Independent Abbotsford-South Langley candidate Mike de Jong says his election loss is disappointing, but he “takes heart” in the number of people who supported his run to become the riding’s next MP.
“It’s tough to break through brand politics; there’s no question about that,” he said in reference to the win of Conservative candidate Sukhman Gill.
De Jong was critical throughout the campaign of Gill’s absence at candidate debates, refusal to do media interviews and deletion of his social media accounts.
“He was a candidate who chose not to engage at all with voters and with the other candidates. He will not have that luxury, or at least he should not have that luxury. He will need to stand up and represent the interests of Abbotsford-South Langley and a new Parliament,” de Jong told reporters on Monday night (April 28) at Gian’s Banquet Hall in Abbotsford.
De Jong, who served as the area’s MLA for 30 years under the Liberals/BC United, announced in spring 2024 that he was taking a run at federal politics and hoped to garner the Conservative nomination.
But his application to seek the nomination was rejected by the federal Conservatives, while that of Gill, a 25-year-old blueberry farmer with no political experience, was accepted. Gill won the nomination against four others.
De Jong said Monday night (April 28) that he thought the voting results would be closer in Abbotsford-South Langley.
As of 11 p.m., with 199 out of 215 polls reporting, Gill was leading with 15,397 votes, following by the Liberals’ Kevin Gillies with 11,171 and de Jong with 6,226.
“I actually expected us to be here a little later (at election night headquarters), just based on the reactions we were getting and surveys and polling that was done. At the end of the day, it’s clear that the brand attachment to the Conservative Party is very strong here,” de Jong said.
In his concession speech, de Jong said he respects the democratic process, and the results reflect “the will of the people.”
De Jong said he hopes Gill “rises to the challenge” of the issues facing the riding.
“We stand on the front lines, economically and geographically, of the challenges we’re facing from south of the border,” he said.
“We have a flood issue, and it doesn’t matter what any leader of any country says, when the Nooksack River decides to flow north, it’s going to flow north … We need to hope that our new representative in the new Parliament, Mr. Gill, will be able to speak on our behalf.”
De Jong said he doesn’t think another political run will be in his future.
“It’s probably time to ride off into the sunset and do some other things,” he said.
Other results from Abbotsford-South Langley are: Dharmasena Yakandawela of the NDP with 1,452 votes, Melissa Snazell of the Green Party with 406 votes, and Aeriol Alderking with the People’s Party of Canada with 290.
