Nanaimo-Gabriola's former B.C. United candidate will now represent the B.C. Conservative Party in the upcoming election.
Dale Parker has been chosen to replace Viraat Thammanna as the party's candidate, following last week's news that Kevin Falcon, leader of B.C. United, suspended that party's campaign and encouraged supporters to unite behind the Conservatives to "prevent another four years of disastrous NDP government."
"The B.C. United Party was a conservative party, they have very similar values to the B.C. Conservatives, so it's not a big shift for me," Parker told the News Bulletin.
He said he was "caught off-guard" by the announcement that his party would be suspending the campaign, but trusts that Falcon made the decision "for the best of British Columbia."
"My intention would be to work with the Conservative Party to understand their policies and there's going to be an alignment between lots of them, I'm positive of that and when there's a difference I'm going to work to understand their position on those," he said. "I don't want to make uninformed decisions or draw conclusions that are uninformed – I think that goes on quite a bit."
The candidate said his priorities will be on crime, the drug crisis, homelessness and affordability.
"Each of those particular things is going to require a strategy I'm going to have to put some thought [in] and work with the party on where the party is at with the strategy. But I do have some contacts on the ground in Nanaimo who are dealing with these issues on a daily basis, and so I will be soliciting input from them," said Parker, who lives in Mill Bay.
If there was a message to get out to voters, he said it's time for change.
"It's time for change in B.C. and it's time for change in Nanaimo and that I'm going to work very hard to give them proper representation which they have not had for many years."
The other candidates in the riding are Sheila Malcolmson of the B.C. NDP and Shirley Lambrecht of the B.C. Green Party. Election day is Oct. 19.
