District of North Van councillor Jim Hanson seeks NDP nomination in Burnaby North–Seymour

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      A third candidate has entered the race for the NDP nomination in Burnaby North–Seymour, which is held by Liberal MP Terry Beech.

      Jim Hanson, a councillor in the District of North Vancouver, is hoping that his name recognition and history of advocacy on the North Shore will help him secure the nomination.

      New Democrats tend to do well in the Burnaby part of the riding, but have fallen short in the Seymour area, enabling Beech to win the last two elections.

      "I believe 2021 will be the year that New Democrats win Burnaby North–Seymour," Hanson said in a news release.

      He added that as a councillor and lawyer, he has spoken out for people in the fight for equality and against injustice. In 2019, he introduced a motion to his council calling upon fellow members of council to disclose donations from people associated with development companies. The motion was deferred.

      In 2019, Beech defeated NDP candidate Svend Robinson by 1,585 votes. In the Trudeau landslide of 2015, Beech secured 3,401 more votes than NDP candidate Carol Baird Ellan.

      Hanson is running against former Squamish councillor Jason Blackman and B.C. Community Alliance steering committee member Markiel Simpson.

      Robinson, who represented Burnaby residents in Parliament from 1979 to 2004, has endorsed Hanson's candidacy.

      "Jim and I share a deep commitment to NDP democratic socialist values and principles, and to the top priority of tackling the climate emergency, growing inequality, and systemic racism," Robinson said in the news release.

      He added that New Democrats must close the gap in the Seymour area.

      "Jim's outstanding reputation makes him the candidate to do that," Robinson said.

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