A graphic of a Canadian flag is publicly displayed at the Pioneer Walkway in Osoyoos, B.C., on March 28.Aaron Hemens/The Globe and Mail
For two regulars at a popular pub in Osoyoos, B.C., the topic of Pierre Poilievre’s support for the convoy protest that descended on the nation’s capital three years ago is a litmus test of their broader political views.
To Michael Matthews, who works in hospitality, the Conservative Leader’s appearance at the demonstration turned occupation was a “brutal” endorsement of a group that included people displaying Nazi flags and other hateful imagery.
“Is that Canadian? No,” said Mr. Matthews, taking a swig of his beer. “He doesn’t deserve to hold office.”
To Chad Dinning, an auto wrecker two seats over, Mr. Poilievre’s willingness to engage with the protesters is precisely what makes him appealing.
“[Justin] Trudeau wouldn’t talk to his people, but Poilievre was roaming around the streets,” Mr. Dinning said. “You got a guy who can mingle with people.”
The resort town of Osoyoos may be known as an idyllic, sun-drenched retreat in the heart of B.C.’s wine country, but it is grappling with some of the biggest ballot issues in this year’s federal election.
An aerial view of Osoyoos Lake and the town of Osoyoos, B.C., on March 28.Aaron Hemens/The Globe and Mail
Located at the border with Washington State, Osoyoos has felt a real and immediate impact from U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war, with some business owners already eyeing potential closings. It’s also dealing with the persistent doctor shortage and emergency department disruptions afflicting many Canadian municipalities – an issue that is top of mind for many of the seniors who make up 44 per cent of the town’s 5,500 residents.
Climate-related issues factor prominently as well. Cold snaps decimated Okanagan wine grapes for two consecutive years, and a wildfire two summers ago threatened thousands of properties before shifting winds turned it away from the town centre.
Osoyoos is part of a provincial electoral district that has gone right-of-centre in most elections, and a federal electoral district, now called Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay, that has voted NDP in the past three elections.
Like the diversity of wines produced in this region, there is a wide range of opinions on who is best positioned to lead the country.
Michael Matthews has a cup of coffee outside of Gino’s Coffee House in Osoyoos, B.C., on March 28.Aaron Hemens/The Globe and Mail
Mr. Matthews, a self-described centrist, feels that Mark Carney is the tactician Canada now needs to take on the U.S. President – a no-nonsense leader backed by a good team.
“Mélanie Joly as Foreign Affairs Minister, strong as they get,” he said. “Chrystia Freeland? Amazing.”
Mr. Dinning, who moved to Osoyoos from Langley, in B.C.’s Fraser Valley, for the lower cost of living, blames the Liberal Party for rising unaffordability and is drawn to Mr. Poilievre’s various promises to cut taxes. Asked about the trade war, he says Canada would be better off as the 51st state and that he would be living in Florida if not for the requirement of a work visa.
Signs pointing towards the Duty Free entrance shop outside of the Oroville-Osoyoos Border Crossing in Osoyoos, B.C., on March 27.Aaron Hemens/The Globe and Mail
At the border across from Oroville, Wash., is the Osoyoos Duty Free shop, owned by Cameron Bissonnette and his family since the mid-1980s. Licensed by the federal government, duty-free shops sell goods without certain Canadian duties and taxes to travellers who are immediately departing the country, leaving little room to pivot during a trade war.
Cameron Bissonnette, the owner of the Osoyoos Duty Free shop, stands inside of his store in Osoyoos, B.C., near the Oroville-Osoyoos Border Crossing, on March 27.Aaron Hemens/The Globe and Mail
Mr. Bissonnette said the COVID-19 pandemic was the “initial atom bomb” to his business, and he fears the trade war will be the death knell. He had once envisioned handing down the shop to his two children, now in their 20s, but now doubts there is a future in it. He himself is in the process of changing careers, having just obtained his licence to become a mortgage broker.
“It’s just exhausting, trying to get into a new career in your early 50s, when you thought maybe you’d be 10 years away from retirement,” he said. “You stand around, you look at the landscape and you’re like, ‘How did this happen?’ ”
Mr. Bissonnette cited the $6.5-billion aid package Ottawa announced in March for businesses hit by the trade war, and he noted that he is still working to pay off his Canada Emergency Business Account loan from the pandemic.
He has not yet decided how he will vote, but said he hopes the next government meaningfully addresses the soaring cost of living.
“I don’t know if that’s rolling back income taxes or the GST or what it is, but it’s just harder for people now to make ends meet,” he said. “And everybody I talk to in my social circle, they all say the same thing.”
At a bustling café on Osoyoos’s main thoroughfare, Lyndsay Beck scrambles to wipe down tables and dish out hearty sandwiches and nutrient-packed power bowls during a busy lunch service. The 37-year-old, who manages the café owned by her mother and sister, says she is not particularly engaged in political discourse and is disheartened by how divisive it has become.
Still, Ms. Beck says 10 years is too long for any party to be in government, and that she will be voting for change this election. Mr. Poilievre’s Conservative Party also seems more attuned to issues of local importance, such as addressing housing needs and the fentanyl crisis, she said.
Canadian nationalism on display at the Red Barn Farm & Market in Osoyoos, B.C., found just after crossing into Canada from the United States via the Oroville-Osoyoos Border Crossing, on March 28.Aaron Hemens/The Globe and Mail
“Listening to the things that Poilievre talks about – like wanting to take care of us – I feel it’s more about family and community, where everything else seems more about money and global [issues],” she said.
Outside their lakefront home, Brenda McPherson and her husband have affixed two Canadian flags. One stays up year-round, Ms. McPherson says, and the other, usually brought out during the summer, has made an early debut in response to the trade war.
The retiree, whose roots in Osoyoos date back to the 1960s, said health care and the economy are among her top election issues. She says she would have voted Liberal regardless of the leader, citing a dislike of Mr. Poilievre’s politics, but that Mr. Carney seems best suited to navigate the trade war.
“I think it’s very important that the Prime Minister is able to stand up to Mr. Trump – and I use ‘Mister’ lightly,” she said. “I think it’s absolutely necessary we have somebody strong as a Prime Minister and won’t take any of Trump’s nonsense. So, I’m hoping Carney’s the one to do it.”
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