The surprise announcement on Aug. 28 that the BC United Party was suspending its campaign has already caused a shake-up in the new Kamloops-North Thompson riding.
BC United leader Kevin Falcon encouraged the party's supporters to “unite behind John Rustad and the Conservative Party of BC." In the wake of the announcement, BC United MLA Todd Stone, who had been announced as the party's candidate in Kamloops-North Thompson in the upcoming election, announced his decision to retire from politics.
In a statement to media in Kamloops on Aug. 31, Stone said he would be supporting Barriere mayor Ward Stamer, who recently took leave from his mayoral duties to run against Stone as the Conservative Party of BC candidate.
“I know [Stamer's] commitment to British Columbia and I wish him well,” said Stone, who also told Black Press he was happy to have gone public with his decision to leave politics.
"It was absolutely the right thing to do for me, my family and our province.”
BC Conservative leader John Rustad stuck to his planned schedule following the announcement, and visited the Kamloops-North Thompson riding along with Stamer. On Aug. 30 the pair spoke in Clearwater, then met with a group at Barriere's new business centre.
“I’m excited to have John Rustad here with us," said Stamer. "The Conservative Party is doing well in the polls, and with the recent announcements over the past couple of days regarding BC United withdrawing from the election, we are on course to continue to run a positive and successful campaign.
"It’s time for a change. We are ready to work hard to make improvements in critical areas such as highways, infrastructure and improvements in the North Thompson, health care and economic development in this region and for the province.”
Rustad said the fact families are leaving the province was a concern.
“One in three people are thinking of leaving B.C.and it’s sad to note one in two youth are thinking of leaving,” he said to the small group gathered in Barriere. “If people can’t see how to build a future, how to build their lives and maybe have a family in this province, then what are we doing as a government? That is just going in the wrong direction completely.”
He touched on the opioid crisis, calling decriminalization "disastrous," that housing has been "a complete crisis," and B.C.'s health care system is collapsing. He noted his party is looking at European models of health care, which he feels are “far more successful than our models by using universal health care that is seamless. Everyone can come in and get the service, but it’s delivered by both government and non-government agencies.”
During his visit, Rustad heard concerns about the condition of Highway 5 in the North Thompson and about commercial drivers being pushed by their companies. with unrealistic deadlines not being addressed with the trucking companies themselves. Stamer said he wants to have “mandatory dashcams enforced, as well as the ability to charge out-of-province drivers the same as B.C. drivers when in our province.”
Black Press had an opportunity to speak with Maddi Genn, who will be the BC NDP candidate in Kamloops-North Thompson. Genn was at the North Thompson Fall Fair, introducing herself to constituents ahead of the official announcement of her candidacy on Sept. 8.
Asked about her decision to enter the upcoming election for the party in power, Genn said, “I started my career in health care when I moved to Kamloops, working with at-risk youth as a big part of my career, which has been centred around advocating for the kids that I work with.
"After a few years of working in health care, the company I worked for unionized, so I became a union rep and now spend a lot of time advocating for my co-workers in addition to the youth that I work with. Running for MLA was really a natural progression to the direction my life was taking, in order to advocate for the people in my community.”
She speaks highly of Stamer, although she had only met him briefly earlier that day.
“The reality is that we are both here to serve the people. Stamer has done a really phenomenal job of doing that as mayor of Barriere, and no matter what the results look like at the end of this, we will both be doing our best for the people in this constituency.”
