Controversy in Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke riding sees millionaire replace local candidate

Since news broke over the weekend that a snap election was being held just over a month from now, political parties have been moving quickly to get candidates in place throughout the country. 

Less than 12 hours after the news of the election dropped, the Conservatives announced some of their candidates in key areas, including on Vancouver Island. 

However, the candidate chosen for the Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke electoral district has stirred up some controversy amongst hopeful candidates, voters and opponents. 

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre announced Grant Cool would be the official candidate for the party, despite him not living within any municipality in the electoral district. 

Cool has previously worked with Lockheed Martin and is now a businessman and entrepreneur with numerous companies based in BC and the United States. 

This decision was first called out by hopeful Conservative candidate, Tracy Foran. 

“There is no such thing as democracy left in Canada. Everything I have said and believed in is a total lie and I apologize to all of you for convincing you otherwise,” Foran wrote in a social media post.

“With an election less than 30 days away [sic], I was the only real option for our riding.” 

Foran says she was the only candidate in the region that made sense, with a website, social media accounts, business cards, flyers, banners and a following of constituents, but instead Poilievre opted to bring in a candidate from the outside. 

“I knocked on over 600 doors and dedicated a year of my life to this party and did not even receive so much as a phone call,” Foran continued. 

“I live in this riding, a working class riding. But instead they decided to appoint a millionaire from the Uplands.”

Maja Tait is the Mayor of Sooke and the NDP candidate for Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke. She has also been critical of Poilievre’s choice to bring Cool into the riding as a candidate. 

“This is extremely discouraging behaviour from Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives towards people in our community,” Tait wrote.  

“Regardless of political party, our community deserves a choice on who represents them—a from-away millionaire doesn’t represent the everyday families here, nor does pushing a woman aside in the process.” 

Now, Foran is calling on her followers to spoil their ballots instead of casting them for Cool, or another candidate representing another party.