A sixth candidate in the Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee riding has put his name forward ahead of the April 28 federal election.
Vernon's Korry Zepik has announced he is running as an Independent for his local riding and told The Morning star Friday that Elections Canada has certified his candidacy.
Zepik said he is a "staunch Independent" who isn't interested in being attached to any form of partisan ideology.
As his campaign slogan states, he is for a "progressive and United Canada," and his focus is on "ethical, intelligent, fact-based decision-making," he said.
Zepik was motivated to run in part out of his misgivings about leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre.
"I've been gravely concerned that if Mr. Poilievre gets in office as the prime minister, that he will do a poor job of protecting our sovereignty, our economy, us," he said. "So I decided to do something about that."
He has a history of opposing right-leaning party leaders electorally. In 2013 he ran in a provincial by-election in Westside-琉璃神社 against the BC Liberal leader, then Premier Christy Clarke (who had been defeated in Vancouver-Point Grey by current B.C. Premier David Eby in the general election). Clarke won the by-election while Zepik took 31 votes. In 2015 he moved all the way to Calgary a few months before that year's federal election in order to run against former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper in his home riding.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Zepik became known in Vernon as the counter-protester who faithfully stood across the street from the so-called "freedom rallies" that took place every Saturday at the Polson Park fountain. The protests 鈥� which still crop up on weekends 鈥� decried provincial health mandates and showed support for the Freedom Convoy when it was making its way to Ottawa to protest pandemic measures. Zepik regularly counter-protested on Saturdays in Vernon with signs that questioned the logic of the protests.
He said he learned a lot from that experience. He says there were kernels of truth beneath the claims being espoused at the protests, and even if those kernels often morphed into more dubious claims and accusations, at the heart of those protests were, in his view, some principled grievances.
"I would go and I would follow these (protests) with a critical eye and see how they were working, and I found that although the emotions are honest and the concepts are honest in a lot of these things, small bits of correct information got mishandled," he said.
Zepik wants to address wealth inequality and the interference of corporations in government. He envisions an economic model in which publicly owned companies are created. These, according to his vision, would be different from Crown corporations that he says are kept afloat whether or not they make money; they would be profit-making entities and their profit margins would largely go back to the people. He envisions a development corporation along these lines that could provide "sustainable, climate resilient housing at affordable prices."
He suggests it's possible to "twin the economy," keeping the current speculative/competitive market while introducing a non-competitive/co-operative economy.
Zepik's platform includes pharmacare and dental care, keeping health care in the public sector, and an idea for a high-speed passenger rail line across Canada. Other policy goals of his are diversifying international trade and keeping sovereign control of inland Canadian waters.
