Royal Galipeau gracious in Orlans defeat as he faces cancer battle

The 68-year-old former MP in Orlans who says he became a Conservative due to Stephen Harper's "common sense" says he'll focus on his ongoing cancer battle after falling to Liberal Andrew Leslie.

Royal Galipeau held the riding, formerly called Ottawa-Orlans, for almost 10 years before Leslie won handily in Monday night's federal election.

Leslie, a former lieutenant-general in the Canadian Armed Forces, is now one of seven Liberal MPs in the City of Ottawa that's left only one other MP Conservative Pierre Poilievre.

"The seat never belonged to me. I was just a tenant," Galipeau told Robyn Bresnahan, host of CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning, on Tuesday.

"I was the servant for Orlans in the House of Commons for 3,556 days and the people of Orlans spoke in a very eloquent way yesterday and I accept their verdict."

'I never missed a vote,' Galipeau says

Galipeau admitted he has voted Liberal for most of his life, but he was not a partisan politician. His choice to run for the Conservatives in 2006 was based on his agreement with the former prime minister's economic ideas.

He also said Leslie will represent the riding well.

"[He was] a distinguished servant in uniform for 35 years and will now be a distinguished servant of the people of Orlans and the House of Commons," Galipeau said.

The former MP's focus now rests on his battle with multiple myeloma. Politics are now in the past, Galipeau added.

"It's a complex cancer ... right now my blood tests show I'm completely normal but you never know," he said.

"I'm managing it very well and even through the worst challenges, I never missed a vote in the House."

• Listen to Royal Galipeau's full interview here.