Craig Allan
Staff Writer

 

he 2020 BC Provincial Election is underway. With all

candidates officially declared, who will represent the riding
of New Westminster—where the Douglas College main campus
is located? This riding, which has been represented in the BC
legislature going back all the way to the 1870s, has been a NDP
stronghold for a long time. Judy Darcy of the NDP has held the
riding since 2013. However, Darcy has decided to resign her seat
this election, which means it will be up to the NDP’s Jennifer
Whiteside to claim it. She has some fierce competition from the
Green party, who finished second in this riding last election. They
are hoping to gain the riding for the first time with their candidate
Cyrus Sy. Liberal candidate Lorraine Brett, who campaigned to a
third-place finish three years ago, is running again in the hopes of
winning it for the Liberals.

Cyrus Sy — Green Party

The BC Green Party has never had a representative off of Vancouver
Island. With a strong second-place finish in the New West riding last
election, the Greens are hoping that Cyrus Sy can secure them a
seat on the mainland. Sy has lived in New Westminster since 2007,

 

 

and it’s where he has raised his family. “| care deeply about the
community and it has given so much to me and my family | would
like to give back and have an impact,” he said in an interview with
the Other Press.

Sy is a strong advocate for public education, volunteering
for The Lower Mainland Purpose Society for Youth and Families
as a board member, and the New Westminster District Parent
Advisory Council as an executive member. “| know in my own life
that education is the strongest foundation to help people become
productive citizens,” he said. He believes that the foundations
of education start at an early age. His motivation for joining the
Green Party came from former deputy Green Party leader Jonina
Campbell. “I saw the passion she had for education and more
recently with Sonia [Furstenau] coming on as leader and her being a
teacher [...] the Green Party is very supportive and very committed
to fighting for a strong public education system,” he said. He also
believes that some aspects of post-secondary education should be
rolled into the public-school system, as the grade-school system
was designed with the industrial economy in mind and needs a
more current perspective.

When it comes to the issues facing Douglas College students,
Sy, being a graduate of SFU himself, has experienced the struggles