While the November municipal election may be the focus of Nanaimo politicos, candidates for the 2015 Canadian federal election are throwing their hats in the ring as well.
The federal Conservative Party and NDP have announced candidates for the newly formed Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding – Mark MacDonald and Sheila Malcolmson respectively – and their counterparts from the Liberals and Green Party are in the process of doing the same.
According to Shaun Govender, federal Liberal B.C. executive director, the party is currently in the process of vetting candidates. There isn’t a list of candidates nor a date set for a nomination meeting, however there are four serious people going through the process.
“There’s no one available for us right now to publicly comment on that have completed the entire green-lighting process,” said Govender.
“That [nomination meeting] will not be decided until the candidates that have shown interest have completed their paperwork, so it’s dependent upon several factors that are somewhat outside of the control of the party at the moment,” he said.
Kathryn Hazel, Green Party of Canada electoral district association CEO, said her party is actively searching but doesn’t have any candidates yet.
MacDonald was acclaimed as the Conservative candidate and Malcolmson beat out four other candidates for the NDP’s Nanaimo-Ladysmith nomination.
The electoral riding boundaries were re-drawn, with the former Nanaimo-Alberni and Nanaimo-Cowichan ridings replaced by Nanaimo-Ladysmith. The new riding stretches approximately from Lantzville to south of Ladysmith.
Nanaimo-area members of Parliament James Lunney (Conservative) and Jean Crowder (NDP) both announced within the last year they would not seek re-election.
The 42nd Canadian federal election is expected to take place in 2015.