Dear Editor:

 

If you care about Canada, and you don’t like what Stephen Harper is doing to our country, you need to know how important it is to get out and vote in the upcoming October 19th, 2015 Federal Election.

That seems like a long time away, but what I find as I travel throughout this region is that people are talking about how best to ensure that we stop the Harper Conservatives. People are trying to decide which party Kootenay Columbia voters should support in order to unseat the current Conservative MP.

It’s important to know the numbers. The new Kootenay Columbia riding goes from Revelstoke to Cranbrook, the Elk Valley to Nelson. The addition of Nelson, Kaslo and Salmo to the old boundaries means this is no longer a sure-win riding for the Conservatives.

When you take the votes cast in the last federal election in 2011 and allocate them to the new riding, it looks like this: Conservatives – 26,447 votes; NDP – 20, 510 votes; Green – 3,395 votes; Liberal – 1,845 votes; Other – 610 votes.

With the high level of dissatisfaction felt by voters with Stephen Harper’s record, it is very unlikely that the Conservative’s 50 per cent vote share in this riding will hold. This gives progressive voters a real chance, but only if we do not split the progressive vote.

It is clear from the numbers that there is only one party and one candidate that can beat the Harper Conservatives in this riding. That party is the NDP, and I am that candidate.

What do I offer? I have devoted my whole life to serving the public, working to protect the environment, and caring for people in my community. As a former Mayor of Cranbrook and former Kootenay Regional Manager for the BC Ministry of Environment, I am an experienced leader who understands and will properly represent the whole region.

It is time for this area to be represented by someone who will speak out strongly for our best interests. That’s why I’m running to be your next Member of Parliament for Kootenay Columbia.

 

Wayne Stetski

NDP Candidate

Member of Parliament for Kootenay Columbia