Two BC NDP candidates with no direct connections to their Abbotsford ridings say their values enable them to represent communities of which they are not members.
Abbotsford South candidate Jasleen Arora lives in Burnaby, while Abbotsford-Mission candidate Andrew Christie lives in Vancouver.
Arora said she has friends who grew up in Abbotsford and have told her stories of being patients at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and students at the University of the Fraser Valley.
“We’ve been able to have these shared experiences of the struggles that we’ve seen,” she said.
Arora – who works for Steps Forward, a non-profit that supports post-secondary students with developmental disabilities – said she is open to moving to her riding if she wins.
“First things first, I need to win,” she said.
Asked why Abbotsford South residents should consider voting for a Burnaby resident, Arora said: “I think an important question is why not?”
“My work and academic career, as well as my personal life, has had a focus on inclusion and diversity and equality,” she said. “I advocate and empower those individuals that are typically left behind and that’s exactly what John Horgan and the BC NDP are committing to – to support those that are left behind.”
Christie sang a similar tune, saying Abbotsford-Mission voters should concentrate on his values and the NDP’s platform, which he says will better serve them. He said he believes his potential constituents value issues such as housing affordability and seniors’ care, which he said have been neglected under the BC Liberal government of the last 16 years.
Christie – who has worked for a series of non-profits and has done outreach work for the NDP – said he will move to his riding if he wins.