For Valentine Wu, the best platform is no platform at all.
The independent candidate in the Feb. 25 federal byelection in Burnaby South says his political opinions don’t matter. Instead, Wu says he will be a conduit for the riding’s diverse perspectives should its constituents decide to send him to Ottawa.
“I think that what I want to say is not that important. I think what the people want to say is more important,” he said.
Wu, an IT consultant who says he’s lived in the riding for more than 15 years, plans to run against NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Liberal Richard Lee, Conservative Jay Shin and Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson of the People’s Party. Wu previously served as the spokesperson for the family of Marrisa Shen, a Burnaby teen who was murdered in 2017, but said he has since resigned.
The upcoming byelection will be Wu’s second time appearing on a ballot. He ran for the Green party in Burnaby–Edmonds in the 2017 provincial election, coming in third with approximately 14 per cent of the vote.
Wu said he hadn’t decided whether he would seek the Green nomination in Burnaby South before the federal party’s leader, Elizabeth May, announced in August she would extend a “leader’s courtesy” to Singh and not run a candidate against him.
Asked about the Greens decision, Wu said: “Their actions are made by their own interest. I respect that, but I think the byelection should be decided by the people of Burnaby South.”
Wu said running independently frees him from toeing a party line. He vowed to listen to all residents and bring their ideas forward.
“I don't want to offer people my solution,” he said. “I want people to work together to figure out our solution.”
As an example, Wu pointed to the issue of housing affordability. He said many people are worried about the price of homes, which have skyrocketed in the region in recent years.
But not everyone shares the same concerns, he said.
“Some people want to take advantage of this rising price of housing. They want to make money from that. So there’s different voices.”
The failed campaign of former Liberal candidate Karen Wang inspired Wu to join the race, he said. Wang dropped out of the race after a WeChat post from her account was called racist by some for contrasting her Chinese background to Singh’s Indian heritage.
Wu said the debacle took the byelection “off the track” and he wants to bring the conversation back to the issues that matter to local residents. Asked what the top issues are, Wu said that’s up to voters to decide.
