Throwing one's hat in the political ring is easy—the hard part is going all in. Not only does it require self-discipline, a grueling time commitment and personal compromise for the public good, candidates have to be prudent and ambitious to do the work necessary to make a difference. And in the Conservatives' case, to also make a change.
North Vancouver resident, well-respected community leader and practicing business lawyer, Stephen Curran, embodies the competence to do just that.
Curran has set his sights on support for his candidacy with the federal Conservative Party of Canada in North Vancouver-Capilano riding, and if nominated, is ready to take on the challenge of turning things around for Canadians.
"I decided to run now because we're eight years into a government that has lost touch with what they were supposed to be doing," says Curran. "I can't stand by and let them continue down a path that I believe is not going to work out for most Canadians."
Curran, raised in Alberta, started his law practice in New York in 2005 before moving to Vancouver in 2010. A dedicated husband to his wife, Shubha, and father of two, they settled in North Vancouver in 2014 to raise their family. "We chose the North Shore, particularly Central Lonsdale, for various reasons: good schools, fantastic amenities and a great community; looking back, we can't imagine living anywhere else."
From his North Vancouver practice, Lakes, Whyte LLP, Curran currently advises a mix of small and medium-sized local businesses, as well as businesses across Canada and internationally.
Policy priorities
Curran stands for issues, not only in the interest of Canadians, such as innovation in health care and environment, but specific to his North Shore community, too.
"Small businesses have been affected just as much as individuals dealing with inflation. Small businesses are an engine of the North Shore and we need a return to sound fiscal management to help with the rising cost of doing business by easing our foot off the tax pedal," explains Curran. "We need to prioritize small businesses who are employing upwards of 90% of most employees across Canada."
He adds, "You don't have to operate a small business to realize we have a severely outdated transportation infrastructure on the North Shore. Inside of a new Conservative government, I'm committed to apply pressure to the government to pay attention to this region."
"We need federal involvement and federal investment into finding a solution, whether it's a third crossing or replacing the Second Narrows Bridge; that's high on my priority list."
Better is possible
Curran prides himself on his active listening skills, a trait he learned from his mother – a woman with an inviting personality, who always wanted to sit with and understand what the other person was all about.
"When chatting with people, I learned from my mother that being a good listener will make a good leader," he says. "Connecting with the community has been a wonderful side benefit to this exercise of presenting myself for public office."
Following a successful nomination, Curran is determined to leverage his extensive experience in law, business, community leadership and public service to re-engage with existing members in the riding, while working tirelessly to connect with all voters to build a winning coalition in North Vancouver.
"I've got great hope for what we're trying to do and what we can do," says Curran. "I think the sooner we get started on this project of change and restoring a lot of our legislation back to common sense, the better off we'll all be."
For more information, visit stephencurran.ca and conservative.ca.
