Photo Courtesy: Laura Parent, Facebook
NDP candidate

NDP announce candidate for Prince George-Valemount

Sep 30, 2020 | 4:02 PM

PRINCE GEORGE–The NDP has revealed their candidate for the Prince George- Valemount riding.

Laura Parent will be heading up against Prince George-Valemount Liberal incumbent, Shirley Bond, Green Party candidate Mackenzie Kerr, and Libertarian, Sean Robson.

“I was born and raised in Prince George.”–Laura Parent, NDP Candidate, Prince George–Valemount

The 21-year-old UNBC Political Science student was born and raised in Prince George and says she is excited to get started on the campaign.

“I’ve been involved in the NDP for a few years now, and I’ve been on some pretty exciting, pretty big campaigns,” said Parent in an over the phone interview.

“Studying the world of politics…it’s clear that politics is dominated by a very certain class and yet…politics affects every single person in the province of B.C. So being the fact that I can understand and connect with a different demographic that is kind of traditionally excluded from our current political decision making–So I am really glad and rally excited to be able to bring that voice forward.”–Laura Parent, NDP Candidate, Prince George–Valemount

For Parent the inspiration for running came from watching Madeline Lalonde who ran for the NDP in the Vancouver-Quilchena riding, back in 2017, “she was amazing and absolutely outstanding,” said Parent.

Parent says she had the opportunity to meet Lalonde, “she very much expressed to me that young people and young voices have a vital role in our political system, especially in Northern B.C. where sometimes our voices are hard to hear in government.”

She has been involved with the Prince George Scouts for 17 years of her life, and says she is very involved with the UNBC community, being a UNBC Senator, and a newly elected Vice-Chair of the university’s senate.