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Conservative leader whips up support in Kelowna

Andrew Scheer continued to meet party supporters at a stop at Mission Creek Park in Kelowna
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Conservative leader Andrew Scheer was in Kelowna on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, meeting with supporters as part of a cross-Canada tour. - Image: Kevin Parnell/Capital News

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer found plenty of support in Kelowna on Tuesday evening as more than 100 party members gathered to hear from their leader.

Scheer gave an enthusiastic and short speech to the crowd, which included current MP Dan Albas and former MP Ron Cannan as well as Canadian Senator and ski legend Nancy Green-Raine and other Conservative party members.

“We’re very lucky to have a fantastic leader,” said Cannan, who was unseated in the last federal election and remained non-committal on his future in politics.

“The Conservative Party is the party of principled leadership,” added Albas, pointing to Stephen Harper as an example and adding Scheer is a great successor. “He’s a principled leader who is going to get out and meet people.”

Scheer, a father of five focussed on family, saying he entered the fight on the same morals he was raised on.

“My Mom was a nurse and my Dad worked for a newspaper,” he said. “They wanted to make sure we had opportunities that they didn’t have. We had a better quality of life because they made sacrifices.”

He went on the offensive, attacking Liberal party policy and its leader Justin Trudeau, and ultimately asked for support from those gathered.

On Monday, Scheer was in Naramata while on Wednesday he will be in Kamloops as part of a tour throughout Canada, meeting party supporters.

In Kelowna, he also spoke at the Chamber of Commerce.

With the House of Commons set to reconvene for its fall session on Sept. 15, the visit from Scheer comes before the entire Liberal caucus is set to meet in the city. Liberal MP Stephen Fuhr has also been making the rounds in the community.

Scheer pointed to immigration as a key difference between Conservatives and the governing Liberals.

“There are thousands of illegal border crossings coming into Canada and using up the resources that should go to people trying to enter Canada the right way,” he said. “We will bring back immigration policy.”

Meanwhile, the Liberals on Tuesday announced $45.3 million supporting projects that serve Syrian refugees and Jordanians.

The Capital News spoke to Fuhr, Albas and was at two Scheer events in Kelowna on Tuesday and we will have a complete story in Friday’s print edition as well as at kelownacapnews.com.

kparnell@kelownacapnews.com

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Former Conservative MP Ron Cannan introduced leader Andrew Scheer in Kelowna on Tuesday night Aug. 29, 2017 - Image: Kevin Parnell/Capital News
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Senator and Canadian ski legend Nancy Greene Raine presented Conservative leader Andrew Scheer with a gift, Tuesday night Aug. 29, 2017 - Image: Kevin Parnell/Capital News