Davies says Liberals and Conservatives need ‘united approach’ to battle Trump

Fred Davies appreciates the votes he received from Fort Erie, a place he has felt a kinship with for many years.

He was elected as a school board trustee about 20 years ago to represent Fort Erie, and also served as treasurer on the board of directors for Bridges Community Health Centre.

“I do have business and political roots in Fort Erie and I’m looking forward to expanding that in this new parliament,” he told Fort Erie in an interview on Tuesday.

He also owns restaurants in Fort Erie’s neighbouring community to the west, Port Colborne.

Davies, a Conservative candidate in the Niagara South riding in Monday’s federal election, unseated incumbent Liberal Vance Badawey who was elected in 2015 as MP for the Niagara-Centre riding.

Davies will be the first MP to serve in the new federal riding, which consists of Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Welland, and Thorold.

Fort Erie was previously part of the Niagara Falls riding, joined by Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

“We’re going to learn as we go on some of the issues and how they’re intermixed,” he said when asked about first orders of business.

Perhaps the biggest issue in Monday’s election was Canada-U.S. relations and how our economy can find ways to prosper as U.S. president Donald Trump implements tariffs on goods crossing the border.

“We never know what’s going to happen south of the border so we have to start building our own economic independence,” said Davies.

With a Liberal minority government in power, Davies said both sides need to have a “united approach to Donald Trump.”

Canada needs to defend its sovereignty and independence, while also improving border security, Davies told Fort Erie Radio.

“And we need to guard against the flavour of the day coming out of the White House,” he said, adding Canada needs to be “no longer dependent on the U.S. for our economic security.”

In the Niagara Falls riding, Conservative Tony Baldinelli was re-elected and Davies expects to work closely with him on border issues.

“We’re on the front lines of this economic uncertainty,” he said.

Davies reiterated his appreciation for the Niagara South residents who elected him with 48.3 per cent of the vote.

“It’s a pretty humbling experience to win the support of so many people across such a diverse riding,” he said.

Davies was elected as a regional councillor for Port Colborne in 2022. He told Fort Erie Radio on Tuesday that he will need to resign from that seat in the coming days.

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