Sunday September 1, 2024 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Now that the BC Greens have finally announced their candidate for Langford-Highlands, election campaign momentum will build more stridently in the newly created electoral area.
Langford-Highlands encompasses two distinct populations — the robust urbanizing City of Langford and the District of Highlands where environment-first is a strong stance.
The race in the new Langford-Highlands riding is BC NDP candidate Ravi Parmar’s to lose. He has the momentum of being former Premier John Horgan’s pick in that riding. Parmar handily won the June 2023 by-election in Langford-Juan de Fuca and maintains strong education system connections after being SD62 board chair.
And he is clearly a rising star within the BC NDP government now under Premier David Eby. Of the three candidates he will have the most in-depth knowledge of government action on current issues.
There were three other candidates in the Langford-Highlands race until August 28 when the BC United Party collapsed their campaign, resulting in now-former BC United candidate Sean Flynn being now out of the Langford-Highlands race. That leaves Mike Harris (BC Conservative) and Erin Cassels (BC Green) to run the race up against Parmar.
Harris nicely rode the momentum for ‘common sense’ change in the June 2023 Langford-Juan de Fuca by-election, coming in second behind Parmar; that momentum continues BC-wide which could help put Harris over the finish line, especially if some progressive voters shift their vote from NDP to Green.
Cassels will be the only woman on the ballot which could be to her advantage as well as self-identifying as Indigenous.
Apparently all Langford-Highlands candidates will soon be holding meet-and-greets at Poncho’s Cafe in downtown Langford.
[Editor’s Note: Ravi Parmar was strongly supported by fellow west shore MLA Mitzi Dean who on August 31, 2024 announced she would not be seeking re-election in the October 2024 provincial election]
“Langford-Highlands race is on” was first published on page 3 in the August 23, 2024 print/PDF edition of Island Social Trends.
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===== RELATED:
- Mitzi Dean pulls out of election 2024 (August 31, 2024)
- The Langford-Highlands race is on (August 23, 2024)
- Rob Fleming not running in 2024 election (July 4, 2024)
- Government’s job to keep running the province (June 18, 2024)
- NEWS SECTIONS: BC ELECTION 2024 | POLITICS | VANCOUVER ISLAND