Chilliwack – In a media release from Tuesday December 17, former Chilliwack-Kent MLA Laurie Throness will run in the upcoming Chilliwack School Board By-election.
That vote is expected in March 2025.
In a media statement, Throness said that a life long dream was to give back to the public education system. His argument is that students are not properly equipped with basics and fundamentals in math and reading skills, among other things.
The statement did not mention anything about SOGI-123 which Throness has been opposed to all along since the inception of the Provincial anti-bullying tool for teachers.
Throness resigned from Liberal Caucus in October 2020 during the Provincial Election of that year. This was after he made controversial comments about contraception.
Throness received backlash for comparing the NDP’s plan to provide free birth control to eugenics, saying “it contains a whiff of the old eugenics thing where poor people shouldn’t have babies and so we can’t force them to have contraception so we’ll give it to them for free.”
Throness has also been in past controversy over his approval of conversion therapy tied into his religious beliefs. That therapy tries to convert gays and lesbians back to being
Throness is devoutly religous.
Throness was previously the party’s candidate in the electoral district of Chilliwack-Hope in a by-election in 2012, following the resignation of Barry Penner, but was defeated by Gwen O’Mahony of the New Democrats. He defeated O’Mahony in the 2013 general election, capturing 49.15% of votes cast compared to her 36.01% share of the vote. He won the riding, again as a Liberal in 2017.
Throness began his political career with former BC Social Credit cabinet minister Harvey Schroeder in the 1980’s. In the 1990’s Throness went to Ottawa to work for Chilliwack Reform MP Chuck Strahl. His son Mark Strahl, is the current Chilliwack-Hope MP, filling the shoes of his father.
Chuck Strahl died earlier this year.
The release details:
