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NDP's Raj Chouhan nominated for re-election in Burnaby-Edmonds

The next election is scheduled for October 2021
Raj Chouhan
The fight for rights: Raj Chouhan says California’s labour activist Cesar Chavez (left in the hanging photo) was his mentor while during the 70s and 80s, when he was trying to establish a bargaining voice for farm workers.

Raj Chouhan has been nominated by the B.C. NDP for re-election in Burnaby-Edmonds ahead of the scheduled 2021 election.

His candidacy was announced Sunday in a remotely attended event, including Burnaby South MP and federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley.

Chouhan has held the riding for the B.C. NDP since 2005 after the B.C. Liberals swept all but two ridings in the province in 2001.

In the last three decades, the riding has only been held by two other MLAs. The NDP’s Fred Randall represented Burnaby-Edmonds until 2001, when Patty Sahota took the riding for the Liberals. Sahota was only elected to the position once, however, with the NDP returning to the riding in 2005 with Chouhan.

Since 2009, Chouhan has had a comfortable lead in the riding, with more than half the votes.

Chouhan is the founding president of the Canadian Farmworkers Union and the BC Organization to Fight Racism.

The B.C. Liberals have not yet announced a challenger for the seat.

The election is scheduled for Oct. 16, 2021. However, the NDP has flirted with the idea of an early election, Premier John Horgan noting the party only holds a minority government, leaving it vulnerable to a no-confidence vote.

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Get ahold of him by email at dgodfrey@burnabynow.ca