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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

Who's Running in 2017?



With the provincial election just a short ten and a half months away, it seems rather odd that there is no word on who may be running in 2017, for the  Kamloops North and South Thompson ridings, with two exceptions. 



BC Liberal Transportation Minister Todd Stone, by all accounts, will be running
BC Liberal Health Minister Terry Lake
again, however two term Health Minister Terry Lake has yet to announce his intentions.  Lake was elected in 2009, for Kamloops North Thompson, after serving on Kamloops Council as both a councillor and Mayor.



For the moment both BC Conservative Party, and the NDP, have no rumours or talks of anyone running.



I find this especially interesting for the NDP, given that they held a special election readiness / preparation workshop in Kamloops over the weekend. 

According to the BC NDP website ... Forward 2016 will showcase new ideas, strategies and technology being used in elections across North America. In addition to covering the latest campaign techniques in voter contact, communications, data and campaign management, the weekend will focus on what the NDP campaign of the future will look like and what new approaches will be essential to success in 2017.



With several hundred members in town, along with leader John Horgan, and
several prominent Cabinet Critics, one would have thought this would have been the ideal opportunity for potential candidates to have been showcased, and / or announcements made regarding intentions to seek the nominations.



I have to say I find it strange that this did not happen.



Will Kathy Kendall or Tom Friedman step up again ... or will Bill Sundhu, after a well-fought attempt to win the seat for the Federal NDP last year, take a shot provincially for either of the two Kamloops ridings?



As for the BC Conservative Party, no names have yet to surface as to who may be willing to run in either riding, although rumours are out there that Peter Sharp (the 2013 Kamloops South Thompson candidate) has moved his support to the BC Liberal Party.



So ... who's running in 2017?  Only time will tell, however with less than a year to go, the NDP and BC Conservatives better start name dropping soon if they want to have any chance of taking on the well-funded BC Liberal machine.



In Kamloops, I'm Alan Forseth.

Terry Lake (L) and Todd Stone (R)
UPDATE:  Since posting this piece yesterday, Transportation Minister Todd Stone has been acclaimed as the BC Liberal candidate for Kamloops South Thompson.  This news was announced today (Monday June 27th)
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