| Marc Dalton has got the jump on running in next year’s provincial election by announcing he again will be the Liberal candidate for Maple Ridge-Mission.
Dalton was acclaimed at a recent Liberal meeting. It will be the third election for the former Maple Ridge school teacher.
“We’ve balanced four consecutive budgets and delivered the top- performing economy in Canada,” Dalton said in a release.
“But we still have more work to do and I look forward to advocating on behalf of the residents of Maple Ridge and Mission so we can continue to benefit from job creation and a strong local economy.”
Dalton has twice been selected for voter recall as an MLA. The first attempt was in 2011 by the Maple Ridge Fight HST group that collected about 2,500 signatures – not enough to start the recall process.
Another group tried to recall Dalton in 2015 after he decided to seek the federal Conservative nomination for Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge.
Under the Recall and Initiative Act, a voter can collect a petition to remove a sitting MLA from office. But more than 40 per cent of eligible voters must sign the petition within 60 days in order to force a byelection.
While seeking the federal Conservative nomination between February and September 2015, Dalton sat as an independent MLA in the legislature. He lost that competition to Mike Murray, former MP Randy Kamp’s constituency assistant.
“During that time, I voted along with the Liberals,” Dalton said.
With his federal bid unsuccessful, Dalton rejoined the B.C. Liberals.
He also ran for the federal Conservatives in the 2006 federal election in Burnaby-New Westminster, but lost to the NDP’s Peter Julian.
Dalton currently serves on the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth, Select Standing Committee on Health, and the Cabinet Committee on Secure Tomorrow. He has a bachelor’s degree in French and history and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Simon Fraser University.
He referred to the province’s “sound fiscal policy” and expansion of Mission General Hospital as highlights of the last four years.
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Liberal MLA Doug Bing hasn’t yet decided if he’ll seek re-election. Some family issues have to be resolved in the next few weeks before he decides to try for a second term.
Bing became MLA in the 2013 provincial election, while he was a Pitt Meadows councillor. He resigned his council seat in January 2014.
He expects a nomination meeting sometime in mid-summer. So far, he doesn’t know if someone will challenge him for the nomination.
“I’m not really expecting not to be re-nominated, that’s for sure.”
Bing said that he feels good about this Liberal government record.
“I think we’ve done a lot of good things. It’s just a question of communicating with the public, explaining what we’re doing, where we plan to go. I think it’s got a lot to do with leadership and I think we have very good leadership with Christy Clark.”
He added after three years as MLA, the job is getting easier.
“I sort of feel like I’m in the groove right now. I’d like to keep it going. But I can’t say for sure until I get a couple of things cleared up.”
So far, no potential NDP candidates have stepped forward in either constituency.
