Now the hard work begins.
Acclaimed last week as the Conservative candidate for Delta in this fall’s federal election, Tanya Corbet says she’s preparing for a lot door knocking.
“I’m very, very humbled and honoured to be the candidate moving forward for Delta and really look forward to the hard work ahead. Right now my focus is really on building a team and getting ready for the campaign, and getting out there and meeting as many people as possible, knocking on doors and listening to what people are saying. So definitely some long days ahead, for sure,” she told the Optimist.
A member of the Tsawwassen First Nation, Corbet will try to recapture the riding for the Conservatives that was taken by a wide margin by Liberal Carla Qualtrough in 2015.
In a recent interview, prior to Corbet getting the nod by the Conservatives, TFN Chief Ken Baird said he was pleased that a member of his First Nation was seeking a nomination to run federally, although he and the TFN are taking neutral position when it comes to the election.
“It’s always refreshing and inspiring to see Indigenous people take an interest in representing Canadians in government. As Tanya is a member of the Tsawwassen First Nation and former executive councillor, we, of course, wish her the best of luck in her pursuits. Tanya spent a great deal of time as a senior staff person and elected leader of the Tsawwassen First Nation government, and she would be a great asset to any political party,” he said.
Corbet is the fourth candidate to enter the race in Delta, joining Qualtrough, Craig DeCraene of the Greens and Angelina Ireland of the People’s Party of Canada. The NDP has yet to announce a candidate.
The 2015 election was a game changer in a lot of ways as the newly reconfigured riding, which combined North Delta and South Delta for the first time in a quarter-century, saw newcomer Qualtrough beat Conservative incumbent Kerry-Lynne Findlay by more than 9,000 votes, making her the first Liberal to represent South Delta in Ottawa since 1968.
Qualtrough garnered 49.3 per cent of the popular vote, while Findlay saw her support drop to just 32.7 per cent.
Qualtrough went on to be named to cabinet in the Justin Trudeau majority government, becoming minister of sport and persons with disabilities and later minister of public services and procurement.
Trudeau announced last summer that Qualtrough would seek a second term in this year’s election as she looks to prove that 2015 wasn’t an aberration, especially in South Delta which had been a Conservative stronghold for decades before voting Liberal last time.
Feeling optimistic, Phil Horan, chair of the Liberal riding association in Delta, in an interview this spring said they’ve been knocking on doors and asking people specifically how they feel about Qualtrough, and the response has been overwhelmingly favourable.
Even if South Delta swings back to its Conservative leanings, North Delta remains the big X factor.
North Delta had been part of Newton-North Delta until the 2015 election, a riding that had been held by the Conservatives (2004), Liberals (2006 and 2008) and New Democrats (2011). While the NDP won Newton-North Delta in 2011, the Conservatives topped the polls in North Delta.
This year’s federal election is Oct. 21.
