With changes in the provincial ridings and the decision by NDP MP for North Surrey, Penny Priddy, not to run in the next federal election, some politicians in Surrey find themselves in a dilemma.
However, most others – Surrey-Newton MLA Harry Bains, Surrey-Green Timbers MLA Sue Hammell, Surrey-Walley MLA Bruce Ralston, all NDP, and Surrey-White Rock MLA Gordon Hogg and Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Kevin Falcon, both Liberals – seem to be quite comfortable in their own ridings.
But it seems that the new Surrey-Panorama riding, where NDPer Jagrup Brar (see photo) is the current MLA, and the new Surrey-Tynehead, where Liberal Dave Hayer is the incumbent MLA, could swing either way, depending on which party ends up with the higher percentage of the popular vote in the May election.
On the other hand, the newly created riding of Surrey-Fleetwood, which now has a solid working class population, looks very inviting for any good NDP candidate.
Brar is in a veritable dilemma because his Surrey-Panorama riding has changed beyond recognition after the redrawing of provincial ridings for next May’s election.
His present riding was largely a working class area with South Asians comprising some 55 per cent of the population. But with the redrawing of the boundaries, about 40 per cent of the population, mostly working class families, has been lost to the Surrey-Newton riding – from 64th to 72nd Avenue and from King George Highway to Scott Road. That is good for Bains though.
On the other hand, to the south, the new Surrey-Panorama riding will pick up about 20 per cent of its new population from Surrey-White Rock – from Crescent Beach to 24th Avenue.
In other words, it will be a totally different riding and any NDP candidate will have to appeal to both working class families and entrepreneurs.
The Liberals have already nominated Stephanie Cadieux, a well respected business and community service leader, to run in this riding.
So far, sources tell me, no Indo-Canadian candidate seems to be interested in running from this riding.
I believe Brar would be more comfortable moving to Surrey-Fleetwood where well-known land developer Jagmohan Singh is the Liberal candidate. That would make for an interesting campaign.
According to one reliable estimate, 90 per cent of the families in this riding are from the working class background. Some 20 per cent of them are South Asians, and another 10 per cent are Filipinos, Chinese and other visible minorities.
Incidentally, the ridings with the largest number of South Asians are Surrey-Newton (probably 70 per cent), Surrey-Green Timbers and Surrey-Whalley – in that order. And Surrey-Fleetwood comes fourth. There are well over 100,000 Indo-Canadians in Surrey – and they keep growing in numbers, wealth and influence.
NDPers say they hope to profit from the strong resentment that residents of B.C.’s second largest city feel against the government for the step-motherly treatment they have received in such vital areas as health care, education and transit, notwithstanding all the Liberals’ propaganda.
The Liberals’ strategy of accusing the previous NDP governments of neglect in these areas, even if true, do not seem to impress people much because the Liberals have been in power for too many years now.
Tynehead – of which Fleetwood is a part – is the fastest growing area of Surrey, which is the fastest growing municipality in the country. Yet, the Liberals have closed schools even in this area, note the NDPers.
However, a little bird tells me Brar might be looking at Priddy’s riding. As The VOICE reported last week, Priddy is pretty confident that her riding has changed sufficiently to ensure an NDP victory – and with Priddy’s backing, any good NDP candidate could possibly negate whatever advantage the Conservative candidate, Dona Cadman, may have as a result of her late husband, Chuck Cadman’s outstanding reputation and popularity. After all, Priddy garnered 16,226 votes in the last election as compared to her rival, Conservative candidate David Matta’s 9,864 votes. The Liberals’ Surjit Kooner got only 6,951 votes.
If Brar decides to run federally, it would be interesting to see which Indo-Canadian candidates try to win the NDP nomination in Surrey-Fleetwood.
|
