Justin Trudeau visits White Rock, B.C., ahead of federal byelections
Prime minister endorses Liberal candidate Gordon Hogg for South Surrey-White Rock riding
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lent some of his star power to federal byelection candidate Gordie Hogg in B.C. on Wednesday in hopes of claiming the South Surrey-White Rock riding.
Trudeau made an appearance at a local cafe to endorse Hogg, a former White Rock Mayor and MLA, as the Liberals' candidate for the riding. The event drew a crowd of hundreds.
Hogg believes tapping into Trudeau's fanfare will give him an advantage heading into the byelection.
"Justin — his presence adds a lot to the feeling and the temperament of the day," he told CBC News. "Certainly it will be a dog fight with the Conservatives as we move forward."
The South Surrey-White Rock riding was vacated by Conservative MP Diane Watts in September. She has since made a bid to lead the B.C. Liberal Party.
The Conservatives have nominated former national revenue minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay to run for the riding. The NDP has not yet put forth a candidate.
Voters will head to the polls for the federal byelection on December 11.
The three other ridings up for grabs are Newfoundland and Labrador's Bonavista-Burin-Trinity, Saskatchewan's Battlefords-Lloydminster and Ontario's Scarborough-Agincourt.
Small businesses raise concerns
Some small business owners in attendance were hoping to get some face time with the Prime Minister regarding the Liberals proposed tax reform.
Laura Cornale owns Laura's Coffee Corner, the cafe where the event was held.
While she welcomed the surge in business that came with Trudeau's appearance, she said she's still waiting on the government's promise to lower taxes for small businesses.
"We need help," said Cornale. "Everything is taxes, taxes, taxes. It would be nice to get a break."
The Liberals have pledged to cut the small business tax rate to ten per cent by January 2018, and to nine per cent in 2019.
Andrew Scheer visits Lower Mainland
Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer also made an appearance in the Lower Mainland Wednesday, holding a campaign rally and endorsing candidate Kerry-Lynne Findlay.
Scheer used the platform to challenge Trudeau's commitment to the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project, blaming the Prime Minister for TransCanada's decision to cancel the Energy East Pipeline.
"We have a big challenge ahead of us in South Surrey-White Rock," Scheer said at the evening rally. "We need to make sure we hang onto this seat."