Delta residents are saying it’s time for a change.
That’s what federal election candidate Carla Qualtrough is saying as she hits the campaign trail as the Liberal candidate in this riding.
Qualtrough, a Ladner resident who is legally blind, will be running against Conservative incumbent Kerry-Lynne Findlay and the NDP’s Jeremy Leveque in the Oct. 19 election.
She’s a lawyer, human rights advocate and Paralympic medalist, currently the vice-president of the Americas Paralympic Committee.
A Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient in 2012, Qualtrough said she has been traveling throughout Delta, meeting with and listening to members of the community.
“It is clear that many of us want to see a change in our government and our representation. We want change that will make a difference: change that will help families make ends meet; change that will protect our environment; change that will bring this country together and restore Canadians' relationship with their government,” she said..
Qualtrough also said the Liberals with Justin Trudeau at the helm will provided increased support for families who need it the most, will restore openness to Canadian government and will strengthen Canadian democracy. Her platform also stressed protecting the environment and taking action on climate change.
“I am excited to be a part of this plan for change, and I believe it is the best alternative for Delta. We have a wonderful, vibrant, and diverse community - a community that I chose to raise a family in because of its many strengths,” she said. “Our community must be at the heart of decision making. People must be involved and included in the decisions that affect them. People need a representative who listens to them and who responds.”
The Liberals are counting a huge reversal of fortune from their terrible showing four years ago.
The Conservatives won another majority in the 2011 election with 167 seats across the nation. The New Democrats made history by becoming the official opposition with a record 102 seats, a victory that came largely at the expense of the Liberals and Bloc Quebecois. The Greens also made history by capturing their first seat.
In the riding of Delta-Richmond East, newcomer Findlay took over from longtime Conservative MP John Cummins, who retired from federal politics, and got another convincing victory for the Conservatives, winning 54.2 per cent of the vote. That election saw the NDP's Nic Slater win 23.3 per cent of the vote, the most the party ever got in the riding, while Liberal Alan Beesley (16.9 per cent) and the other candidates trailed far behind.
This time around could not only see some changes on the national scene with Trudeau as the new Liberal leader but also locally with the Delta riding having been reconfigured. South Delta has been separated from Richmond and now joins North Delta, creating a Delta-only riding. North Delta had previously been part of a riding that included Surrey’s Newton area. New Democrat Jinny Sinns won that riding in the last election, but it remains to be seen whom the majority of voters will choose in the new Delta riding and if things are close.
The elections prediction website ThreeHundredEight.com suggests Delta will be the tightest three-way race in this province with Leveque winning by a narrow margin.
