One of Victoria’s newest city councillors has announced plans to run for the federal NDP nomination in Victoria.
Laurel Collins will be looking to take the seat from outgoing two-term Member of Parliament, Murray Rankin, who announced last week he would not be seeking re-election in this fall’s federal election.
Collins was elected to Victoria council in October 2018.
She announced the decision to run for the candidacy in a series of tweets.
"Over the past week I’ve been wrestling with the decision whether to run for the federal NDP nomination. I've been moved by the outpouring of support by constituents, colleagues, supporters and strangers encouraging me to run. But it's also an incredibly difficult decision," she said.
It’s unclear when the NDP will announce its 2019 candidate for the Victoria electoral district.
Collins said she’ll continue to work on Victoria council during the nomination period. If she wins the candidacy she said she will take an unpaid leave for the writ period.
In addition to being a city councillor, Collins is also an Instructor in Social Justice & Social Inequality at the University of Victoria.
The federal Green Party has already acclaimed its Victoria candidate, Racelle Kooy. She follows former CBC host Jo-Ann Roberts, who finished second in the riding after Rankin in the 2015 federal election.
The Liberals and Conservatives have not yet selected their candidates for the Victoria riding.
Outgoing Victoria Rankin was first elected MP for Victoria in 2012 and re-elected in 2015. In 2016, he was named justice and attorney general critic and in 2017 was appointed deputy house leader by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.
The federal election is scheduled for October 21, 2019.
