Denesiuk enters Liberal race

Photo: Contributed

Summerland's Connie Denesiuk has announced she will again pursue a Liberal nomination in next year's federal election.

Denesiuk earned the Liberal nomination for the South Okanagan - West Kootenay riding in 2015, although the riding was won by NDP candidate Richard Cannings by a sizeable margin.

The federal riding has traditionally seen mostly NDP voters in the West Kootenay and Conservative voters in the South Okanagan. Denesiuk pointed out, however, the Liberals more than quadrupled their vote share in the riding in 2015 compared to four years earlier, and spent significantly less in their campaign than the NDP or Conservatives.

Denesiuk added she has made "good use of the years between elections" and was "encouraged by many" to run for a second time. She will be completing Master of Arts degree in Leadership at Royal Roads University this year, and served as chair of Okanagan College's board of governors from Dec. 2015 to this past January.

She has co-owned a construction company in the Summerland - Penticton area, R. Denesiuk Construction, since 1980.

“My values are Liberal values. I believe that our diversity is one of our strengths in Canada and that we have a shared responsibility to those most vulnerable amongst us," Denesiuk said in a news release.

"I believe in continuing to invest in the future of Canada through strategic support for infrastructure, housing, education, jobs training and environmental protection."

Denesiuk is the only person who has voiced interest in the nomination to date.