The ballot in Sarnia-Lambton is already taking shape for the next federal election.
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Conservative Marilyn Gladu, MP since 2015, and Brian Everaert, a candidate for the People’s Party in two elections, have both been nominated to run again, and the NDP recently nominated a new candidate, Lo-Anne Chan.
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“The Liberal Party of Canada is being approached by many talented community leaders interested in becoming the Team Trudeau candidate in Sarnia—Lambton for the next election, whenever it may arise,” party spokesperson Parker Lund said in an email. “The nomination process will move forward in accordance with all of the party’s nomination rules in due course.”
Chan, who was nominated in December, grew up in Mississauga, graduated from Western University in London and in 2012 moved to Sarnia.
“I have several hats,” she said. “I own an on-line business selling kimchi and chili sauce from locally sourced ingredients.”
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Chan said she also sits on the local boards of Community Legal Assistance, the Children’s Aid Society and Rebound, volunteers with other organizations and is a certified child passenger safety technician providing car seat safety education.
During an unsuccessful run in 2022 for a seat on Sarnia council, Chan connected with someone from the local NDP association.
“They basically said that if I didn’t get elected to city council locally, they’d be interested in having a conversation” about running for the party provincially or federally, Chan said.
Chan said they connected again last summer and she went through the party’s vetting process before being nominated as a federal candidate.
Chan said she discovered her values aligned with the party’s.
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“We’re always talking about trying to help the people who are being under-represented or need a larger voice,” in places where decisions are being made, Chan said.
“The NDP has done pretty well, both federally and provincially, in the last couple of elections,” in Sarnia-Lambton, she said.
With “a bit of a spin” to reach more voters, “we could do really well,” Chan said.
“It’s really a matter of going to the different communities in our riding and just meeting the people so all the different voices are represented,” she said.
Chan said the NDP riding association is holding its annual general meeting online Feb. 8.
If the election is called after April, Sarnia-Lambton will become the riding of Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong and include all of Lambton County, as well as Bkejwanong First Nation at Walpole Island.
Parliament approved several new election district boundaries as part of changes recommended by an Ontario commission following the latest census. Currently, part of Lambton is in the riding of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex.
The next fixed federal election date is Oct. 20, 2025 but a vote could be called before then, according to Elections Canada.
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