PENTICTON: Thousands showed up for Pierre Poilievre's first campaign rally in the Okanagan on Saturday.
There were so many people that the crowd flowed out of the venue into the parking lot.
People began lining up hours before doors opened, and kept coming even after the event kicked off.
Even those who didn't get in stuck around to listen in from outside.
Poilievre tailored his remarks to the local audience, event mentioning his viral interaction with a reporter just up the road during which he bit into an apple while being questioned.
He also brought up Levi Jo Kamps, a notorious local criminal who has been in and out of prison for years.
"When he's out of jail, he rises the crime rate for the entire city of Penticton," Poilievre said. "Maybe it’s time to leave Levi in jail?"
The rally was his second stop of the day in the Okanagan. In the morning he held a press conference an hour south in Osoyoos.