Final numbers show Conservative stronghold in North Okanagan—Shuswap riding

The final numbers are in for the North Okanagan—Shuswap election race, although it ended up not being much of a race.

Mel Arnold, a former small business owner/operator from Salmon Arm, won a second term for the Conservatives, getting 35,753 votes, defeating runner-up Cindy Derkaz of the Liberals (16,626) by over 19,000 votes.

Arnold garnered 48.8 per cent of the 73,273 votes, up nine points from the 39 per cent in the 2015 election.

Derkaz, who was making her second run at the MP job, received 22.7 per cent support, down from 29 per cent four years ago.

Harwinder Sandhu of the NDP was third with just over 11,198 votes (15.3 per cent), down from the 25.6 per cent garnered by NDP candidate Jacqui Gingras in 2015.

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Green Party candidate Marc Reinarz was fourth with 7,697 (10.5 per cent; up from 5.6 per cent for Green candidate Chris George in 2015) and Kyle Delfing of the People’s Party was fifth with 1,999 votes (2.7 per cent).

Click here for final numbers, and results from other ridings.

The riding has been a stronghold for right-of-centre parties going back to 1993, spanning nine elections, with the Reform, Alliance and Conservative parties along with candidates Darrel Stinson, Colin Mayes and now Arnold.

Voter turnout federally was 65.9 per cent, down from the 68.5 per cent in the 2015 election.

The local voter turnout was 68.7 per cent (73,273 of 106,601 registered electors.)