Conservatives announce candidate for late Liberal MP's Scarbrough seat

The federal Conservative Party on Saturday officially unveiled its candidate to run for the seat vacated by Scarborough MP Arnold Chan. 

Dasong Zou, a banking professional, is running for the seat in the Scarborough-Agincourt riding.

Chan's widow, Jean Yip, announced in October that she was seeking the Liberal nomination for her husband's seat, just over a month after Chan died of cancer.

Zou moved to Canada in 1999 and graduated from the University of Toronto, according to his campaign site.

"As an immigrant, I understand the struggle that people go through myself to overcome language barriers," Zou said at Saturday's campaign event.

His campaign site says he is running because "the Liberal government is making life harder for Canadians" and cites rising taxes and making drugs more accessible to kids as other reasons why he's seeking the seat.

The NDP and Green Party have yet to announce candidates in the riding. 

Liberal MP Chan died in September

Chan, MP for Scarborough-Agincourt, died in September at age 50. He had been diagnosed with a rare type of head and neck cancer in January 2015, six months after he was first elected in a byelection.

Chan endured six months of radiation and chemotherapy, but learned in March 2016 that his cancer had returned.

In his last speech in the House of Commons in June, Chan urged MPs to respect the institution of Parliament.

"I would ask all of us to elevate our debate, to elevate our practice," he said.

Chan also urged MPs to "listen to each other," and all Canadians to "give their heart to their democracy; that they treasure it, revere it."