Unsure who to vote for? Want to know more about your local candidates? Black Press Media has asked candidates to provide a short biography as well as answer key questions to help readers understand more about who is running in their ridings in the upcoming federal election.
Editor's Note: The intention had been to publish the biographies of all the candidates at the same time. While all of the candidates were provided the same questions and deadline, the only the NDP's Linda Sankey and Conservative's Helena Konanz have provided responses.
Helena Konanz - Conservative Party of Canada - Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay
Bio:
Helena and her husband, Adam, have been married for 35 years and have raised two grown children in Penticton. Helena is a former world-ranked professional tennis player and coach. She has owned and operated multiple small businesses in the Okanagan over the last 30 years, including Konanz Chiropractic. She acquired her master’s degree from UBC Okanagan in 2018.
Helena has been a Penticton City Councilor and a board member for the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen for ten years. As an elected official, Helena has worked tirelessly at the local level of government for fiscal conservatism and compassionate support for vulnerable members of the community.
She is also a seven-time Canadian National Masters Tennis Champion and will use that energy as your Conservative MP, to restore safety and security to the citizens of this riding and this country.
Questions:
1. The Similkameen South Okanagan West Kootenay riding contains over 111,000 people, with the single largest concentration in the city of Penticton at over 37,000, followed by Castlegar at over 8,000. The remaining population is spread across the rural and regional districts. If elected, how do you plan to represent both your rural and your urban constituents?
If elected, I will primarily focus on addressing affordability issues and the man-made inflation we see after 10 years of Liberal mismanagement, which impacts all in the Similkameen, South Okanagan, and the West Kootenays. With rural communities specifically, accessibility to essential services and investment in local infrastructure is vital and if elected, as your local conservative I will work to simplify bureaucratic red tape that stops developers from building more homes, lower taxes for small businesses and individuals, and invest in training new apprentices over the next five years with an expanded Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP), and restore the $4000 apprenticeship grants the Liberal-NDP government cancelled.
2. If elected, how would you advocate for Okanagan farmers who are being impacted by both sides of the trade war?
If elected, as your local Conservative I will promote collaboration between provinces, eliminating barriers to inter-provincial trade while also working to further the progress of Conservative bills C-234 (which stops farmers from being taxed for farming) and C-311 (Free my grapes) which the Liberals voted to shut down more than seven times combined. Now, more than ever we need a change in government to implement policies like these to put power back in the hands of Canadians and out from the thumb of foreign pressures.
3. Emergency room closures and long waits to get a family doctor are particularly notable for rural residents. How would you plan to attract and retain doctors in communities that are lacking them to ensure your constituents have the healthcare they need?
A Conservative government will implement the Conservative-made Blue Seal Program which would allow immigrants in Canada as experienced healthcare professionals to take a Canadian exam and be able to work in their field without having to restart their education journey. Additionally, Conservatives will reduce red tape, stopping doctors from moving between Provinces while still being able to practice medicine.
4. What do you feel is the most important issue in your riding, and how would you address it?
It’s a toss up between the rise of crime and cost of living – with the revolving door the criminal justice system has become, we need stronger policies to keep violent, repeat offers in jail instead of posting bail. With the cost of living, skyrocketing inflation needs to be controlled while trade corridors need to be opened. After this lost Liberal-NDP decade with Carney leading economic policy since 2020 with NDP support - it is clear only a Conservative government can make the changes necessary to put Canada first, for a change.
5. If elected and your party doesn’t form the government, how will you best represent your riding?
If elected, I will hold the government accountable to their office and the people of Similkameen - South Okanagan - West Kootenay regardless of which party forms government.
