Liberal candidate removes Trudeau's image from her campaign car
Says it's not about the prime minister's popularity
A federal Liberal candidate in the southern Interior of B.C. says there's no political motive in having a picture of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau removed from her campaign car.
Connie Denesiuk is running for the Liberals for a second time in the riding of South Okanagan—West Kootenay.
In 2015, Denesiuk had a picture of herself and the Liberal leader applied to the front door of her brand new Subaru.
"In 2015, I wasn't well known in the West Kootenay, and, so, it was important to connect people with who I was, Team Trudeau," said Denesiuk. "My car is very much a statement to the people throughout the South Okanagan and West Kootenay."
Denesiuk increased Liberal support
Denesiuk did well in the election, increasing Liberal votes by more than 20 per cent and turning the riding into a fairly tight three-way race.
She was the only major candidate to gain in votes in the riding and spent a fraction of the Conservatives and New Democrats on her campaign.
The New Democratic Party's Richard Cannings won the riding, but Denesiuk came within a couple percentage points of the Conservative who dropped by 15 per cent.
Denesiuk is back again this year, and so is the campaign car, but gone is the picture of Trudeau, replaced by a larger picture of her with the slogan ... "for bold leadership."
Denesiuk says the change in look has nothing to do with the prime minister's popularity in Western Canada.
"I do have his name, Team Trudeau on the front of the car but, I was able to get an updated, newer picture of myself. And so it's bigger, It's bolder," she said.
The Conservatives aren't buying it.
Conservative MP Dan Albas from the neighbouring Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola riding gleefully tweeted out a before and after shot of Denesiuk's campaign vehicle and wrote:
"Same Liberal candidate from 2015 is running again in South-Okanagan West Kootenay in 2019. Something seems to be missing ...."
Denesiuk points out it says Team Trudeau on the hood of her Subaru and says she doesn't want to play that kind of politics.
She says her campaign vehicle gets all kinds of positive response with some negative peppered in and she's busy zipping around the riding in it.