Ralph Sultan

To the Citizens of West Vancouver-Capilano

Since 2001, I've had the privilege of serving as your MLA. You have chosen me three times to be your representative in Victoria, and I’m now committed to working on your behalf for yet another term.

Whether or not I will be able to do that will depend on the outcome of the May 2013 provincial election in this riding. I was recently re-nominated as the BC Liberal candidate in West Vancouver-Capilano. I am grateful for the confidence party members have shown by nominating me again.

I was also recently invited by Premier Christy Clark to join her Cabinet as Minister of State for Seniors. This new assignment will give me the opportunity to work with seniors right across British Columbia on issues important to them, and to bring their particular priorities and concerns to the Cabinet table. This assignment imbeds me within the massive Ministry of Health – by far the largest ministry of our government. Understanding this large, complex, and vital organization is a challenge in itself – even though I have worked closely with key elements of that Ministry for many years.

Much work has already been done – and continues to be done – on the seniors file. After all, seniors perhaps account for a majority of the expenditures of the Health Ministry. Making sure this large menu of services is well targeted, well implemented, and well understood is one of my assignments.

In the coming months I intend to take our newly developed “Seniors Action Plan” and ensure it is rolled out successfully across the province. To do that, I will be meeting with key stakeholders (and there are a lot of them!), as well as touring the province and meeting with individual groups of seniors all the way from the North Shore to Northern B.C.

The May 2013 election will be no less important than was 2001 election, when we asked voters to choose the guiding philosophy under which this province should be governed. I was part of the team which voters sent to Victoria to steer our province away from the unfortunate priorities of the NDP and to help clean up the disarray caused by a decade of sloppy fiscal management. And we did just that.

The alternatives put before voters will be no less stark in 2013: to choose between a government that has successfully fostered jobs and a strong economy, and an NDP opposition that promises to replicate the unfortunate history of the 1990’s. I am confident that once voters take a close look at the choices put before them, they will ask us to continue.

Thank you for your support, and I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail.

Campaign office 604-281-3836 - Park Royal North

Ralph Sultan
Minister of State for Seniors, Minister of Advanced Education, Innovation & Technology