North Vancouver federal Conservatives have named Les Jickling as their candidate to recolour the riding Tory blue in the next election.
Jickling, a longtime Conservative volunteer and healthcare executive, was acclaimed as nominee by the riding association last week.
The Edgemont resident said he was inspired to run when contemplating his six-year-old son’s future in Canada.
“If we look at how the pandemic unfolded and we look at the unprecedented mental health challenges that our country's going to face and we look at some of the unfettered spending that's happening, I'm very worried about his generation – that they will be unable to sustain the same sort of lifestyle that we've enjoyed,” he said.
During the campaign, Jickling said you can expect to hear him pushing healthcare policy, especially as it relates to mental health and preventative medicine, and making sure the country is better prepared for the next global pandemic.
“I was not happy with the current government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and as a former healthcare executive, I have a lot of interest and a lot of knowledge around health care,” he said.
Jickling said he will also stress the need to return to balanced budgets.
Outside of business and politics, Jickling is an athlete and adventurer having completed Ironman triathlons and paddled the Blue Nile from Ethiopia to the Mediterranean Sea.
With no election date set, it’s unclear who else will be on the ballot apart from Jickling and Liberal incumbent Jonathan Wilkinson.
