Mike de Jong has announced that he will be running as an Independent in the riding of Abbotsford-South Langley.
The move comes just weeks after the Conservative Party snubbed the lifelong politician, barring him from being a candidate under their banner.
"The families of Abbotsford-South Langley are on the front line economically and geographically of the attacks that have been launched against Canada by Donald Trump," De Jong wrote in a post on Facebook.
"Now, more than ever, this community deserves a federal representative who is capable of speaking forcefully and thoughtfully on their behalf."
He went on to declare that, "the people that I have represented for decades in the BC Legislature should not be forced to accept a candidate that has been imposed upon them by some backroom party hacks in Ottawa, particularly when the individual being forced upon them has demonstrated absolutely no capacity to discharge the duties of a member of Parliament."
"I'm offering to stand as an independent candidate because the people of Abbotsford-South Langley deserve the strongest possible representation," De Jong reiterated. "These party operatives in Ottawa overruled the local committee and forced through a candidate who was unanimously rejected by that local selection committee violating the basic principle of grassroots democracy that should be at the heart of our electoral system."
De Jong revealed that his campaign would focus on ensuring a fiscally responsible government, reducing taxes, helping those struggling with addiction, working to restore public safety, strengthening the military, and boosting our economy.
The man the Conservatives chose to represent the party in Abbotsford-South Langley was Sukhman Singh Gill, a local farmer and lifelong resident of the community.
The decision caught many off guard, as he has relatively little political experience while De Jong has been in the business for decades.
De Jong was raised in Matsqui, and after going to university to become a lawyer, returned to the community and entered politics. He first served as a trustee for School District 34 before running for the BC Liberals in a 1994 by-election. His dethroning of the Social Credit Party, who had held the riding for 42 years, catapulted his career. Over the following decades, de Jong held numerous cabinet positions, including minister of health, and minister of finance.
