Fraser Valley – After Thursday’s political bombshell where Liberal candidate for Chilliwack-Kent Laurie Throness resigned from caucus but stays on as a candidate, that brought up questions on Green Party’s Jeff Hammersmark.
Initially he was suspending his campaign and throwing support behind Indie Jason Lum.
What Now?
In a statement to FVN:
Needless to say there has been a lot of confusion in Chilliwack-Kent around my earlier decision to stop campaigning, and Laurie Throness’ resignation, while long overdue and very welcome, is adding to the confusion.
My letter stating I was pausing my campaign was motivated by two things: The belief that Laurie Throness was so toxic that he must be defeated at all costs, and the secret nomination campaign and last minute entry of Jason Lum. To that point, I was only aware of myself and Kelli Paddon of the NDP running, and I believe I would have been able to win the seat given Throness’ political vulnerability, the Greens’ momentum and strong policies, and the unlikelihood of an NDP success in the riding.
That’s my explanation of where my head was at during the process, and I feel like Throness’ most recent comments and resignation is a vindication of my analysis of the situation and of my actions. As far as where things stand now: I am on the ballot, and votes for me/the Green Party will count. I believe the Green Party is going to be a major surprise in this election, and I strongly agree with Sonia’s encouragement to vote Green to prevent an NDP majority.
I received so many touching and encouraging messages after I sent my letter out earlier this month, and I’d like to thank those people for supporting me after what amounted to political suicide at the altar of the common good. I’d like to think I played even a small part in the public pressure against Throness leading to his resignation. It think it’s unlikely that he will choose to sit as an independent if he wins, but if he does he can expect the people of Chilliwack-Kent to continue to relentlessly fight against his outdated, exclusionary views. And that will include me, whether I’m a political candidate or not.
