One Foot Off Center discusses the federal election results

Castanet is proud to present One Foot Off Center, a podcast tackling the big issues facing the Okanagan.

Rick Maddison, Ron Mattiussi, Scott Lanigan and Jeff Cox will meet every month to discuss how those issues impact everyday Canadians.

Maddison is a well-known entrepreneur in Kelowna and owner of Tempest Media. Mattiussi is the former chief administrator of the City of Kelowna and has worked in local government across the province.

Lanigan is the lead pastor of Trinity Church, one of Kelowna’s largest churches, who has served with various community groups like Journey Home.

Cox is the founder and CEO of Kelowna-based Simply Benefits.

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On this episode, the panel discussed the recent federal election.

Jeff Cox emphasized the importance of addressing the concerns of conservative voters.

"To me, it was proof that democracy is alive in Canada. You know, votes were up significantly. We're not hindered by conspiracy theories on recounts and things of that nature, at least not in the mainstream," says Cox.

"My message, not that it matters to the Liberals. As a generalization, 41 or 42 per cent of the country voted the other way... It's not been since Brian Mulroney that we've seen vote counts that high."

Scott Lanigan noted the unique outcome with party leaders losing their seats and the influence of social media on younger voters.

"I think rhetoric got lost in reality at some point, especially for the Conservatives, they just kept going on the same pathway, and obviously it didn't resonate," Lanigan says.

Former Kelowna CAO Ron Mattiussi says he doesn't believe the NDP are done as a party.

"They'll come back like everybody's come back before. I personally believe... Mark Carney at this time and place was the right person. I also believe that he'll govern like a, red Tory. I think there's nothing in his background that would tell me he's going to be Jagmeet Singh, I just believe that."

Mattiussi also hopes Carney finds a way to address the West, not just Alberta's concerns.

"Alberta speaks a lot, but, you know, (Carney needs to deal with) the West and some of the issues around that."

The panel also discussed the impact of densification in Kelowna, and the need for balanced transportation solutions.

One Foot Off Center will be published monthly by Castanet on YouTube with an audio-only version on Spotify.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.