Shirley Bond withdraws as candidate in upcoming provincial election

The suspension of BC United’s campaign in the upcoming provincial election has ended the career of one of British Columbia’s longest serving MLAs.

Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond, first elected to the provincial legislature in 2001, will not be seeking her seventh consecutive term in office.

“Today I am announcing that I have decided to withdraw as a candidate in the upcoming provincial election taking place on October 19, 2024,” she said in a news release issued Thursday. “The decision made by BC United party leader Kevin Falcon to suspend our party’s election campaign came as a complete surprise to me and I have spent the past 24 hours with my family thinking about what my next steps should be. Together, we have decided that I will be withdrawing my name as a candidate in the upcoming provincial election.

“I cannot begin to describe the honour that it has been to serve the people of Prince George-Valemount and the Province of BC as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, cabinet minister, Opposition leader and interim party leader over the course of two decades.

“I want to thank my family, friends, colleagues, the supporters and volunteers who have worked so hard on my behalf, even knocking on doors and making hundreds of phone calls this week alone. I will always be humbled and grateful for your friendship and belief in me. To my staff, there are no words to describe how much you mean to me and how incredible you have been in serving our constituents and province. I have been overwhelmed by the hundreds of calls, messages, and texts of personal support that I have received. I am sure you can understand I have not been able to respond yet, but I will try to connect with you in the days ahead.

“I am currently spending several days with my grandsons and family, a summer tradition with these days planned long ago, but I felt it was important to make my intentions clear.

“For now, a few days to reflect and spend time with the family I cherish.”