By Canadian Press

Former Abbotsford MLA says Conservative nomination process needs examination

Jun 25, 2025 | 9:56 AM

OTTAWA — A longtime Abbotsford MLA who was rejected as a candidate by the federal Conservatives in the April election is calling on the party to examine its nomination process.

Michael de Jong, who was B.C.’s finance minister from 2012 to 2017, planned to run for the Tories in the riding of Abbotsford-South Langley this spring.

He prepared a run for more than a year, was endorsed by the former MP Ed Fast and says the local riding association unanimously recommended him as the party’s candidate.

He says he was shocked when the Conservative party’s leadership in Ottawa stepped in to block him from seeking the nomination, telling him in an email that he was not qualified.

De Jong ran as an Independent in the riding but lost to Conservative MP Sukhman Gill.

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He says the situation is a symptom of “the broader disease” of over-centralization of power in the federal party and he doesn’t believe leader Pierre Poilievre or members of his inner circle want to do a deep dive into the party’s recent election loss.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press