Thursday, March 28, 2024

Race to replace John Horgan in Langford-Juan de Fuca riding begins

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It will soon be election time again for those in the Langford-Juan de Fuca electoral district. 

With John Horgan’s retirement on March 31st, the BC NDP will be trying to replace the long-standing MLA who led the party as premier for four years with one of their own.

BC NDP’s candidate

As of April 12th, Ravi Parmer, Sooke School District Board Chair has put his name forward seeking a nomination to fill the void left by former premier Horgan as Langford-Juan de Fuca’s MLA.

“No one can replace John Horgan—those are big shoes to fill,” said Parmar. “But I’m excited to bring my energy and experience to help build on his extraordinary record of service to the people of this constituency.”

In his public campaign launch, Parmer thanked Horgan along with several others for encouraging him to put his name in the hat to become the former premier and MLA’s replacement in the Legislature. 

“The BC NDP in Langford Juan-De Fuca has a long tradition of electing strong MLAs to fight for good jobs and better health care, education, housing and childcare,” said Parmar. 

“With one the youngest and fastest growing populations in the province, we can’t let up. We need to improve our transportation infrastructure, protect our environment, and promote local small businesses.” 

“As MLA, I will work hard for our constituency and for a strong BC that works for everyone.”

Parmer was born in Victoria and raised in Langford by parents who immigrated to Canada. 

His affinity for politics began at a young age as he mobilized his peers in high school to pressure the BC government to build two new schools to replace Belmont Secondary in Langford. 

Soon after graduation, Parmer was elected as a school board trustee for the Sooke School District—making him the youngest trustee in the country.

In 2017, he claimed his seat as Board Chair and oversaw new schools being built and opened as well as 2,200 new students entering the education system.

Parmer has also contributed as a senior advisor to BC’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation over the years and he has a degree in Political Science and a minor in Public Administration from the University of Victoria.

He says he believes in the BC NDPs and hopes to join their ranks to be a leader for his community. 

“Premier Eby and our BC NDP government are working every day for people, tackling the challenges our province faces head on, from the affordability and housing crises, to protecting and improving health care for patients,” said Parmer. 

“They have made a lot of progress, but there is more work to be done. I hope to join them as the MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca to carry out that important work.”

BC Green Party’s candidate

Camille Currie announced she will be the BC Green Party’s candidate for the Langford-Juan de Fuca riding and will be holding a meet and greet with leader Sonia Furstenau and deputy leader Lisa Gunderson as well.

“I am honored to be joining the BC Green Party at a time when politics needs to directly reflect the needs of British Columbians,” said Currie. 

“More than ever, we need political leaders to be calling for nothing short of revolutionary change.” 

Currie is the founder and President of BC Healthcare Matters, which is a non-profit organization trying to make public healthcare more accessible to all British Columbians.

She has a degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Alberta and before recent entrepreneurial endeavours, worked for the Integrity Services department of the federal government on top of being an avid activist.

Currie was born in Metchosin and now lives in Langford with her spouse and two children. 

One of her major focusses, if elected as the riding’s MLA, will be to bring more physicians to the region after she and her family lost their family doctor in 2022. Already, as a civilian, Currie has garnered 50,000 signatures for a petition to bring forth legislation that will solve the issue. 

“The BC healthcare system needs to provide high quality care with no barriers to access, and I believe the BC Green Party is the party that can make that a reality,” said Currie.

She continues to organize rallies and public meetings to ensure all voices are heard in the Legislature in regards to public healthcare access.

Aside from her activist roots, Currie owns and operates  Actualize Personal Training in the Westshore. She began personal training because she is passionate about helping people improve their mental and physical health and well-being.

BC United’s candidate

The newly rebranded BC United (formally BC Liberals) have not yet announced who their candidate will be for the electoral district.

A date for the by-election to fill the vacant riding seat has not been set, nor has a Chief Electoral Officer been declared to oversee the by-election. 

More to come.

mm
Curtis Blandy
curtis@victoriabuzz.com

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