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Federal Election 2015

2015 TOP STORIES: Politics divided our ridings like never before as Liberals take office

THOMSON-OKANAGAN - Big changes in the political map across Canada translated this year into upheaval for local politicians. Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, seeking a fourth term after nearly ten years in power, dropped the writ on the longest federal election campaign in history, an eleven week marathon largely seen to benefit the incumbents. It...

Cannan packs up old life, ponders future after election defeat

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - Sitting amid the boxes and bags in his half-packed up office, former member of Parliament Ron Cannan can’t resist a joke. “The always said you could run a dog in this riding as a Conservative and it would get elected. Well, I proved them wrong.” Cannan has until Nov. 18 to vacate...

JONESIE: How Kelowna-Lake Country went from Conservative blue to Liberal red

To understand how a traditionally right-wing riding like Kelowna-Lake Country turned from Conservative blue to Liberal red this week, you cannot ignore the issues imposed on the riding from afar. Former UBC political science instructor Wolf Depner says in many ways, the election came down to a referendum on Stephen Harper and the riding was swayed...

Kamloops sees red in student vote

KAMLOOPS - If students in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding had their way, Liberal candidate Steve Powrie would be our member of Parliament. Elementary and secondary schools throughout the region, from Kamloops to Barriere to 100 Mile House, participated in mock elections facilitated by Student Vote; an organization that holds parallel student elections with federal, provincial and...

Embarrassed by your own bad behaviour during election campaign? It’s time to make amends

OR NOT THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - You likely had one or two of them among their Facebook friends — someone highly partisan, emotionally charged and willing to to go to the wall defending their particular political brand. Taking on all commenters, some of these people have left scorched earth in their wakes, fighting out the election in...

ELECTION 2015: What having an opposition MP means for Kamloops

KAMLOOPS - The results of this week’s election was a split between three parties in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding and now for the first time in seven years, it will have an opposition member of Parliament in Ottawa. After a tight race between the Conservatives, New Democratic Party and the Liberals, Conservative Cathy McLeod was re-elected...

ELECTION 2015: We could do way more to help youth vote, says UBCO professor

CENTRAL OKANAGAN - A local professor who conducted his own youth voting campaign thinks we could do a lot more to get young people into a voting booth. “I had students on the last day asking about how they can vote back home. A lot of students don’t live here, their home address is somewhere...

ELECTION 2015: Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo’s Conservative Cathy McLeod ready for new role as opposition MP

KAMLOOPS - Cleanup efforts are underway at Conservative campaign headquarters in Kamloops and while member of Parliament Cathy McLeod topped the polls, she calls the change from incumbent to opposition ‘bittersweet.' McLeod’s win for the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding was one of the 99 seats won by the Progressive Conservatives in last night’s Federal Election, but Oct....

Former Okanagan MPs to earn millions in pension

OKANAGAN - Colin Mayes may have retired, and Ron Cannan may have been defeated in the 2015 federal election, but with pensions set to pad their bank accounts to the tune of between $1.3 million and $2.3 million over their life-times, taxpayers are not quite done with them yet. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation released the...

ELECTION 2015: Conservative Mel Arnold ready to work

VERNON - Mel Arnold plans to spend his first day as a member of Parliament saying thank you. “So many people kicked in to make this campaign successful,” Arnold says. “I want to thank the volunteers that came out and supported me and the people that voted for me. That means so much moving forward.”...

Voter turnout jumps in Thompson-Okanagan ridings

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Voter turnout numbers in the 42nd federal election jumped to more than 70 per cent throughout the region, just above the national average and well ahead of 2011 turnout. In the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding, where Conservative Cathy McLeod was re-elected, voter turnout jumped to 74.07 per cent this election, up significantly from the 63.3...

ELECTION 2015: We’ve got you covered with the latest results and stories

Infonews.ca has you covered today and tonight for your local, provincial and national election coverage. Results are expected to start coming in from polling stations in eastern Canada around 4 p.m. and you can track those results as they roll in across the country right here. You will also find breaking news and links to...

ELECTION 2015: Fuhr ousts Conservatives as Kelowna-Lake Country goes Liberal

"AN HONOUR AND A PRIVILEGE:" CANNAN KELOWNA - In a surpise upset Liberal Stephen Fuhr has won Kelowna-Lake Country, ousting three term Conservative Ron Cannan. The riding has been a bastion for the Conservatives but the surging Liberals managed to tap into a desire for change that washed across Canada in recent weeks under leader...

ELECTION 2015: UPDATE: NDP’s Cannings wins in South Okanagan-West Kootenay

PENTICTON - Like his campaign slogan said, “It’s Cannings time.” The NDP's Richard Cannings, 61, is heading to Ottawa after winning in the new riding of South Okanagan-West Kootenay. Cannings admitted early in the race he expected it to be a tight battle between himself and Conservative candidate Marshall Neufeld, noting many people were looking...

ELECTION 2015: UPDATE: Eye on the South Okanagan-West Kootenay race

PENTICTON - As one of the ridings to undergo a big change heading into the 2015 federal election we can guarantee one thing after tonight — there will be a new member of Parliament for the South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding. The Okanagan-Coquihalla and the British Columbia Southern Interior ridings were split and boundaries redrawn in...

ELECTION 2015: Shocker in Kelowna-Lake Country; Liberals win

KELOWNA – Liberal candidate Stephen Fuhr has upset a Conservative dynasty in Kelowna-Lake Country. Fuhr has been declared the unofficial winner in the riding. Conservative Party of Canada incumbent Ron Cannan took 56 per cent of the vote in the 2011 federal election, one of the widest margins in the country, but he couldn't hold...

ELECTION 2015: Conservative win in North Okanagan-Shuswap

VERNON - Conservative candidate Mel Arnold is the North Okanagan-Shuswap’s new Member of Parliament. Arnold had a healthy lead right off the bat Monday evening, and while Liberal candidate Cindy Derkaz was on his tail, he was declared elected as of 8:30 p.m. with about 40 per cent of the vote. Derkaz stood about 10...