Candidates for Liberal nomination to square off in panel talk

NEWS/ POLITICS — The public will get a chance Aug. 28 to hear candidates seeking the Liberal nomination for the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding.

Two candidates have filed their papers for the nomination — teacher Steve Powrie and marketing consultant Niki Remesz. Each will be asked four questions in the panel-discussion format and will have two minutes each to answer.

The audience will ask questions after the candidates have spoken on each topic.

Constituency president Tyler Carpentier said today the event is designed to give people an idea of who the two candidates are and what their positions are on issues.

“We’ll have a well-structured set of questions to present to them and also have questions from the crowd to ask whatever they want,” he told The Armchair Mayor News.

“A lot of the (party) members have already met the two candidates but it’s important to give people who haven’t met them an opportunity to meet and hear them.”

Carpentier said the party has about 400 members in the riding so far. “Membership registrations have been amazing. We’ve had a huge surge in memberships.”

In July alone about 100 new members signed up, he said.

Carpentier said he expects federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau will visit the riding between now and the election, officially set for October next year. Some political observers think it could be called earlier than that, possibly as soon as the spring.

The party is expected to choose its candidate for the riding late in September.

One hundred seats are available for the panel discussion, which is expected to last about an hour and a half starting at 6 p.m. in the Coast Kamloops Hotel and Conference Centre. Mel Rothenburger of The Armchair Mayor News will moderate.