Even the premier didn't know it until the cheese was melting on the burgers, but longtime MLA Shirley Bond confirmed Friday she is indeed running for office one more time in the upcoming provincial election.
"Shirley Bond pulled me aside as I got off the plane and told me 'yes, she is indeed going to be your candidate for Prince George-Valemount,'" Premier Christy Clark told a small B.C. Liberal fundraiser event on Friday evening.
There was a roar of approval from the party faithful gathered at the barbecue, assembled to see Clark but also interested to know which of the area's three Liberal MLAs would carry on as the incumbent candidates during the election scheduled for May 19 next year.
"I put a lot of thought into it," Bond told The Citizen. "I had a lot of things to consider. As you know, I love being a grandma, and (husband) Bill has had to sacrifice a lot for me to be in Victoria. But it was Bill who gave me that final assurance that me running again was the right thing to do for the province. In the end it wasn't about what was right for any one person, it was about what was best for B.C., and I have some things I really want to accomplish, things I want to see through, and I wanted to be part of a team that would do that."
Also joining Bond under the the B.C. Liberal banner will be the other two incumbents from the immediate area. At the same Friday event, it was confirmed that current solicitor general Mike Morris will run again in Prince George-Mackenzie where he has been the representative since 2013, and current Minister of Aboriginal Affairs & Reconciliation John Rustad will run again in the Nechako-Lakes riding to the city's west. Rustad has been the representative there since 2005.
Bond, currently the Minister of Jobs, Tourism, and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour, was first elected in 2001 and since then has been minister over portfolios like Transportation & Infrastructure, Education, Early Learning & Literacy, Advanced Education, Health Services, and was the first female in B.C. history to hold the position of Attorney General, a title she held while Minister of Justice.
Bond was also the province's deputy premier from December 2004 to June 2009 - a record duration in provincial history.
In the last provincial election, held in 2013, a total of 12 challengers were on the ballot with the three incumbent Liberals. The challengers were aligned under the banners of the New Democratic Party, BC Conservative Party, Green Party, Christian Heritage Party and Advocational International Democratic Party.
