Clark courts future voters
Campaign trail takes premier to Easter event in Westbank on Friday
Christy Clark has a cat named Kevin — and it’s female. This tidbit was revealed Friday as the premier chatted with seven-yearold Sonia Wannop at an Easter event at Westbank Lions Community Hall.
While Clark is campaigning for reelection in Kelowna West in the May 9 provincial vote, there was no mention of the date, politics or platforms at this particular gathering of members of the First Naitaka District Girl Guides and their parents.
Instead, the premier made small talk with youngsters.
Which is how it came about that Clark asked Sonia if she had a cat.
Why yes, Sonia does have a girl cat called Sasha.
The premier responded with the fact she, too, has a cat.
“Called Kevin and it’s a girl. Isn’t that crazy?” said Clark.
“My son (Hamish, now 15) named her.”
At this point, the premier resumed colouring a picture of an Easter bunny with Sonia.
“What shall we name this rabbit? Kevin?” asked Clark.
“No. Fluffy,” answered Sonia deadpan.
There were other conversations with young Girl Guides that produced responses you can only get when you speak with kids.
The premier asked another little girl with her face painted if she was supposed to be an Easter bunny. “No, I’m a cat,” retorted the girl. Clark asked another gathering of Girl Guides what Easter is all about.
The premier even gave a hint that it might be about Jesus dying on the cross and rising again.
When that went nowhere, Clark quickly changed topic and asked: “What are your favourite kinds of Easter eggs?”
An animated discussion followed with girls rhyming off chocolate, marshmallow, pink and yellow.
The Girl Guides aren’t supposed to be political, so we’re doing this as a community event. I don’t even think the girls know who Christy Clark is. Guide unit leader Stephanie Illig
On her way out, Clark bought four boxes of Girl Guide cookies.
The impromptu event was organized just 24 hours before when Gordon Weibe — a financial planner, member of the Shannon Lake Neighbourhood Association and member of the Westside Kelowna B.C. Liberal Riding Association — asked the Girl Guides if they’d like to attend an Easter event that the premier would pop in on.
“The Girl Guides aren’t supposed to be political, so we’re doing this as a community event,” said First Naitaka District West Kelowna unit leader Stephanie Illig.
“I don’t even think the girls know who Christy Clark is.”
However, Sonia, the Girl Guide with the girl cat called Sasha, did have some insight. “She kind of controls B.C.,” she said. The premier went on to drop in at the giant Easter egg hunt Victory Life Fellowship Church puts on every year at the Parkinson Recreation Centre in Kelowna.
She also helped make pancakes for the crowd of 3,000 with fellow Liberal MLAs seeking re-election — Steve Thomson in the Kelowna Mission riding and Norm Letnick in Kelowna Lake Country.
Clark wrapped up the day with an appearance at the Kamloops campaign office of Kamloops North Thompson Liberal candidate Peter Milobar.