2 weeks Ago By Malin Jordan
Four of five candidates in the riding of Cloverdale-Langley City answered questions at an all-candidates meeting April 16 for the upcoming election. Tamara Jansen, Conservative candidate and riding incumbent, was the only candidate not in attendance. Jim McMurtry (PPC), Vanessa Sharma (NDP), Kyle Latchford (Liberal), and Kevin Wilkie (Greens) were all present for the meeting at Cloverdale's 5 Star Catering.
The Q&A was organized by the Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce and sponsored once again by the About 80 people attended the event and gave answers to a series of pre-selected questions. The candidates were also given the questions ahead of time. NDP candidate Vanessa Sharma thought the ACM went well for her.
She felt she got her message across and connected with those in attendance. "I think it went really, really well," Sharma said. "Running in the byelection, I feel like I've had my fair share of practice there.
So, I feel good about my answers and I feel good about going into this election.” She added her campaign is not about becoming a career politician. She’s running to “make a difference” at the federal level for local people.
“That's what it’s about—the people,” she said. “Whether you vote for me or not, make sure your voice is heard. That’s the whole point of the job for everyone running—providing real solutions for all (constituents).
” Sharma said if elected, she will work to bring down the cost of housing. She used to live in the riding, but was forced to move to Chilliwack because she couldn't afford the rents in Surrey anymore. Green Party candidate Kevin Wilkie said he was satisfied with the answers he gave during the meeting.
It was his second meeting in as many nights, as he had been to the Surrey Board of Trade meeting the night before. “It was good,” Wilkie noted. “It was a relaxed atmosphere.
Everything that needed to be said, was said. So, I’m excited. I’m excited to see where we are going with this (campaign).
” He added that he hoped voters understand the 2025 federal election is more than just a two-horse race. “I want people to know that they can vote with their hearts and their feelings,” Wilkie said. “They don’t have to vote for who their parents voted for, or who their wife is voting for, or their husband.
I just want to say, ‘Make an informed decision.’ Wherever that lies, all the power to us.” People's Party candidate Jim McMurtry said the ACM was “generally a happy experience” for him, but he said he did hear some negative comments from his fellow panellists and from some of those gathered in the audience.
He also said he was frustrated by the perspective on spending given by the other three, much-younger panellists. “All they talk about is spending,” McMurtry said. “It’s just the most ruinous thing possible for Canada to revisit inflation and those high interest rates people experienced recently.
People cannot manage businesses, people cannot pay for their tuition or their mortgage.” He said the focus needs to be on curbing inflation. He said the affordability issues are top of mind for most families.
“If people are happy with the status quo, then their heads are in the sand,” he added. “We need to make our society better ..
. and we need to spend sparingly and keep the money for the things that are important.” McMurtry began the ACM by getting up and walking out while Scott Wheatley, the Cloverdale Chamber executive director, was reading a land acknowledgement.
“I wanted to express my disdain for identity politics where the focus is on this group or that group,” he said. “We're Canadians. We have equal rights guaranteed by the charter.
I walked out because it was my only visible way to conscientiously and respectfully object.” Liberal candidate Kyle Latchford said his message is simple and he thought he got it across at the ACM. “We need to stand up to Donald Trump, we need to build homes that people can afford, and we need to bring down the price of groceries,” Latchford noted.
He said his campaign was going well and he’s thankful for his team and the volunteers who’ve come out to support him. “The effort and the dedication from everybody on the team just makes every day that much easier,” he added. Latchford said he’s gotten a great response from people while door-knocking.
“(It’s) been absolutely phenomenal and we’re so heartened by it,” he noted. “We are very much looking forward to an election and we’re very much looking forward to electing a Liberal government in this riding.” The reached out via email to Jansen for comment and received a reply from Shanjeelin Dwivedi, Jansen’s press secretary, with comments attributed to Jansen.
Jansen said she was door-knocking during the ACM. “In a 3-hour evening shift, I can reach up to 120 homes and have great one-on-one interaction with voters,” Jansen explained. “I find those conversations are the best way to connect with and encourage supporters to go to the ballot box.
” Jansen added that she brings experience and a “proven track record” from previously being an MP along with a commitment to the communities in the riding of Cloverdale-Langley City. “As a business owner, parent, and long-time advocate, I understand the challenges families, workers, and small businesses face every day,” she noted. “I’ve always stood up for economic freedom, responsible governance, and protecting our rights and values.
” Jansen said she aims to be a “strong voice” if re-elected and will act in the interest of the the residents of the electoral district of Cloverdale-Langley City. “The biggest issue in this election is fixing our weak economy after 10 years of Liberal mismanagement,” she added. “Under their failed policies, the cost of living has skyrocketed, and home ownership is out of reach for many.
” The electoral district of Cloverdale-Langley City is about 60 per cent Cloverdale, about 25 per cent Langley, and about 12 per cent Newton. The riding is about 60 square kilometres in size with a population of more than 130,000. As of Nov.
10, there were 88,348 people on the electors list. Tamara Jansen recently won the riding in a byelection landslide in December, 2024. The riding had been without an MP since John Aldag resigned earlier in 2024 to run for the B.
C. NDP in the provincial election. Aldag lost his bid for a provincial seat, but has returned for the federal election and is running in the new riding of Langley Township-Fraser Heights against Conservative Tako van Popta.
A video of the ACM will be available on the in a few days. For info on how to vote, where to register, or anything else about the election, visit ..
