Kitimat resident Claire Rattée is taking another run as the Conservative Party of Canada’s candidate for the job of Member of Parliament for the Skeena – Bulkley Valley riding.
Rattée a business owner and one-term member of the District of Kitimat council, also ran in the fall 2019 federal election, placing second to winner NDPer Taylor Bachrach who is also running again.
There may be no date announced yet by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but a string of spending announcements from cabinet ministers fanned out across the country has increased rumours that newly-installed Governor-General Mary Simon will be asked to dissolve Parliament early this fall.
Several other people, including Theresa Tait Day from the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, had also indicated they were in the running to be chosen as the Conservative candidate.
“When the nomination in Skeena—Bulkley Valley closed, we only had one successful applicant with a complete application – that was Claire Rattée,” said Conservative Party of Canada official Cory Hann.
Rattée, who has described herself as a libertarian, said during the 2019 campaign she would bring her business and council experience to Parliament.
She also spoke of her history of substance abuse and other problems, saying those experiences will help her understand many of the problems facing people in the Northwest.
“I think that because I’ve faced these things, I understand in a unique way some of the struggles here that many people here face, whether it’s homelessness or substance abuse, whether its lack of employment or education opportunities,” Rattée said during a 2019 election all-candidates meeting in Terrace.
While Bachrach and Rattée will be familiar with each other from the 2019 election, they’ll also become reacquainted with other candidates from then as well. Christian Heritage Party of Canada national leader Rod Taylor, a resident of the Bulkley Valley, and Jody Craven from the People’s Party of Canada are running again.
Haida Gwaii resident Adeana Young is running for the Green party and no candidate has yet been named to represent the Liberal Party of Canada.
Across the riding in 2019 Bachrach received 16,944 votes or 40.9 per cent of the turnout with Rattée collecting 13,756 votes for 33.2 per cent. Liberal Dave Birdi ran third with 4,793 votes or 11.6 per cent and Mike Sawyer of the Green party came in fourth with 3,280 votes or 7.9 per cent.
Rod Taylor of the Christian Heritage Party was next with 1,350 votes or 3.3 per cent while Jody Craven of the People’s Party of Canada gathered 940 votes or 2.3 per cent.
Independent Danny Nunes collected 164 votes for 0.4 per cent while Merv Ritchie, the other independent, had 157 votes, also 0.4 per cent.
