Yes, it will be journalist Harpreet Singh vs MP Jinny Sims vs ex-MP Sukh Dhaliwal in Surrey-Newton

Harpreet Singh
Harpreet Singh

THE Conservative Party confirmed on Thursday that journalist Harpreet Singh is their candidate in Surrey-Newton in the upcoming federal election.

Harpreet had two weeks ago, while announcing his intentions to seek the Conservative nomination, noted: “The journey from an immigrant to a television and radio host, political commentator, writer, producer and a businessman, has been an amazing one and thus is a true Canadian story.”

This week he said: “I’m excited to be officially confirmed as the Conservative candidate, and I’m looking forward to representing Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s strong, dependable team here in Surrey-Newton.”

He added: “With the Prime Minister focused squarely on the needs of BC families, like announcing the new Family Tax Cut, and increasing the Universal Childcare Benefit, it’s clear that the Conservative Party understands the needs of families in Surrey-Newton, and across BC.”

Singh spoke of his community work and what he believes is at stake in this upcoming election for his home of the past decade: “I’ve worked closely with many in our community over the past years, and I know there’s a lot at stake in this election. With the stakes so high, so are the risks. On one hand, we have Justin Trudeau who would raise taxes, increase our debt and force our country into long-term economic decline. On the other, we have Stephen Harper who will balance the budget, cut taxes and provide a strong, serious leadership we need in our Prime Minister during times of uncertainty.”

Singh said his campaign will focus on tax relief for families, protecting Canadians, and creating quality jobs.

As The VOICE wrote earlier, the highly controversial Surrey-Newton riding will be the centre of attention not only for the South Asian community but also for the mainstream community. It will be hotly contested as former Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal, incumbent NDP MP Jinny Sims and Harpreet fight it out.

All have their friends and enemies in the community and oftentimes the line between a friend and an enemy can become terribly blurred, what with family connections, back-home (Punjab) village and regional connections as well as connections all across North America (including California) coming into play in mind-blogging combinations!

Dhaliwal, who was MP for Newton-North Delta from 2006 to 2011 until he lost to NDP’s Jinny Sims, won the Liberal nomination after facing all kind of dirty tactics just last month.

Expect a lot of accusations and counter-accusations to fly around!