Alana DeLong has announced she will run for the Conservative Party of Canada in the Vancouver Island riding of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford in the federal election in October after securing the party’s nomination last month.
DeLong will run against the NDP’s Alistair MacGregor, who was elected in 2015 and was nominated by his party to run for re-election last December.
DeLong ran for the B.C. Liberal Party in the Nanaimo-North Cowichan riding in the provincial election in 2017 and came second in that contest with 28.47 per cent of the vote after the NDP’s Doug Routley, who was elected to a fourth consecutive term with 46.71 per cent of the vote.
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Born in Nelson and raised in the Okanagan and Victoria, DeLong now resides on Thetis Island with her husband and two dogs.
She is a former four-term Alberta MLA, who served in Calgary during a 14-year period and chaired the Alberta delegation at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, ultimately becoming the organization’s vice-president.
DeLong said she believes that financial responsibility in government benefits all citizens.
“I am running because the current federal Liberal government is doing irreparable damage to our country and our children’s future,” she said.
“Now is the time to stop the damage and get back to building up, not breaking down what makes Canada great. Now is the time for all of us to get out and work towards a better, Conservative government for our country.”
DeLong said the residents of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford deserve an experienced, dedicated voice that can deliver their concerns to the next government in Ottawa, and work toward solutions that make sense for the riding.
“My background as a devoted constituency-first representative and my strong connections will help give our district, our Island, and all of British Columbia a solid voice in a Conservative federal government,” she said.
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter