In his first act as newly elected South Surrey White Rock MP, Ernie Klassen had a special request of supporters and volunteers who had gathered at his victory celebration at South Surrey’s Tap & Barrel restaurant Monday night.
He asked them for a few moments of silence in memory of those who lost their lives when an SUV plowed into spectators at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver on Saturday, April 26.
And it was a measure of the empathy of the Liberal faithful and their respect for their candidate that, despite the boisterous party atmosphere that had prevailed for most of the evening, everybody complied.
“There has been a tragedy in British Columbia that we haven’t seen before…which occurred at the Lapu Lapu Festival in Vancouver,” Klassen told the crowd.
“We as British Columbians are all struggling to understand how something like this could happen and the unspeakable violence that has left 11 innocent people dead and many more injured,” he said.
“I know I speak for everybody here in this room when I say that we all stand together in solidarity with the Filipino-Canadian community and mourning 11 lives inexplicably cut short, and we extend our condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and all those recovering in the hospital.”
Klassen shared that two of the injured, a mother and son – one in critical condition – had been present as entertainers at his Good Friday campaign open house.
In his subsequent speech – following his upset victory for the Liberals over Conservative incumbent Kerry-Lynne Findlay – Klassen was careful to thank everyone who had contributed to and helped his campaign, and those who had voted for him.
“I’d like to say the people have spoken,” he said. “Thank you.”
He noted that voters in South Surrey-White Rock had led much of the rest of Canada in turning out for advanced polls.
“There was such high interest in this election. (The riding) had more people coming to and voting in the advanced polls than anybody west of Toronto. It’s because of all of us. It’s not just about me.”
Klassen said one message had become clear to him while he was on the campaign trail.
“What I heard over and over again was that Canadians want strong leadership, not flippant rhetoric, not catch-phrases. And tonight, in electing Mark Carney as our prime minister, that’s exactly what we’ve got.”
Klassen – a founder of the White Rock Pride Society – vowed to be a voice of inclusivity for all segments of society the riding, regardless of race, religion, gender identity, ability or disability.
“The issues we are facing here in (South Surrey) White Rock are something that I’m prepared to take to Ottawa, and to ensure that the west coast of Canada gets equal representation (with) the east coast of Canada.”
Noting that “these are uncertain times in the history of Canada," Klassen referenced Carney’s message that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to “break us, so he can own us.”
“No, thank you. There is no way we’ll be the 51st state, not ever,” he said, adding he believes Carney will unite Canadians to fight for common values.
“We will never be America.”
Speaking to Peace Arch News shortly afterwards, Klassen reflected on the “intense experience” of an evening in which, as separate polls reported, both he and Findlay had alternately been announced as being in the lead.
“It’s still all a bit dreamy,” he admitted, smiling.
But he said he was in no doubt about what it was that had elected him and unseated Findlay, after the latter’s six years in office.
“It’s my communication with people, embracing people of all walks of life and being able to listen to them,” he said. “Obviously people wanted a change, not necessarily in party, but in the kind of representation.”
While he had earlier noted he was the “first openly gay man” to be elected as MP for what had been formerly considered an “ultra-conservative” riding, he said he has noticed changes in the population and aspirations of the community.
“I’ve been here 25 years, and I’ve seen the demographics change,” he said. “However, I’ve been surprised by the number of older people who gave me their support.”
Klassen said he wants to “listen to the grass roots” and hear what they want, and is prepared to do the work to represent that in Ottawa.
“Now we have a Liberal MP and a Liberal government, I think I’ll be even better able to represent what the community wants and needs,” he said.
Klassen, who is currently a member of White Rock city council, said that it is inevitable that he will resign his council seat to serve as an MP, although he said he is not yet sure about the timing.
“I’ll be discussing it with the Prime Minister’s Office and the mayor’s office to see if we can come up with a transition plan,” he said.
