Riding Profile: Chilliwack Hope
Posted May 7, 2013 7:02 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CHILLIWACK (NEWS1130) – The Fraser Valley isn’t exactly well-known for being a hotbed of NDP support, so it was a big surprise last year when the party elected an MLA in what had long been a Liberal stronghold.
News1130’s series of “Your Vote” riding profiles continues with this look at Chilliwack-Hope.
The riding was solidly Liberal until April of last year, when a by-election to replace former Attorney General Barry Penner delivered an unusual result.
The NDP’s Gwen O’Mahony came up the middle to take the seat, leading to speculation the Liberals and the BC Conservatives split up the vote on the right.
For O’Mahony, this election is all about integrity. “The overriding issue, the overarching issue is that of good government. Who do we trust? Who can we trust? I think that’s the ballot box issue of the day. That’s what people are looking for.”
“Certainly, we have a record, and it’s very easy when you have no record to be perfect,” admits Liberal Laurie Throness, who is back for a rematch.
He admits no government is without flaws.
“Any government would do wrong things and we’ve admitted our mistakes quite freely,” he says. “There are a number of new people running. We think that there will be a lot of renewal in the new government and so we’re looking forward to change when we get to Victoria.”
This time, the BC Conservatives will be represented by Michael Henshall, as John Martin is running next door in Chilliwack as a Liberal, while the Greens are choosing not to run a candidate there.
