Liberals ready for election

By Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star Published: August 26

A fresh, new Liberal face believes she can lead her campaign team to victory, one vote at a time. The Okanagan-Shuswap Liberal Riding Association crowned its leader Saturday – 58-year-old Janna Francis. Since there were no other names in the running for the federal Liberal nomination, Vernon’s Francis took the crown during candidates election meetings at the Schubert Centre and in Salmon Arm. A small group of approximately 10 gathered in Salmon Arm and upwards of 35 came out in Vernon. Francis is a new face to the people of her riding, following candidate Buffy Baumbrough, who announced earlier this year she would not represent the party in the next election. While Francis may be a stranger to some, she has lived and worked in the community for the past four years, since moving from Kelowna, and says she has loved living here. “This is an amazing area of Canada,” said Francis, recognizing the population’s desire for healthy living. Since the central part of the Liberal party’s campaign is the green shift plan, Francis is ready to head her team in that direction. That will include looking at how the carbon tax will effect areas such as the agricultural community. As a social worker, Francis is also concerned about the need for childcare and other family issues. “I care deeply for children and families. I care about people,” said Francis, who has served on Kelowna’s Women’s Liberal Commission, Elizabeth Fry Society, United Way campaign and the Kelowna mayor’s task force on youth issues. Working with the Liberal party, Francis believes her values will be upheld. “The Liberal party is my political party. It has the best options for the kind of Canada I want to live in.” But as she takes the reigns as the local representative, Francis says there is some work to be done in preparation for a possible election. “Harper could go to the governor general as early as Sept. 2,” she said, as she works to pull the campaign team together.“We need to be ready.”

In Okanagan-Shuswap, the federal Liberals have traditionally run third behind the Conservatives and the NDP, but Francis is confident the ranking could change in the next election. “One vote at a time is how we’re going to win this,” she said. The OSLRA will also be looking at replacing their president, who is currently Francis. Along with her election, Francis also celebrated another good news story with an engagement party for her son and his fiancé Saturday.