Veteran MLA Rich Coleman was officially acclaimed as the Liberal candidate for Langley East during a party candidate selection meeting on Saturday (Oct. 15) at the Langley Events Centre.
Coleman, the current Deputy Premier, Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing, will be seeking his sixth term in the new provincial riding of Langley East.
Langley East was created last year when the B.C. Electoral Boundaries Commission split Fort Langley-Aldergrove riding into three newly named or reconfigured ridings.
It is a "T" shaped riding, which will run from the Fraser River to the U.S. border, with the top part of the "T" including the area from 264 to 196 Streets, and the bottom part including the area between 216 and 248 Streets.
Coleman earlier announced his intention to seek re-election at a volunteer appreciation event in September, which drew a crowd of over 800.
“Under the leadership of Premier Christy Clark, British Columbia is leading Canada in economic growth and job creation, with four balanced budgets, low taxes, and record investments in the services we all depend on,” Coleman said Saturday.
“But we still have more work to do.”
So far, the Liberals have nominated 55 candidates, including Mary Polak in the neighbouring riding of Langley.
The general provincial election will take place on May 9, 2017.