Amanda Jacobson is filling the spot for the B.C. Liberals in the Nanaimo-North Cowichan riding.
This election is the 32-year-old mortgage broker’s first crack at politics.
Jacobson grew up in Port Hardy and moved to Edmonton with her family in 1997 where she studied political science, sociology and history at the University of Alberta and worked with a bankruptcy trustee, in law firms and as a proofreader in the Edmonton Journal newsroom.
She returned to Vancouver Island in 2008 and earned her mortgage broker license through the UBC Sauder School of Business.
“Originally I’m an Island girl,” Jacobson said.
Jacobson said a big part of her reason to run in the election is to get people in her age group motivated to take an interest in provincial politics and issues.
“We’re really busy with our families and careers and we’re just not that politically involved, as a rule,” she said.
Aside from attending functions and knocking on doors to connect with as many voters as possible, she is also relying heavily on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
Jacobson said the outcome of this election will be crucial to B.C.’s economic future and that she believes a free enterprise market, backed by a government supporting free enterprise, is the best long-term solution for B.C.’s economic security and stability.
“We have an opportunity with this election to create our own security for us to move forward,” she said.
The biggest concerns she hears from people in her riding centre on increasing personal and provincial debt.
“From what I’m hearing, a lot of people are really worried about taking on more debt, personally and in the big picture as well,” Jacobson said.
“There’s a lot of fear… especially when we’re just coming out of this recession and things are just starting to turn around. People are pretty concerned.”
Jacobson said, if elected, she wants to be an approachable ear for her constituents, but mostly she would work to make her constituents more aware of issues and the political process.
“I would like to see more people politically aware of what’s going on – of what the issues are locally, provincially and globally and not just the stuff that hits the news,” Jacobson said.
To contact Jacobson, please visit www.bcliberals.combc_liberals_team or follow her on Twitter @Amanda_L_Jacobs.
Also running in Nanaimo-North Cowichan are Mayo McDonough (Green), John Sherry (B.C. Conservatives) and Doug Routley (NDP).