Residents of New Westminster had a last opportunity to hear what all the candidates vying for the federal riding seat for New Westminster – Burnaby – Maillardville on April 16th.

According to moderator Laurie Moore, the attendance was much greater than expected and time had to be given to setting up more chairs for the approximately 80 people who came to the event at the Queensborough Community Centre.

The five candidates were given an opportunity to introduce themselves and then they each had to answer 6 questions presented by Mr. Moore with 2 minutes given for answers each question.

The questions were created based on what issues gleaned from conversations with local residents, said Mr. Moore.

The candidates were:

    •    Peter Julian, MP, for the New Democrative Party
    •    Indy Panchi, for the Conservative Party
    •    Tara Sushtarian, for the Green Party
    •    Jake Sawatzky, for the Liberal Party
    •    Lourance Singh, an independent
Each candidate was asked about what issues came up while campaigning. And additional questions were asked about some key issues of local and national concern, such as affordability, immigration, crime and public safety, and more.

Several of the candidates were immigrants themselves, inlcuding Indy Panchi, Tara Sushtarian, Lourance Singh. The latter, Sawatzky and Singh, had only finished their post-seconday schooling in recent years but their resumes spoke to their relatively strong involvements with the community.
Indy Panchi, well-known in the local Gurdwara, had only been in the race for a week.

MP Peter Julian, who has represented New Westminster-Burnaby for over 20 years ( the riding borders shifted recently) showed his relatively strong political prowess, knowledge of the facts, and excellent speaking skills.

The meeting was put on by the Queensborough Residents Association.