Spurned by Conservatives, former B.C. minister Mike de Jong to run as independent

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — Former British Columbia cabinet minister Mike de Jong says he is running as an Independent in the federal election after the Conservative Party of Canada disqualified him as their candidate.

De Jong says he’s still unsure why the party rejected his bid for the nomination in the new riding of Abbotsford-South Langley, but since then he’s been “inundated” with requests to run, even among “long-standing loyal members” of the Conservative Party.

De Jong, who won eight terms in the B.C. legislature and held cabinet posts including finance and forestry, says the decision on the Conservative candidate should have been up to the riding association, “not some backroom party hack in Ottawa.”

De Jong says he knows electoral success is a “long-shot” for Independents, but his team believes there’s a “troubling trend” of major Canadian political parties manipulating the candidate selection process.

He says he still believes the Conservative Party should form the next government despite rejecting his candidacy, and he hopes voters are engaged to unite against “a megalomaniac president of the United States.”

De Jong says he feels no bitterness toward the party for disqualifying him, and still agrees with the fundamentals of the Conservative platform calling for lower taxes, a stronger military and other pillars such as improving public safety.

The Conservative candidate in Abbotsford-South Langley is Sukhman Singh Gill.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2025.

The Canadian Press