Conservative MLA Sheldon Clare drops into Fort St. John for leadership campaign

British Columbia Conservative Party MLA Sheldon Clare stopped through Fort St. John as part of his campaign for party leadership last week. While in town, he spent time with community members and future voters from Fort St. John.

MLA for Prince George–North Cariboo, Sheldon Clare while in Fort St. John for a meet and greet.

MLA for Prince George–North Cariboo, Sheldon Clare, announced last month that he would be throwing his name in the ring to run as leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Since making the announcement, Clare has been making the rounds of the province talking to constituents as part of the leadership race’s preliminary phase. In Fort St. John, Clare held a meet and greet where he met with multiple people including Alaska Highway News. 

Discussions during the meeting included the potential for nuclear energy in British Columbia’s future, ER closures that haunt Northern Health, Taylor bridge and all its weld, and other priorities for our region.

When Clare was asked what he would do differently than John Rustad, who he had run under in the last election, he stated he would make use of the talents we have already.

“I think the biggest thing I intend on doing is making use of the talents and people we have. We have a very talented caucus with a lot of skills, and I think people need to be put in jobs where they’re going to be the best at it, and do the best work for the people of British Columbia.”

Before his career in provincial politics, Clare was an educator at the College of New Caledonia, and had been teaching since 1993 according to Conservative Parties Website. 

“I was a college instructor at the College of New Caledonia for 32 years, teaching English and history,” said Clare. Clare has held a number of leadership roles within the post-secondary institution including contract negotiator, chair of the Provincial Bargaining Co-ordination Committee, and member of CNC Board of Governors.

Sheldon Clare was born and raised in Prince George and has lived and worked throughout northern British Columbia for many years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from University of British Columbia and a Master of Arts in military history from Norwich University.

Clare served as a reserve army officer for over seven years, instructing cadets and working towards the formation of a reserve infantry unit in Prince George. Throughout his life he has been involved in a variety of community organizations and is past-president and current Legion chair of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 43, while from 2010 to 2021, Clare served as the national president of Canada’s National Firearms Association.

During his campaign, Clare stated that he wants to focus on running a positive campaign based on conservative values, and standing up for communities province wide including rural and northern communities.

The party expects to choose their new leader by May 30, according to a release on January 16, when the Party announced this leadership race.