And they’re off.
With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling Sunday for a federal election in an expected move, the riding of Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola will once again be up for grabs, though the incumbent has held a stronghold on the seat for years.
Conservative Dan Albas has come out on top to represent the riding for the past three elections. He has held the seat since the riding was created in 2015, and before that had been the head of the Okanagan-Coquihalla riding since 2011, the current riding’s predecessor.
In the 2019 election, the most recent, Albas claimed an enormous victory with 31,135 votes, close to double that of the Liberal candidate Marry Ann Murphy, the next closest vote-getter.
Third in the election was Joan Phillip representing the New Democratic Party. She will once again be donning the orange for the NDP in the upcoming election.
Phillips is no stranger to the world of politics: she has previously served three terms as a Council member for the Penticton Indian Band.
The newcomer in the upcoming election is Liberal candidate Sarah Eves, who lives in Merritt and teaches in Logan Lake.
As for any candidate hoping to represent the Green Party and the People’s Party of Canada, those positions are yet to be filled.
The federal election has been set for Sept. 20. The Herald will be reaching out to each local candidate during the campaigning period for interviews.
