Paddon to run as NDP candidate in Chilliwack-Cultus Lake riding

CHILLIWACK – Former one-term MLA Kelli Paddon will run in the Chilliwack-Cultus Lake riding in next month’s provincial election, the B.C. NDP announced Wednesday afternoon.

In a statement, the NDP said Paddon represented the area as MLA from 2020-2024, and also served as Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity. She is the founder and CEO of Equiiti Strategic, which works to help businesses and leaders achieve their full potential. She’s a former community support worker, youth employment counsellor and instructor, giving her a unique perspective into the challenges that families are facing in Chilliwack and across the province.

“Families in Chilliwack-Cultus Lake work hard to build a good life for themselves and their families, and they deserve a government that works just as hard on their behalf,” said Paddon. “While the conservative parties are trying to be like Trump, the BC NDP is fighting to protect workers and businesses from the impacts of tariffs.”

The NDP said Paddon would work to lower costs for families, recruit more healthcare workers, and decrease trade dependence on the United States. The party claimed that conservative parties would cut healthcare and hike costs on working people – “an agenda British Columbians simply cannot afford.”