A Tri-City provincial riding that has swung between the BC NDP and BC Liberals for the past decade is getting a close look by the latter as it looks forward to the next election.
This week, the BC Liberals officially opened nominations in 11 “key ridings” around the province — including Port Moody-Coquitlam — in the lead-up to the Oct. 16, 2021 vote.
Currently, the seat is held by the NDP’s Rick Glumac, a first-term backbencher who bested BC Liberal MLA Linda Reimer by 1,844 votes in the 2017 race.
BC Liberals' election readiness committee is also targeting the electoral districts of: Abbotsford South, Courtenay-Comox, Maple Ridge-Mission, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, Mid Island-Pacific Rim,New Westminster, North Vancouver-Lonsdale, Oak Bay-Gordon Head, Vancouver-Fairview and Vancouver-Fraserview.
The committee chose the 11 ridings for the first round of nominations in consultation with the local riding associations.
In a press release, leader Andrew Wilkinson said the party wants to get “strong candidates in place who can get started early on listening to voters, building their teams and standing up for communities left behind by the NDP.”
The BC Liberals said it’s interested in hearing from potential candidates from diverse backgrounds as well as women, millennials and residents from other under-represented groups.
To be nominated, candidates must provide a letter of intent and undergo a due-diligence process (questionnaire, criminal record and credit checks, and social media history review).
Riding members will select their candidates in the new year.
