A familiar face in the Delta business community is throwing his hat into the federal politics.
On Monday morning, the federal Conservatives officially announced that current Delta Chamber of Commerce executive director Garry Shearer is their candidate for Delta in the next federal election.
“Public service is important to me, and I’m running to be your Member of Parliament to continue my record of service to our community, and because I believe bold, new ideas are needed to help our community recover from the impacts of COVID-19,” said Shearer. “I am honoured to join Erin O’Toole’s Conservative team to fight for Delta’s best interests and help secure Canada’s future.”
In a follow-up interview with the Optimist, Shearer said he will stay on as executive director until the election is called.
Wide speculation is that election call could be mid-August with Canadians heading to the polls in late September.
“Any time I have been asked to serve in my community, I’ve seriously considered it and stepped up. Whether it has been Rotary or the Hospice or the Chamber,” he said. “I was asked and thought through it, conferred with family, friends and supporters and everyone said, this is something you can do and represent our community really well and we would be delighted if you stepped up and took on this role, so here I am.”
This will be Shearer’s second turn at politics. He ran for Delta council in the 2018 municipal election under the Independents Working for You banner.
As the Chamber’s executive director, Shearer led a team to help Delta’s business community pivot through significant challenges posed by the global health crisis. He previously worked in the technology sector as an executive of several successful start-up businesses. A Rotarian since 1992, Shearer previously served as president of the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen. He is also a past president of the Delta Hospice Society.
“Today, Canada is dealing with the worst health and economic crisis in a generation,” said Shearer. “My campaign will focus on addressing the significant challenges our community is facing through a strong recovery plan to secure jobs and get our economy back on track. I look forward to working hard to earn the trust and support of Delta residents in the weeks and months ahead.”
Shearer said he committed three years to help the Chamber as executive director, and planned to step aside in the coming months. Now with this announcement, he is just fast-tracking a succession plan.
“I’m very excited to continue helping our business community, but just at a higher level as MP in Delta. My hope is I can continue my passion for business and help our business community as a Member of Parliament,” he said.
In a media statement, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole said he is proud to have Shearer join the growing Conservative team.
“Garry is a tireless advocate for Delta’s business community, understands the needs of families here, and has the demonstrated experience needed to support Canada’s economic recovery efforts as Member of Parliament for Delta,” said O’Toole.
