NELSON, B.C – After a tight race on Monday night, the power shift in the Kootenay-Columbia riding was a fact when Conservative Rob Morrison declared victory just after 10 PM.
“It’s almost overwhelming actually.” Morrison spoke to a loud and joyous crowd at the Fire Hall Kitchen & Tap. “We’ve worked for two and a half years. I’ve been out for that last full year in all different parts of the riding talking to people, listening to what the issues are.”
Morrison thanked the Conservative Party for the amount of support he received during his campaign.
“I’m honored and the amount of support I had is unbelievable.”
It was a tight race between Setski and Morrison when only 110 of the polls were counted with only a few hundred voted between the two. But after the poll count reached over 220 the numbers became clear.
“It was nice but nervous,” Morrison shared his emotions as the votes were being counted. “Everybody gets more nervous when you’re coming to the finish line.”
Morrison said he heard his constituents loud and clear, especially during the candidate forums he attended.
“Jobs number one. The economy. People want to get back to work. We want to build the pipeline to get the oil flowing.” Morrison continued. “We need to solidify our coal in the Elk Valley. Look after our sawmills and the loggers and the tariff problems we have. We need to look after our commodities and of course working with Alberta to look at that pipeline.”
The new MP had over 6000 votes on his opponent, incumbent Wayne Stetski, NDP, who came to power in 2015 after a narrow win over the Conservatives who held the riding for over 20 years.
Vista Radio spoke to Wayne Stetski shortly after his opponent declared himself a winner.
Stetski congratulates Morrison over the victory.
“We have had four years of a different approach. We worked hard and helped hundreds of people in the riding. I hope the people of Kootenay-Columbia still will get the high quality service they have gotten the last four years”, Stetski told Vista Radio.
When asked whether the Green Party split the vote in his riding, Stetski said he’ll have to look at the numbers. However he does see similarities in their platforms.
“If you took the Green Party platform and the NDP platform and put them side by side, they’re almost like an echo this time around.’
As for the NDP victory in the South Okanagan West Kootenay, Stetski congratulated his fellow party member.
“I’m very happy that my colleague Richard Cannings has been successful. He’s a great human being. great individual.”
Stetski reminisced on his 268 vote win last election with having Nelson incorporated into the New Kootenay-Columbia riding in 2015. However he said the East Kootenay remains primarily conservative.
The next three weeks will be busy according to Stetski.
“We have to close three offices, one in Cranbrook, one in Nelson and one in Ottawa. I have to move out of my apartment in Ottawa. We’ll see what life holds after that.