Last year’s runner-up for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country has declared she won’t be trying to take a second shot at winning the riding in the next federal election.
Conservative candidate Gabrielle Loren finished second to Liberal Patrick Weiler in the October election. That race was Loren’s first foray into federal politics.
“I met some amazing people,” said Loren. “It was a lot of fun. I had a great time just meeting people and chit-chatting and figuring out what the issues were and where the concerns were.”
One reason she’s not seeking the local seat is that she moved out of the riding and has been living in North Vancouver since February 2019.
“It’s not my riding anymore,” Loren said. “And so one of the things that I found is that when you get into a new community, you start building roots and making connections, and I think that if I’m going to do anything, it’ll be in my own riding and just focus my attention there now.”
Stepping aside at this point, she said, will also give a future Conservative candidate a better chance to be prepared for the next election.
“I want to give lots of time to the next candidate to really prepare themselves for the size and diversity of the riding. I think that’s the only fair thing to do, you know, and so many times, you aren’t given enough time,” said Loren.
This is especially the case in this riding, which covers West Vancouver, the Sea to Sky Corridor and the Sunshine Coast. The area is so diverse, it requires a lot of time to invest in understanding the unique issues affecting its different communities, she said.
“This isn’t like Vancouver Centre where it’s a tiny little corridor, right? This is a huge riding, and so that’s it – the more preparation that can be made, the better it is.”
She said she hasn’t made any decisions about whether she’ll return to politics in some form, and she hasn’t completely ruled anything out.
“Never say never,” she said. “I’m not going to say, ‘No,’ and not going to say, ‘Yes.’”
Loren remained tight-lipped when asked about the Conservative leadership race, saying that she was still absorbing information about each candidate.
She’s still keeping her federal Conservative party membership. She’s also a member of the BC Liberals.
During the election, Loren received more than 17,000 votes, while Weiler brought in more than 22,000. In third place was the Green Party’s Dana Taylor at more than 14,000.
During the all-candidates debate, Loren stressed her background as an accountant, saying that it made her a fiscally responsible choice for voters. As a small business owner, she championed herself as an advocate for small enterprises who understood their unique challenges.
