — I want to make a point of that — they feel emboldened to be a little bit more aggressive than they should be. All parties should have disagreement on the issues, and they should have debate, but some of the stuff that I’ve seen was new in terms of its intensity. And I think that’s something that we should explore as a society.”Although he led from the first poll, Kelloway said he was nervous throughout the evening but believed his record over the previous two terms and the emergence of Mark Carney as Liberal leader and prime minister would see him re-elected.Article content“I’m not a politician that comes around every four years and you see their face. I’m in the community working with community groups, working with chambers of commerce, working with private-sector folks, working with individuals. So I had faith in the people, that people wanted a centrist approach to the economy, to social programs. They didn’t want to go far left, but they didn’t want to go far right. So I felt comfortable,” he said.“One of the things that I want to get working on, to be frank with you, is the low- to middle-class tax bill that we promised in the platform. I think that’s really, really key for making life more affordable for folks. And also sitting down in caucus with Prime Minister Carney to look at, ‘OK, in what way are we defining Canada in terms of our economic framework as it relates to the United States. Cape Breton needs to be at the table. Cape Breton will be at the table, hopefully, if we form government, and I will make our voices heard loudly and clearly.”Article content The cake at Flavor 19 where Sydney-Glace Bay candidate Mike Kelloway held his election night celebration. CHRIS CONNORS/CAPE BRETON POST Chris Connors‘SERVE WITH ZEAL’When asked about a possible cabinet post, Kelloway said he is focused on representing the island.“Honestly, the reality is that this is chapter one: I got elected. Chapter two is take down signs. Chapter three is start with the day job tomorrow right after the signs. The Prime Minister of Canada will determine who goes into cabinet. And if I’m asked to serve, I would serve with zeal on any given portfolio. And if I’m not asked to serve, it won’t hurt me one iota in advocating and providing results for people in Cape Breton.”Kelloway served as Parliamentary secretary to the minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard in his previous two terms in office. During the Sydney-Glace Bay all-candidates debate he told voters that Cape Breton could directly benefit from the addition of two polar icebreakers to the coast guard fleet.Article contentHe reiterated that Monday.“There are going to be some polar ice vessels that are going to need a home. And there are going to be multiple locations that are going to be talked about. Quebec, Halifax. But I can tell you one of them, because of the work that myself and my team did, is Sydney is in the mix. So there’s three locations. Nothing was done. Nothing has been decided. But I can tell you this: I’ll be on it like red on a Smartie,” he said.CUTTING TIESKelloway thanked the other candidates at the beginning of his acceptance speech in front of supporters gathered at the Flavour 19 restaurant in Lingan Golf and Country Club.“Each and every one of them put forward a very strong effort. And as you know, and you may not know, but when you run-in political office, it’s not just you. It’s your family. It’s your friends. And so please give a round of applause for each person who put their name on the ballot,” he said.However, his closest competitor had no plans to extend her congratulations.Manley said she while she was “very pleased” with her campaign and proud of her team, she didn’t intend to call Kelloway to congratulate him.“He’s just not the type of person I care to know,” she said when asked why.“In the middle of his campaign, in the middle of the last day of the campaign, instead of engaging with Cape Bretoners, he chose to get a haircut. And someone who doesn’t work right up until the last second is not the type of person that I’m interested in getting to know.” Conservative candidate Anna Manley had no plans to congratulate Liberal Mike Kelloway on his win in Sydney-Glace Bay. “In the middle of his campaign, in the middle of the last day of the campaign, instead of engaging with Cape Bretoners, he chose to get a haircut. And someone who doesn’t work right up until the last second is not the type of person that I’m interested in getting to know.”CONTRIBUTED/CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF CANADA CONTRIBUTEDArticle content
‘Hello Sydney-Glace Bay’: Liberal Mike Kelloway re-elected in new riding of Sydney-Glace Bay
