The veteran MLA for Port Coquitlam will run for another term.
On Friday, July 19, Mike Farnworth was acclaimed by constituency party members at a nomination meeting.
The nod for the deputy premier, Solicitor General, and ministers of public safety and ICBC fills out the BC NDP candidate cards for the Tri-Cities’ five electoral districts:
- Port Coquitlam = MLA Mike Farnworth
- Coquitlam–Maillardville = Jennifer Blatherwick
- Coquitlam–Burke Mountain = Jodi Wickens
- Port Moody–Burquitlam = MLA Rick Glumac
- New Westminster–Coquitlam = MLA Jennifer Whiteside
A longtime Port Coquitlam resident, Farnworth served three terms on Port Coquitlam city council before being elected in 1991 to a provincial seat.
In the 2020 snap election, he took 64 per cent of the vote — an eight per cent boost over his 2017 run against Susan Chambers for the BC Liberals — to win the constituency against the Liberal’s Mehran Zargham, who gained 20 per cent.
In the campaign four years ago, Farnworth spent $9,774 versus $52,164 in 2017 and $86,221 in 2013.
Farnworth's wish to return to the Legislature comes as many high-profile cabinet members are resigning, including most recently Rob Fleming, Bruce Ralston, Katrine Conroy, Harry Bains, George Heyman and Murray Rankin.
Meanwhile, the BC Conservatives under leader John Rustad have four contenders lined up for the Tri-Cities for this fall's race:
- Coquitlam–Maillardville = Hamed Najafi
- Coquitlam–Burke Mountain = Stephen Frolek
- Port Moody–Burquitlam = Kerry Van Aswegen
- New Westminster–Coquitlam = Ndellie Mwanangulu-Massey
To date, the BC United under leader Kevin Falcon has one candidate for the Tri-Cities, Keenan Adams in Port Coquitlam, while the BC Greens have no candidates locally.
The general election is on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
