Prime Minister Stephen Harper has set the wheels in motion for a federal election campaign leading up to a October 19th vote.
At roughly 11 weeks this will be the longest federal campaign in Canadian history, but the major parties have already been on election footing in our area for months.
And, with some high profile retirements and rejigged riding boundaries Vancouver Island, at least, is going to be sending new faces to Ottawa.
The only incumbents in the mix are Conservatives. John Duncan – who represented the old riding of Vancouver Island North, is running in Courtenay Alberni, and John Weston is seeking re-election in West Vancouver Sunshine Coast.
The Conservatives are also the only party with a candidate slot still to fill in our area.
The party says it expects to nominate someone to run in Cowichan Malahat Langford, one of the ridings created when Nanaimo Cowichan was broken up, by the end of the month.
To ensure you’re registered, and find other key voter information visit the Elections Canada website.
Here are the confirmed candidates in our area.
Cowichan Malahat Langford
CPC – TBA
LIB – Marina Manna
NDP – Alistair MacGregor
GREEN – Fran Hunt-Jinnouchi
Nanaimo Ladysmith
CPC – Mark MacDonald
LIB – Tim Tessier
NDP – Sheila Malcolmson
GREEN – Paul Manly
Courtenay Alberni
CPC – John Duncan (I – from old Vancouver Island North)
LIB – Carrie Powell Davidson
NDP – Gord Johns
GREEN – Glen Sollit
