Two provincial party leaders in Kamloops to rally support

KAMLOOPS – It’s just over a month until the provincial election, and as the campaigning ramps up, two provincial leaders were in Kamloops yesterday.

B.C. NDP leader John Horgan stopped in the city for a media conference and evening rally, while Green party leader Andrew Weaver held a public meet and greet, answering questions for an hour.

Speaking in front of the Domtar pulp mill John Horgan spoke to reporters about strengthening the forestry industry in B.C. by keeping raw logs in B.C., the discovery of improper donations to the B.C. Liberal Party and access to health care services.

“Here in B.C. we’re not getting our due,” he said. “Mr. Lake made a commitment to a GP for everyone in B.C. before the last election. They’ve given up on that.”

In the evening Horgan held a rally with local NDP candidates Nancy Beppel and Barbara Nederpel at Hotel 540 with around 70 supporters. He spoke about a variety of issues, highlighting education, healthcare and forestry.

“From K to 12 an entire generation of kids had classrooms that were underfunded,” he said, with calls of “Shame” coming from the crowd.

He also took the opportunity to attack the B.C. Liberals and Premier Christy Clark for campaign donations and close ties to business elites.

Weaver, the B.C. Green Party’s leader and the party's only sitting MLA, spent an hour at Thompson Rivers University meeting with supporters and fielding questions, speaking about environmental and democratic issues.

“Most decision makers do not have to live with the consequences of the decisions they make, however the next generation do; that’s the youth of today,” he says. “But the youth of today are not participating in our democratic institutions.”

While Weaver says the party will release its general platform and policies over the coming weeks, he says local candidates Donavan Cavers and Dan Hines will be given leeway on local issues.

“I think they know what the issues are and I think they’ll respond in the manner they see fit,” he says. “I’m not here as the leader of the B.C. Greens to tell our candidates in Kamloops what they should speak or say.”

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