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The executive director of Abbotsford’s Chamber of Commerce will campaign for a federal seat in Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam.
This month, Conservative Party members in the riding acclaimed Katerina Anastasiadis to run against Liberal MP Ron McKinnon and NDP contender Laura Dupont, a Port Coquitlam city councillor.
No date has been set for the federal election.
The campaign manager for Port Moody-Coquitlam Tory candidate Tim Laidler in the 2015 federal election, Anastasiadis helped with Peter MacKay’s leadership bid last year, and later with Erin O’Toole’s successful race; she also worked on the election day team that saw Nelly Shin win Port Moody-Coquitlam in 2019.
Professionally, Anastasiadis has been the strategic partnerships advisory for Covenant House and the director of government relations and immigration for the Vancouver International Maritime Centre.
Anastasiadis, 39, who has a bachelor of arts degree from SFU and a master’s degree from UVic, told the Tri-City News that she supports the Conservatives’ environmental platform and she plans to raise housing affordability during the campaign. A 20-year Tri-City resident, Anastasiadis recently moved to the Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge federal riding.
In a press release issued Monday (July 19), Anastasiadis wrote that “the Liberals have let down the constituents of Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam with their broken promises to secure jobs to pre-pandemic levels and provide supports for small businesses.”
“I believe I am the right person to tackle these and many other key issues as part of a Conservative government,” Anastasiadis stated. “Voters in Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam deserve an MP who understands today’s pressing issues and will address them with an approach that not only is inclusive but also puts voters’ best interests first.”
In the last election, McKinnon retained his seat with 34.69% of the vote compared with the Conservatives’ 34.01%; the NDP placed third at 23% followed by the Green Party at 6.92%. In 2015, the Liberals held 35.28% of the vote versus the Tories’ 32% and the NDP’s 27%.
