Dr. Paul Dhillon of Sechelt announced his candidacy over the weekend in the race to be the Conservative nominee for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country in the next federal election.
Dhillon, who works as a local family physician in Sechelt, said in a release that he was running to bring his expertise in healthcare to the race.
"This nomination is an opportunity to enact real change in our healthcare system, something I am deeply passionate about," he said.
Besides his professional career in medicine, Dhillon is the medical director for Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue, a Rotary Club member, has 10 years of experience as a reservist medical officer with the Canadian Armed Forces—all traits which give him a "distinctive perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing Canada today," according to the press release.
A key focus of his campaign would be on healthcare, specifically the improvement of physician training and recruitment strategies.
"He was most recently the face and impetus of a national physician campaign to improve residency Family Medicine training," reads the release. "This will now happen without increasing the duration of training, a change that, if implemented, would have decreased the number of Family Physicians in the country."
Working on the campaign appears to be what gave Dhillon a taste for politics.
"It was such a unique and challenging experience to work with so many organizations and physicians across the country to enact this policy change, which ultimately will provide more Family Doctors for Canadians, who need them so desperately right now," he said.
Dhillon will go up against at least two other already-declared candidates for the riding nomination: Marcus Wong, a former West Vancouver councillor, and Keith Roy, a Whistler-based real estate agent.
"I hope I can make a significant impact not just in our riding, but for the country at large by taking this step," said Dhillon.
Other candidates may still step up; the call for nominations closes at the end of January.
Whichever candidate Conservative Party members select to represent the party at the next election will go up against the incumbent, Patrick Weiler of the Liberal Party.
Weiler first won the riding in the 2019 election, replacing former West Vancouver mayor, Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, also of the Liberal Party.
West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country has a large Conservative base, having previously elected Conservative MPs at the 2004, 2008 and 2011 elections.
Find out more about Dhillon at his website, pauldhillon.ca.
The next federal election will be held on or before Oct. 20, 2025.
