Ted Laking wants to make the leap from Whitehorse city council to the House of Commons.
He announced this morning he will pursue the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) nomination to be the Yukon candidate in the 2025 federal election.
“Laking aims to provide Yukoners with certainty as to who their CPC candidate will be whenever the election is called,” the announcement reads.
Laking told The Yukon Star this morning that by putting his name forward early, he’s looking to ensure that Yukoners can see their potential candidate as soon as possible.
Laking considers himself a strong advocate for keeping the costs of government low, and that will be the approach he continues to take if he gets the nomination and is elected.
“I don’t think it will serve our territory to just be passive and sit back, then let Ottawa tell us how to do things,” Laking said.
At this point, his strategy is simple: to go out and meet people, and to gather as much input as he can.
“In the last several years, I’ve seen the issues of housing and affordability completely get out of hand,” said Laking, who announced earlier this year he would not seek a second term on city council in October’s election.
“More and more families are finding it difficult to find a place to rent, a place to live. They’re having difficulties paying their mortgages, they’re having difficulties putting food on the table,” he said.
More houses need to be built, he said, and taxes must be kept low, so people can afford to live in the territory.
Laking said a lot of his principles align with the CPC. One example would be respecting taxpayers’ money – and he doesn’t see that happening within the Liberal government.
“We’ve seen them literally throw money out the door when we talk about things like the ‘Arrive Can’ app, which was originally supposed to cost only $80,000 and then, next thing we know, it’s closer to $60 million, or more,” said Laking.
Since Ryan Leef is a former Conservative MP for the territory, he could be a potential candidate for the nomination as well, and Laking doesn’t think that would be a bad thing. He believes the possible competition could bring a better outcome.
“I think if there are more people interested in participating in this, all it does is show that there’s excitement and that there’s momentum behind the CPC,” he said.
He added he is not going to run against anyone in particular, but will simply run as himself by bringing forward his principles and his record as a municipal politician.
Since the federal Liberals hold a minority government, the election could happen anytime before the scheduled date of October 2025.
The CPC has not yet set a date for the nomination meeting to select the Yukon candidate. Barbara Dunlop was the party’s Yukon candidate for the 2021 election.
Whitehorse businesswoman Linda Benoit is serving as Laking’s campaign manager and financial agent.
Liberal incumbent Brendan Hanley has not publicly indicated whether he will seek a second term, and no one has stepped forward to seek the NDP nomination in the Yukon.
