Tuesday April 8, 2025 | LANGFORD, BC [Posted at 9:39 pm | Updated April 11, 2025]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
On Sunday, Blair Herbert was just a few days into his Liberal campaign in Cowichan-Malahat-Langford when Liberal Leader Mark Carney came to town for a rally of the party faithful in downtown Victoria.
Herbert joined the party leader in the crowd at the Edelweiss Club in Victoria which was full to its capacity of 300 people, and more Liberal supporters waited outside.
The next day, Herbert had a chance to discuss issues of concern to voters, in a chat with Carney after the Liberal Leader’s media event in Saanichton. Issues included financial security for seniors in challenging economic times, expansion of the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors, softwood lumber, and housing.
Third election:
This is a third election run for Blair Herbert, a Realtor with a career background in the RCMP and as a federal immigration officer. Now in his 60s and with his four children grown, he is settled in the Cowichan Valley where he works and enjoys farming with his wife.
In both 2019 and 2021 Herbert ran against NDP incumbent Alistair MacGregor. This time he has seemed quite prepared to launch with signs and door knocking ready to roll last week.
“This is a totally different election,” Herbert told Island Social Trends on Sunday. He feels that given the strident style of Poilievre that the “more progressive side of the Conservatives” will come over to the Liberals in the April 28 election.
“I’m pleased to share that Blair Herbert will be the Liberal Candidate for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford in the next federal election, and will continue building on our hard work to keep Canada moving forward,’ said Terry Duguid, National Campaign Co-Chair, Liberal Party of Canada in the announcement about Herbert’s candidacy on March 26.
Born in Ottawa as part of a military family, Blair moved often with his family and learned early the value of finding common ground and building new relationships quickly; qualities that he embraces to this day. He has an easy-going manner and is clearly a long-time Liberal.
Blair believes that difficult times can present amazing opportunities, to which he brings his business and leadership experience.
Campaigning:
“We’re identifying lots of Liberals at the door. We’re not running into NDP supporters at this point,” Herbert told Island Social Trends. But he notes that “Trump anxiety is huge”.
His campaign signs have gone up around town over the last several days. Blair Herbert’s red Liberal signs are mingled in among those of his competitors in this riding: NDP incumbent Alistair MacGregor (orange signs); Conservative candidate Jeff Kibble (blue signs); and Green candidate Kathleen Code (green signs).
A line in the sand:
Herbert feels that the NDP should not be taking credit for the dental plan, child care and other social programs that the Trudeau Liberal government brought in over the last couple of years.
Though it’s a fact that the Supply and Confidence Agreement between the Liberals and NDP (spring 2022 to early fall 2024) allowed the Liberals to stabilize their minority government, with the NDP demands for things like dental, Pharmacare, anti-scab legislation, and school food program funding being the requirement for continuation of the agreement. Herbert sees the agreement that propped up the Trudeau government as the Liberals “being on side with them (the NDP)”.
“Even former NDP Leader Tom Mulcair is against the NDP,” he points out in the context of this being “a different election”. Herbert feels that “the NDP population is getting older” and that younger voters may look elsewhere this time.
Carbon tax out:
Now that the federal government has ended the consumer carbon tax “there’s a $3 billion hole in the budget”, says Herbert. And of course he’s concerned that low-income families will miss the associate carbon tax rebate which has ended (except for a payment this month, to tide people over in this election campaign period).
A system of reducing carbon emissions needs to still be put in place, he said.
The Malahat divide:
The large Cowichan-Malahat-Langford electoral area is “two separate communities”, says Herbert. From Duncan, the Cowichan Valley, Mill Bay, Cobble Hill and Shawnigan on the one side, then down the Malahat stretch of Highway 1 to the Langford side of the riding, it’s a lot to cover.
He’s been door-knocking on both sides of the riding, where housing is a problem in all areas of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford as it is in many regions of urban Canada. Blair feels there needs to be more federal support for housing development, something which Carney talked more about this week on the campaign trail.
“Federal money has been lacking” in the region. Vancouver Island is a long way from Ottawa, so it’s easy for far-flung regions to be overlooked.
“We don’t have a big voice in Parliament,” says Blair about the Vancouver Island region. Six of the seven Vancouver Island ridings have been held by NDP MPs since 2011, and the seventh has been Green.
“There’s very little affordable housing in the region,” said Herbert. He believes a Liberal government can improve on that.
Meet-and-Greet:
Voters in Cowichan-Malahat-Langford are welcome to come meet with Blair Herbert for casual conversation at Poncho’s Cafe (115-755 Goldstream Ave, Langford) on Saturday April 12 (9:30 to 11:30 am), and Friday April 18 (12:30 to 2:30 pm).
===== RELATED:
- Liberal Leader Mark Carney rallies the party faithful in Victoria (April 6, 2025)
- Cowichan-Malahat-Langford candidate campaign signage around town (April 5, 2025)