Pubdate: Mon, 09 Mar 2015 Source: Metro (Vancouver, CN BC) Copyright: 2015 Metro Canada Contact: http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3775 Author: Trish Kelly Page: 10 LONG LIVE THE QUEEN OF EAST VAN NDP all-candidates debate at Rio Theatre tonight could decide more than who replaces Libby Davies Since Libby Davies first became an MP in 1997, she has been the unofficial queen of East Van. In December, Libby announced she will not run again in the upcoming federal election. She has championed issues that matter in East Van and it will be very hard to fill her shoes. A few contenders are seeking the nomination to be the new NDP candidate, and tonight, they will take to the stage at the Rio Theatre in an all-candidates debate. A co-founder of the Downtown Eastside Residents Association back in the 1970s and a Vancouver city councillor for five consecutive terms, Davies has spent over 30 years championing causes that are at the heart of life in East Van like affordable housing and the call for a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women. I'm a resident of the riding and voting had been a no-brainer since I first moved here, knowing that the elected MP is on the good side of all the most crucial issues. I've always felt proud to know that I live in a riding that often leads the country in progressive issues like the Insite supervised injection site. The Vancouver East riding reaches from the Downtown East Side to Boundary Road. For the NDP, it's the safest seat in the whole country. Davies has had a lot to do with that. It's terribly sad for East Van to see her go, 18 years after she was first elected to Parliament. Some kids born that year are now old enough to vote for her. Yes, that's how long she'd been doing this. No wonder she's tired. Four contenders will duke it out at the Rio tonight. Mable Elmore and Jenny Kwan are both sitting MLAs, and each has been a strong advocate on issues Davies has championed, from the rights of workers to progressive drug policy. There is also Scott McLean, SFU's director of public relations, who launched his campaign by dropping an F- Bomb in his oped in the Georgia Straight. Gwen Geisbrecht, who ran municipally for the Vancouver School Board, is also in the race. Each appeals to a different East Van constituency. It's an important decision. Davies' departure gives hope to Liberals and Greens that a juicy B.C. seat could be up for grabs. The NDP needs a candidate who can definitely keep the seat orange. For those of us used to bragging about how our MP shows the rest of the country how it's done, the NDP's choice of candidate will either give us hope that East Van can remain an oasis in the creepy desert of Stephen Harper's Conservatives, or force us to look for a new heir to the East Van throne. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt