THE SOWKCA SNAPSHOT

Issue 3: January, 2021

Happy New Year to everyone! May 2021 shine brighter than 2020.

SOWKCA online open house meeting     We’re excited to hold our first online open house meeting for all South Okanagan West Kootenay Conservative Association members and supporters Saturday, January 23 at 1:00pm.

The open house will include special guest Mel Arnold, Member of Parliament from the North Okanagan-Shuswap riding. He was first elected to parliament in 2015 and re-elected again in 2020. He supported the campaign in the SOWK riding during the 2019 election. He was shadow minister for Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard from 2019-2020.  Mel is Vice Chair of the BC - Yukon Conservative Caucus. He will give a short update on Ottawa and then answer a few questions from participants.

The agenda also includes an update on Candidate nomination, election planning, the March convention, delegate selection, policy amendments and an open floor for questions and comments.

It will be a great opportunity to engage in discussion, ask questions and “meet” your fellow Conservative party members.

Please click on the link to pre-register:

https://www.sowk.ca/sowkca_2021_update

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Spring election?

The Conservative Party of Canada will most likely find itself in an election position sometime in 2021. You never know when a minority government could fall! That’s where you come in.

Campaigns are expensive. Here in the South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding we lost by a mere 796 votes in 2019. But our momentum is only growing. Under the leadership of Erin O'Toole, Canada's Conservatives have never been stronger or so united. We need to build up our local campaign fund so we can beat the local NDP candidate and Justin Trudeau's Liberals. All donations make a difference.

To donate, go to the SOWK website at https://www.sowk.ca/ and click on Donate. If you would like to join Club 400 and donate over the course of a year, enter $33.34 and click on monthly. For a single contribution, enter $400 and click on one-time. Please note that all contributions made on our website stay with the South Okanagan-West Kootenay.

Alternately you can mail a cheque to:      SOWK Conservative Association
                                                             Box 266, 113 - 437 Martin Street
                                                             Penticton BC V2A 5L1

 

 Did you know…

It’s expected up to 5 million people may choose to vote by mail in the next federal election, up from a mere 55,000 who voted by mail in the 2019 election.The Liberals recently tabled Bill C-19, a bill that proposes to make temporary changes to the federal elections law to ready Canadians for the possibility of a pandemic vote. These changes will expand the mail-by-voting system in many ways. In the coming weeks we will ensure our supporters know how and where to mail their ballots.

Conservative Party Convention March 18-20

The date for the Conservative Party convention is fast approaching. Applications to be a voting delegate have now closed, but you can still register to attend as an observer here: https://cpc21.ca/registration/.

 

Get to Know Your Board Members

Introducing John Thompson

John is currently the chair of our policy committee – helping to organize the many policy amendments that our board is debating for the upcoming convention.

I grew up in rural Saskatchewan and enjoyed a satisfying career as a military officer. I’ve had the opportunity to live and work in seven of our provinces, the United States and the Middle East where I completed seven tours of United Nations peacekeeping duty, including command of our peacekeeping unit on the Golan Heights.

Since retiring from the military, I’ve worked as training consultant for the Canadian Forces and a logistics consultant with industry, and returned to my rural background by working seasonally as an agricultural crop inspector in western Canada. I continue to work in the Okanagan where I enjoy my contacts with nature and the ranching community.

As a long term Conservative, my interests include defence and international affairs, and promoting policies which ensure fair and equitable opportunities for all Canadians in an environment where free enterprise can thrive.When individuals can prosper, society also prospers. I value education and individual effort as the keys to success.I am a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan and both the Canadian Forces and US Army Command and Staff Colleges. My wife, Lorna, and I enjoy being grandparents and living in Kaleden.

Election Signage Are you aware of any private, rural property along a highway or busy road where we can get permission to erect a large 6’x 8’campaign sign immediately after the writ is dropped? Early election preparation is essential and adequate signage will be vital, especially if the election is called during covid lock down. If you know of such a property, please contact us at [email protected].

Local contact Arrow Lakes

Delores Drebet has volunteered to be a local contact for folks living in the Arrow Lakes region. Delores can be reached by phone or texting 778-206-0076 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Contact us

If you have any questions, comments or ideas for The Snapshot, we would like to hear from you. Please e-mail us at [email protected].

  

Whoever said, “Do the job right the first time and you’ll never have to do it again” never shovelled snow off a Canadian driveway.