The federal Liberals have chosen Patrick Weiler as their candidate for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky.
Weiler, 33, confirmed his candidacy to the Coast Reporter newspaper while campaigning with volunteers Aug. 28 in Gibsons. A formal announcement came from the party on Thursday.
Current Liberal MP Pamela Goldsmith-Jones announced in May that she would not be seeking re-election but said she would play a behind-the-scenes role during the campaign.
Weiler is a Vancouver lawyer with a background in environmental and Indigenous law who worked most recently as a program development officer with the Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI).
“I have been knocking on doors here in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country and listening to the issues that matter most to our community. I am honoured to have earned the trust of local Liberals in our riding and look forward to working with Justin Trudeau and the Liberal team to create good new jobs, strengthen our middle class and continue to develop and implement strategies to address climate change,” said Weiler in a news release, which also highlighted his passion for tackling climate change.
With the unofficial campaign already underway and expected to gain steam after the long weekend, Weiler joins previously nominated candidates Conservative candidate Gabrielle Loren, the Green's Dana Taylor and Doug Bebb of the People’s Party, who have already been door-knocking on the Sunshine Coast.
The only other major party yet to name a candidate for the riding is the NDP.
The local riding association said this week it did not expect to have a candidate announcement prior to Labour Day.
The federal election is Oct. 21.
