Alan Forsythe
Whistler Question
The Conservative candidate for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country in the upcoming federal election says he is grateful for the lessons learned from his family history.
John Weston's uncle was "Smokey" Smith, the last recipient of the Victoria Cross, but it was his dad's experiences as a Japanese prisoner of war that has taught him the most about determination being able to transcend adversity.
Weston has written a book based on his father's time in a Japanese concentration camp, entitled Jade Across the Kwai.Weston said he is running on the theme of service, integrity and vision, and said he feels obligated to the people of this riding to bring integrity back to government.
"As I go door to door at people's homes, I hear more and more what they really want, and that is a trustworthy representative in Ottawa, practical solutions to issues like health care, taxes and crime, and they like the responses they are hearing from the Conservative Party."
Weston, a B.C. native, did his undergraduate degree at Harvard University in Massachusetts and his law degree at Osgood Hall in Toronto.
He has practiced law both abroad and in Canada. He has also represented Canada as a diplomat and helped set up a trade office in Taiwan. He also is a founder of Access Law Group, a community-oriented Vancouver law firm, and a founder of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, which fights in the courts for equality and individual liberties.
As a result, he has many aboriginal clients and he has challenged the Nisga'a treaty under the argument that it breaches the constitution and unfairly deepens the inequality of Canadians.
Weston said the 10 years he spent in Taiwan and elsewhere overseas has made him even more patriotic, and helped him appreciate Canada's place in the world.
"When I was in Taiwan and visited China, I became aware of a billion people who would love to be Canadian. That certainly instills a lot of pride in your country," Weston said.
But Weston is also concerned that 12 years of Liberal rule - especially the recent Adscam scandal - have caused many abroad to reassess their view of Canada as one of the least corrupt places in the world to do business.
"We now have a ministry of finance that is under criminal investigation, and the minister himself may soon be under investigation. That is not inspiring confidence in the country's economic stability both here and overseas," he said.
And he said this is just the latest in a string of scandals and financial mismanagement that has eroded the public's belief in their elected leaders.
"Are these really the people we want in the driver's seat heading into theOlympics, the people responsible for the $2-billion dollar gun registry, $350-million Adscam and the list goes on?," he asked rhetorically.
Weston said he feels a sense of obligation to the people of this riding to renew their trust in politicians, or certainly their trust in a Conservative government, should one be elected.
As an MP for the riding, he said his fluent Mandarin will help in communicating with business and government representatives from the Asia/Pacific region and his conversational French will certainly help him in Ottawa.
"It's important for any MP to speak to all Canadians as well as fellow MPs in opposition and Ottawa bureaucrats, which is very important in promoting riding agendas. And of course, I want to speak to Quebeçois and help bring them back under the umbrella of Canada."
