Conservative Mel Arnold is the new Member of Parliament for the North Okanagan-Shuswap riding.
Arnold, a Salmon Arm resident and owner of Complete Marine Detailing, will replace outgoing Conservative MP Colin Mayes who is retiring.
“This is just excellent. We’ve worked hard for over a year towards this and it’s really been good to see the results tonight,” Arnold said. “I’m just thrilled for the support that we’ve received.”
Arnold received 39.3 per cent of the vote, followed by Liberal candidate Cindy Derkaz with 30 per cent, NDP candidate Jacqui Gingras with 25.5 per cent, and Green candidate Chris George with 5.2 per cent, according to Elections Canada’s preliminary results.
“I want to congratulate the other candidates on their campaigns. It’s been a great learning experience, I think for all of us, understanding the variety of issues and the extent of the issues that are out there,” Arnold said. “I want to congratulate the other candidates for making it a challenge for every one of us to move forward.”
Federally, Arnold will be a part of the official opposition to the majority Liberal government in Ottawa.
“The biggest challenge will be working as an opposition MP, but I will continue to take every issue from every resident of this riding forward,” he said. Part of my campaign has been towards bringing family-sustaining jobs to this riding and the infrastructure improvements so that we can afford to also provide the programs that we need for other residents as well.”
A Conservative candidate has represented the areas since 2003, although the North-Okanagan-Shuswap boundaries were slightly changed for the 2015 election.
The riding includes Vernon, Armstrong, Coldstream, Salmon Arm, and Spallumcheen.
