Terry Farrell
Record staff
Ronna-Rae Leonard has won the NDP nomination race for the Courtenay-Comox riding.
Leonard defeated Gillian Anderson and Kiyoshi Kosky on the first ballot at Saturday's constituency nomination convention.
“It's time to get the message out,” Leonard said in an exclusive interview with the Comox Valley Record. “John Horgan and the NDP has a strong program to make life better for all British Columbians, and especially for those of us in the Valley who are suffering. That's the message. It's time to build a better B.C. and the path that we’ve been taking with Christy Clark and the Liberals is not working.”
Leonard now gets into full-on campaign mode, some three months after the Liberals selected Jim Benninger as their candidate for the new riding.
Leonard is not worried about the head start her Liberal opponent has had, and does not feel that her party is behind in that regard.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “We have been out in the community, and our whole process in that time has been very active because of the nomination (race) - definitely being out there, and not just one face; four faces.”
The race shrunk by one a week ago, when Bryce Casavant dropped out, to assume the Oak Bay riding candidacy for the NDP.
“That was a big surprise, of course, but I felt pretty confident that I was in a good position to take the nomination and if he knew that as well and had other opportunities, then all the more power to him, to help the party and do something to benefit him, too,” said Leonard.
With no incumbent running in the Courtenay-Comox riding, Leonard feels the race is wide open.
“As always, incumbency has its advantages, and to have a clear path, with all fresh faces for people to choose from works (in her favour),” said Leonard.
“We are going into this looking at Christy Clark's Liberal policies, and the programs put in place. Her track record and the track record of the Liberals over the last 16 years is very telling in people's lives. So I think that's more the issue people will be looking at going into the next election.”
She said she has yet to invite either Anderson or Kosky to join her campaign in any capacity.
“I’m giving them a little time (to digest the weekend), but absolutely, those folks have great minds, fresh approaches, new ideas, and we need everybody at the table,” she said.
Leonard has previously run for the federal NDP party, in the 2011 election, and noted the fact that the federal and provincial NDP philosophies are relatively similar across the board, made the transition to provincial politics easy for her.
“Once a social democrat, always a social democrat,” she said, with a laugh. “Absolutely, there's a synchronicity within the party, between federal and provincial and you have to be all paddling in the same direction.”