Late evening surge solidifies Cannings' third straight win

It was, as Yogi Berra once famously said, déjà vu all over again.

Except at the end.

On the 21st of October, 2019, NDP incumbent Richard Cannings and Conservative challenger Helena Konanz went to war. When the polls closed, they quickly opened huge gaps over their South Okanagan--West Kootenay compatriots and staged a head-to-head duel that wouldn't culminate 'til late in the evening.

On that night, Cannings would emerge triumphant. But by the slimmest of margins.

Twenty-three months and one pandemic later, not much had changed. Monday night, Sean Taylor was once again the People's Party of Canada candidate, Tara Howse was once again the Green Party's. The Liberals lost Connie Denesiuk but gained Ken Robertson.

And just like in 2019, Cannings and Konanz, who each received high-profile endorsements a day apart as the campaign wound down -- he David Suzuki and she Nancy Green Raine -- ran away with it.

And once more, the early numbers were crazy tight. Initially, Cannings led by single and double digits. Seventy minutes after voting ended, Konanz took her first lead of the night: 911 to 868 with 20 of 289 polls reporting. Just a half hour later, Cannings was narrowly back in front, 3842 to 3707.

But that's where the similarities ended. On this night, Cannings would keep on extending his lead. Soon enough it was 1,000, then 2,000, and this morning it stands at 3,500-plus (41.1% to 35.1% with 99.31% of polls reporting).

When Konanz ultimately called to congratulate the man who's now won the riding three times in succession, it was just after 10 pm and she and her posse were watching the big screen at downtown Penticton's Brexit Pub. And she was magnanimous in defeat.

"Richard has done quite well and I can say congratulations for doing so well," she told PentictonNow. "He obviously has the support he needs behind him, and now I just think it's a time for the community to come together and get through these difficult times."

Konanz said she believed both candidates ran solid campaigns, but added that "this is the voice of the people. This is what the people of South Okanagan--West Kootenay want."

If there was perceptible frustration, it came when Konanz addressed the national picture.

"We'd hoped we'd get a majority and I think it's a minority now for the Liberals," she said. "And now it looks like the people of Canada are going to have basically what we had five weeks ago. Unfortunately, it was $600 million spent, and that’s too bad because we don’t have a lot of money to waste right now."

When asked if she'd attempt candidacy again, Konanz was a wee bit non-committal.

"I'm not sure of future," she said. "I don't think I'd run again but it's hard to make major decisions at a time like this."

An hour later, the three-time champ and his team, who'd been on pandemic lockdown at their campaign office earlier in the evening, made their way to The Barking Parrot Bar for a celebratory drink.

"I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was even closer," said Cannings when stopped in the Lakeside Resort's lobby. "It's always a tough race in this riding, but I think the results tonight reflect the support we have in the riding for the NDP and from progressive voters."

"This was a different election. To fight an election in a pandemic when you can't do the normal things…it was a lot of hard work. It's very humbling as a candidate to realize you have literally hundreds of people working for you for free."

Cannings may have been unsure of the outcome for much of the evening but he was never unsure of his primary reasons for running again in 2021.

"I ran again this time because I thought there was a lot of unfinished business, particularly around the environment and climate. Especially with the wake-up calls we had this summer with the heat dome and the wildfires.

"This is what I got into politics for. I knew I needed need to do this again."

When pressed on what put him over the top this time, Cannings pointed to voter satisfaction.

"I hope it’s because people think I've been doing a good job representing them in Ottawa. When you are the incumbent, people will ask what kind of representative you've been. And what this tells me is that most people think I've been doing a good job. Most people think the NDP is a party that represents them well."

Like Konanz, Cannings spent a healthy chunk of time last night thanking family and friends and then freely admitted that not much had changed in the snap election called just a little more than a month ago.

"It’s hard to say how it'll shake down," he said, "but it looks like we (the NDP) gained three more seats. (This morning that number is one).

"So we're in a minority government again. But the NDP always punches above its weight in minority governments, and I think you can expect that'll happen once more. We'll push the Liberals to do better for all Canadians."

And that left but a single question. Would he entertain a fourth campaign somewhere down the road?

"Never say never," Cannings said with a smile.