Pitt Meadows – Maple Ridge MP Marc Dalton declared his candidacy for leader of the Conservative party on Sunday, March 20, promising he will push for an national inquiry into the pandemic if he becomes leader.

Dalton posted a video saying the inquiry would be into how “multi-million dollar contracts got into the hands and pockets of Liberal buddies … how much of the government’s action was about political advantage rather than public health; an inquiry into breaches of the Canadian Charter of Rights and the coercive measures that the government took to get people vaccinated … how much the government knew about vaccine injuries and deaths and yet still wouldn’t give people a choice.”

Today I am announcing my candidacy for Leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. https://t.co/LTchWjg4IT #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/NKqoKvq5U3

— Marc Dalton (@MarcDalton) March 20, 2022

Speaking in French, Dalton said he was French on his mother’s side and promised to protect the French language and bilingualism, calling them “important.”

He went on to say that he was proud of his Indigenous and Metis heritage.

In a statement posted online, Dalton said he “has a proud history of serving Canada and Canadians, having been a reservist in the Armed Forces , a public school teacher, a two-term member of the British Columbia legislature and now in his second term as a member of parliament.”

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Dalton said that under Prime Minister Trudeau’s leadership, Canada has grown more and more divisive.

“Since first being elected in 2019, I have heard serious concerns from my constituents and Canadians across the country, many of whom feel they just aren’t being heard in Ottawa,” said Dalton.

“It has been frustrating and disheartening to see Mr. Trudeau constantly try to drive wedges between Canadians. Whether it’s the Trudeau government’s poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the soaring costs of just about everything, or the worsening of crises that existed pre-Covid such as opioids and overdoses, many Canadians are very worried about the future.”

Dalton recently spoke at a rally against vaccine mandates in Maple Ridge.

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At the time, he said he would like to think it was his letter that helped reverse the province’s decision to to require all regulated health professionals to be vaccinated by March 31 if they wanted to work in their occupation in this province.

He also said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should have talked to the leaders of the trucker convoy protest that blocked downtown Ottawa streets for about three weeks at the end of January into February – rather than ignore them.

Dalton has launched a website, marcdalton.com.