Skip to content

Ireland seeking Conservative nomination in Delta

Angelina Ireland has high hopes she’ll be the Delta Conservative candidate squaring off against Liberal incumbent Carla Qualtrough in this fall’s federal election.
Angelina Ireland
Angelina Ireland wants to be the Delta Conservative candidate in this fall’s federal election.

Angelina Ireland has high hopes she’ll be the Delta Conservative candidate squaring off against Liberal incumbent Carla Qualtrough in this fall’s federal election.

So far, the Ladner resident is the only person who has made public their intention to seek the nomination for the Conservatives for the Oct. 21 election.

She said she filled out a lengthy application that was submitted to party headquarters for vetting, which was followed by an interview last September with a Delta riding constituency panel.

Having signed up members in advance of an expected nomination meeting, Ireland said she has not heard back from the constituency association, but is confident she will be part of the nomination process.

However, she’s still waiting for a nomination meeting to be set.

“It’s kind of unfortunate that it’s taken this long because we have a lot to do. We’re facing an election in October and, if you know anything about the election process, you need an army of volunteers. I’m confident that when they drop the writ, we’ll be ready, and I think it’s totally exciting that we’re approaching the election. I’ve been geared up for over a year,” she said.

Her “New Voice for Delta” website notes that she’s a 10-year resident of Delta, actively involved with the Sacred Heart Parish, Delta Hospice Society and the Rotary Club of Ladner.

Conservative riding association president Sujay Nazareth said party headquarters is in charge of calling and opening all nominations, and there are 338 ridings across the country where nominations have to be held.

The Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley ridings are still in the process of having nominations.

“The nomination period for Delta has not been opened yet but it is anticipated to be opened in the near future and all members will be notified when the nomination has been opened,” he told the Optimist via email.

The NDP, Greens and People’s Party of Canada also have yet to nominate candidates in Delta.

The 2015 election for the newly reconfigured Delta 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, a cabinet minister in Stephen Harper’s government, saw her support drop to 32.7 per cent. Delta had among the highest voter turnout in the country in 2015 at just over 75 per cent.