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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

GREENWOOD: “This is a ‘one and done’ that I actually can get behind”


BC Conservatives in the province today announced their candidate who will be running in the up-coming Nanaimo by-election – it will be 37-year-old Justin Greenwood. 



Advising me of the news this afternoon, a Party spokesperson stated, “Justin has been involved with our party since 2016.  He was a candidate for us in the 2017 provincial election, in the riding of Langley, where he came in behind the 2nd place NDP, and BC Liberal incumbent Mary Polak.”


“We were happy to turn that experience into good use as he became a Regional Director, which then turned into a Director-at-Large following the 2017 AGM. His hard work, and enthusiasm was recognized by Deputy leader Scott Anderson, who appointed him Deputy Leader for the Party at the end of last January (2018)”



So why the riding of Nanaimo I asked Justin, who promptly responded, “I was born and raised and lived on southern Vancouver Island for just over 32 years. All my schooling was done on the island and my work is based out of Victoria. The majority of my family is on the island. In fact, both sides of my family dot the island from Sidney to Port Hardy, including Nanaimo.”



“I saw this as an important by-election. My family and friends in Nanaimo were definitely pushing me to do it. So here I am” 

He then continued, “The other three parties … Liberals, NDP, and Green Parties combined, have all increased the cost of living for not only the people of Nanaimo, but all of British Columbia. There needs to be a choice for those who demand better and I will be that choice for them in Nanaimo.”




Many may remember Justin Greenwood, as the face and voice behind several non-partisan video’s which the Conservatives ran during the referendum vote of Proportion Representation.  I asked him about the slogan the Liberals used during the campaign, “One and done”.  This is what he had to say, a hint of laughter in his voice;



“My name, I believe, will be at the top of the ballot, so yah, in this case, ‘One and Done’ is a concept I hope that voters will get behind”.



Party President Ryan Warawa (Left) with Justin
Greenwood (Right) and Justin's son (Centre)
And as to the ‘vote-splitting’ argument which is sure to come up, Greenwood stated with sureness:

“The ONLY party that will be talking about vote splitting, after 16 years of tone-deaf indifference to British Columbians, as the former government, will be the Liberals. We will be less concerned about labels, and who identifies with what ideology or "party name".

He continued, “My goal, and that of the Conservative Party, will be to focus on providing Nanaimo with a choice that is on its way to becoming BC's party. A party for the people that are tired of over-taxation and less freedom.



“The BC Conservatives will not only be truly listening to the people of Nanaimo but providing policies that they can stand behind in confidence”.



Greenwood, and Party members, were already out door knocking during the past weekend. He indicated to me that it had been good to see some familiar faces and some new ones.



“I'm getting a good feel of what the concerns are that either haven't been met, or just ignored. I look forward to meeting many more of the people I hope to elect me on January 30th, either on their door-steps, out in the community, and at upcoming all-candidate meetings as well”, he concluded.



I’m Alan Forseth in Kamloops.  If you have any thoughts on this or anything else you read on the blog, I welcome you to share them below in the Comments Section.





FOR YOUR INFORMATION:



For voters in the Nanaimo area, please note the following from Elections BC, regarding who can vote:


You can vote if you are:

… a resident of the Nanaimo electoral district, view district boundaries (PDF, iMap)

… 18 or older on January 30, 2019,

… a Canadian citizen, and …

… a resident of B.C. since July 29, 2018.


If you are eligible to vote in the Nanaimo by-election, you can register and update your voter record when you go to vote. Please remember to bring identification.



Voting times and locations will be posted on the website once confirmed.  You can also request a vote by mail package from us by filling out this form, or call 1-800-661-8683.
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Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 9, 2019 at 9:13 PM

    Sigh. They still haven’t learned.

    He is going up an NDP Candidate in a riding that has been NDP for more than a couple of decades, plus she is stepping down from her Federal NDP seat to run for the Provincial NDP seat.....and the NDP is in power. His other opponent is not only FROM Nanaimo, but has one of the most recognizable names in the area. I am not saying he won’t get any votes.....but he will probably help get the NDP candidate elected in a by-election. The party is wasting its money on a losing cause.


    If this were central-Okanagan, the Interior, or Northern BC, it would be a different story. I like him and I think he is a great representative for the party.....but he is gonna Be eating dust in this race.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alan ForsethJanuary 10, 2019 at 9:40 AM

      Thank you for your comments Sean ...

      I greatly respect you insights and professionalism, however I have to disagree with you on this ... even if I know perhaps some / many will agree with you.

      No matter who Justin is going up against, he is standing for those who have a belief in seeing our province change -- change for the better. I myself ran as a candidate in 1996 for the BC Reform Party -- I had the same vote-splitting arguments, and at one point considered stepping down because of it. That changed however when I received a message from a supporter telling me that for the first time in a long time, there was someone who he could vote for, instead of against.

      That has stuck with me over the past 20+ years I have been involved in politics -- from simple sign maker, to office worker, to speech writer, crafting media releases, up to and including campaign manager.

      I would like to say that my work helped candidates I supported win -- that unfortunately has never been the case. Regardless, I have helped and supported people so that others could also have something to vote FOR ... and not AGAINST.

      No matter who wins the riding, I don't believe the GreeNDP govt will last long. Justin has every right to run ... in fact I believe more-so than any other candidate ... and those who will support him, and the BC Conservative Party WILL have a voice to support those beliefs.

      What's been learned? Vote for what you believe -- and don't be scared to do it. After all, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

      Delete
  2. Don PurdeyJanuary 10, 2019 at 11:28 PM

    Any thing, but the NDP isn't a good enough reason to hold your nose to vote Liberal. Don Purdey

    ReplyDelete

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