By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
In an election that will be talked about for decades to come Conservative candidate Helena Konanz was elected Member of Parliament for the Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding, pledging to represent all in Ottawa regardless of how they voted.
Konanz received 30,073 votes or 44.1 per cent of the 68,221 votes cast in the riding while the Liberal’s Gloria Morgan achieved 25,390 votes (37.2 per cent) and NDP candidate Linda Sankey attracted 11,033 votes (16.2 per cent).
The riding, which prior to redistribution was known as South Okanagan-West Kootenay, has been represented by the NDP’s Richard Cannings since 2015 until his retirement this year.
Konanz said she is honoured to serve the riding as the newly elected Member of Parliament. “I’m beyond proud and humbled to be elected as your Conservative MP. A massive thank you to our amazing volunteers and every single voter who made this victory possible,” she said.
“To everyone in our beautiful riding, no matter how you voted, I am committed to representing all of you in Ottawa. Together, let’s work towards a brighter, more prosperous future for Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay, BC and Canada. Thank you again all for your trust and support.”
Newly minted MP, Helena Konanz, Conservative Party of Canada.
Konanz’s success at the polls reflected the situation in many ridings across BC where the NDP and resurgent Liberals split the so-called “progressive vote” enabling Conservative candidates to take the win. In this riding Morgan and Sankey together received 36,423 – more than enough to come out on top had there not been the split.
The Green Party’s Philip Mansfield achieved 1,065 votes (1.6 per cent) and Barry Dewar of the People’s Party received 660 votes (1 per cent).
Voter turnout in the Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding registered 71.6 per cent, topping the national average of 68.7 per cent of eligible voters – or more than 19.5 million Canadians – for this election, according to Elections Canada. The electoral body said nearly 7.3 million Canadians voted at advance polls while 1.2 million voted by special ballot.
Nationally the Liberals scored a victory with 169 seats in the House of Commons but fell just short of the majority that Liberal Leader Mark Carney had asked for.
The Conservative party under Pierre Poilivre which saw a seemingly bullet-proof lead of over 24 per cent in polling numbers in early January evaporate with the stepping down of Justin Trudeau, the entry of Mark Carney and Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats of annexation along with a failure of his campaign to adapt, saw them lose their chance for power winning 144 seats (up from 120 at the dissolution of Parliament).
But stunningly Poilivre lost his own seat – which he had held for 20 years – by a wide margin, leaving the party at least temporarily hobbled.
The election was also noteworthy for the devastation the NDP suffered, dropping to just seven seats, at which it no longer has official party status. The NDP essentially fell on its sword as many of its traditional supporters instead cast their votes for the Liberals to deny Poilivre from gaining power.
In an emotional speech on Monday night NDP party leader Jagmeet Singh announced he’s bowing out from politics.
