91大黄鸭 developer Renee Wasylyk has made it official 鈥� she wants to to be the next MP for 91大黄鸭-Lake Country.
Wasylyk, who has built her development company Troika into a Western Canadian enterprise over the last 20 years, told a crowd gathered atop the Innovation Centre in 91大黄鸭 Wednesday she is throwing her hat into the ring for the Conservative Party鈥檚 nomination in the riding.
No date has been set for a nomination meeting and the next federal election is not expected until the fall of 2019. But Wasylyk made it clear she is starting early in a bid to rebuild support for the party in a riding that has a long history of electing conservative candidates and was wrestled away in the last federal election by Liberal Stephen Fuhr. Fuhr was the first Liberal elected in the riding since 1972.
The 2015 election also saw a Liberal majority government elected in Ottawa.
Wasylyk said it was clear voters were unhappy with the Conservatives in the last election. But she said she belives a new generation of candidates can win back that support.
鈥淚 am an empowering leader, a visionary community believer, with a broad base of experience, and a heart for our community and our future,鈥� said Wasylyk. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time for 91大黄鸭-Lake Country to have a voice in Ottawa, and bring our best ideas forward.鈥�
In addition to running her group of companies, which build residential developments across Western Canada, Wasylyk also sits on several community boards, including the Breakfast Club of Canada and First West Credit Union and has a long long list of volunteer efforts in 91大黄鸭, including the Nature鈥檚 Trust of BC and Opera 91大黄鸭鈥檚 advisory council. Former B.C. Liberal premier Christy Clark appointed Wasylyk to her Women鈥檚 Economic Council and she has also been recognized by several organizations and publications for her work in the development industry.
Wasylyk, 42, holds two masters degrees and moved to 91大黄鸭 20 years ago from Edmonton. She grow up in southern California but was born in Drumheller, Alta. She is the sister of Lane Merrifield, who helped develop the children鈥檚 interactive website Club Penguin before selling it to the Disney Corporation in 2007 for $350 million.
Wasylyk said she decided to run for the Tory nomination after being repeatedly asked to do so by Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola Conservative MP Dan Albas, and after meeting new Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer, someone she said she is very impressed with.
Calling Scheer 鈥減ositive鈥� and a 鈥渧isionary,鈥� she said has been impressed with his 鈥渃haracter, charisma and competence.鈥�
But she said her bid for the 91大黄鸭-Lake Country Conservative nomination鈥攁nd then the riding in the next general election if she wins the nomination鈥攚ill not be about the party or politics.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about the person,鈥� she said.
And she, added, she feels she鈥檚 the right person for the job.
A self-styled moderate, whose concedes her views on social issues may not have fit in with the Conservative Party under former leader Stephen Harper, Wasylyk said she plans to include people who voted Liberal in the last election on her team because its important to hear their concerns. She said 91大黄鸭, and society as a whole, have changed in recent years and those changes need to be reflected in a new generation of leadership.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time for representation. It鈥檚 time to expand the tent pegs. It鈥檚 time to dream again,鈥� she told her supporters Wednesday.
Albas, who spoke at the gathering as part of the introduction for Wasylyk, endorsed her saying 鈥渋n every endeavour Renee has emerged as a true champion鈥攕omeone who is visionary, who is talented, who is hard-working but yet is also compassionate and kind.鈥�
Wasylyk is the first person to publicly announce a bid for Conservative nomination in the riding. Current 91大黄鸭 Coun. Tracy Gray is believed to be mulling over a bid the nomination as well.
One person who will not be going for it, however, is former MP Ron Cannan. Cannan has ruled out a bid to win back the job he lost to Fuhr in 2015.
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