Penticton’s Dan Ashton is moving on to federal politics

Dan Ashton has announced he will be a candidate for the federal Conservative party in the new riding of South Okanagan – Similkameen – West Kootenay.

Current Penticton MLA and Summerland resident, Ashton had announced he was stepping down from politics at the end of his term and now we know why.

He said in a release he believes his track record shows that he is fiscally responsible and accountable and that's what makes him an ideal candidate for the Conservatives.

Ashton will be looking to unseat the current MP for the riding, NDP's Richard Cannings, who announced he would be retiring at the end of his term.

Ashton is a longstanding supporter of the Conservatives and shares Pierre Poilievre's vision for the country. This includes a concern about taxation, inflation and over-regulation.

If Ashton gets elected he will have served as a politician on every level: he was a City Councillor for Penticton from 1999 to 2008, and mayor of Penticton from 2008 to 2013 after which point he became involved in provincial politics as MLA.

The next federal election will take place in or before October 2025.

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