John Weston successfully held off a challenger on the weekend to claim the Conservative Party nomination in the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country riding.
Weston emerged victorious over David Thomas, a lawyer who lives near Horseshoe Bay, who ran as a Progressive Conservative in the riding in 1997.
Although the campaign was long and hard, Weston said, he thought it was great for the whole community. "We had the largest representation that the Conservative Party has ever seen in our riding," he said. In the Jan. 23, 2006 federal election, Weston, a lawyer who lives in West Vancouver, finished second to Liberal candidate Blair Wilson in a tight race. Wilson won by fewer than 1,000 votes.
Weston said he is already starting to campaign for the next election.
"We're going to be looking to help Stephen Harper win a Conservative majority in the next election and personally I will be campaigning for the things I've always stood for: integrity and making sure that the government and the MP are accountable," he said. "I think that people in this riding want to be part of the inside next time, rather than sitting on the outside, and want to be included in the government. "There are increasing signs that Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are going to win again, so I want to make sure that people get that message across."
There will be a federal election in 2007, Weston predicted.
"It could be as early as the spring," he said. "It will depend on whether our government can get through its legislation."
Weston said he would be setting up offices in Powell River and Sechelt with regular hours. "I want to make sure that we really connect with the people throughout Canada's largest riding," Weston said.
David Bromley, chairman of the candidate nomination committee, said more than 1,000 people attended meetings over the weekend in Powell River, Sechelt, Squamish and West Vancouver.
"Almost 1,000 people voted," he said. "It was four times larger than our previous nomination meeting."
Thomas could not be reached for comment.
