Jody Wilson-Raybould announces she will run as independent in federal election
After being kicked out of Liberal caucus, following her resignation from her position as Canada’s Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence earlier this year, Jody Wilson-Raybould announced on Monday morning that she will run again in this year’s federal election, as an independent candidate this time.
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Wilson-Raybould currently sits as an independent MP for the Vancouver-Granville riding, the same riding she will be seeking re-election in.
Wilson made the announcement during as press conference at Marpole Neighbourhood House in Vancouver on Monday morning.
“It is after much deliberation that I have decided to put my name forward for re-election in the 2019 election in Vancouver-Granville, and in this election I will be running as an independent candidate,” she said.
In making her decision, Wilson-Raybould said that “in recent months, I have found myself in uncharted waters.”
During her current time as an independent, she said, “I’ve had the opportunity to both reflect on what I – we – could learn from the events that have transpired, and have the opportunity to hear from friends, family, colleagues, constituents, and Canadians form coast to coast, to coast.”
As part of this process, Wilson-Raybould said she has received over 15,000 messages of support, as well as advice on her next move.
“The overwhelming message I received was clear,” she said. “Clear how we need to do politics differently; that partisanship is trumping principle, that exclusion is trumping inclusion, the lack of diversity of voices was simply unacceptable, and there is too much power in the centre.”
Going forward, she admitted there will be challenges, and “it will not be easy to run a campaign as an independent.”
But, she said, “with your support, I am confident that running as an independent is the best way to go about it at this time, and the best way to transform our political culture.”
Reflecting further on her decision, Wilson-Raybould said “we live in complicated times, in our communities, in our countries, and globally. Everywhere, environmental, economic, and security challenges are deepening.”
Moving forward, she continued, “we cannot afford to be complacent. We cannot use the same ideas, attitudes, and practices that brought us to this point, to deliver the solutions we need.”
The federal election takes place this October.
More to come…
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