Jagmeet Singh is stepping down as federal New Democratic leader, but local candidate Laura Mayer is still willing to give it another try.
"I am willing to run again here," Mayer told SooToday after collecting less than seven per cent of the vote in the Sault Ste. Marie – Algoma electoral district.
With 278 of 287 polls counted just before 2 a.m., Liberal Terry Sheehan had 29,394 votes (47.29 per cent).
Conservative Hugh Stevenson had 27,920 votes (44.92 per cent).
Mayer had gathered just 4,050 votes (6.52 per cent).
"Even though we showed up, we canvassed, we've been to the very edge of the riding, it's not enough to overcome the kind of overwhelming apprehension about too much of a change," said Mayer.
Her biography on the federal NDP website says she was born and raised in Blind River and Mississauga First Nation.
Mayer is executive director of the National Council of Indigenous Midwives.
A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, she's worked with First Nations to advance things like Anishinaabe sovereignty, justice initiatives, environmental protections, infrastructure projects, child welfare reform and broader community development.
"I think that over this campaign, we've really created the connections that we need to carry us forward into the next election."
"It's about building a grassroots movement," she said.
"It's about talking more about politics and talking about it between elections. Not just in the two months leading up to the elections, but talking about it all the time and building up those partnerships so that you know when an election comes up, we're talking about it way ahead of time."
"I think I've made a lot of connections in that I have been asked already to put my name in the ring again, so I absolutely will be back," Mayer said.