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Kamloops lawyer Sundhu will be next federal NDP candidate for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding

Sundhu acclaimed for NDP

Bill Sundhu, a lawyer and former provincial court judge, will be the next federal NDP candidate in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding.

In a statement, Sundhu said the federal NDP party will be the first to nominate a candidate in this riding, one he said is “up for grabs” given long-time Conservative MP Cathy McLeod’s retirement.

“Now more than ever, we need a bold new vision and leaders in Ottawa to fight to make things better for all Canadians — a Canada where no one is left behind,” Sundhu said.

He said this is the moment to fight for fundamental reform, encouraging voters “fed up with the status quo” to look for change.

“The pandemic starkly revealed major gaps in our society and economy, which must be seriously addressed," Sundhu said.

"Any recovery plan will be short-sighted and ineffective if it does not repair the foundational inequities in our society and address the crisis of climate change.”

Sundhu said he has been a Kamloops resident for 25 years, born in New Westminster and raised in the Cariboo.

He previously served as a B.C. provincial court judge. He retired from the bench after he was arrested following a drunken incident at a Vancouver hotel.

Sundhu later attended the University of Oxford, obtaining a master’s degree in international human rights law. He currently works as a lawyer with a focus on human rights, justice and equality.

Sundhu was the federal NDP candidate in the 2015 election, but was narrowly defeated by Cathy McLeod, the Conservative incumbent, who won by five per cent of the vote. Cynthia Egli ran for the NDP in the riding in 2019.

McLeod announced last month she will not be seeking re-election as Member of Parliament. Bev DeSantis, Mike Grenier, Frank Caputo and Ward Stamer have announced their bid for the Conservative party's nomination.

According to Sundhu's statement, a virtual meeting will be held on April 7 to officially announce Sundhu’s nomination. Peter Julian, MP for New Westminster-Burnaby and NDP house leader, will be attending as a special guest.

The meeting is open to the public, who will need to register to attend through this webpage.



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