Fourth in a series of profiles of Surrey’s new MPs, here is a Q&A with Linda Hepner, MP for the new riding of Surrey-Serpentine River. A former three-term Surrey mayor and city councillor, Hepner received 9,782 votes, 435 more than NDP challenger Baltej Singh Dhillon and 9,228 more than independent candidate Jim McMurtry.

The world of politics is certainly not new to you, but provincial politics is. What made you want to dive back in at 75?

“It’s a very good question. I actually answered this question several times during the election campaign, which I returned to politics because I was concerned that many young people were considering leave the province. I have my grandchildren here and I don’t want any of them to think that there is no future for them in this province.”

Exactly how and when did you decide to run for MP in the Serpentine River riding, and were you heavily pursued by the BC Conservatives?

“I was sued, I was definitely asked to think about it, and I thought long and hard before I made a decision. It was actually, interestingly enough, a lunch- meeting I had with (BC Conservative Party leader) John Rustad It ultimately convinced me, because the more I talked to him, the more I could identify with his approach to governance and his approach. way he embraced collaboration, in other terms, he was very open to what I thought, how I would approach things and what he thought was wrong with the way we were going in provincial politics, it all pretty much matched that. that I thought.”

That said, are there aspects of the conservative platform that you don’t fully endorse? If yes, what?

“I have fully supported every policy presented during this election period as being a conservative policy.”

How will your work as a single term Mayor of Surrey influence and shape what you can and will do in Victoria?

“I think it’s more than a one-term mayor, I think it goes back to 34 years in government, either as a bureaucrat who made policy or as a three-term councilor, my 13 years of government. I think that’s the whole basket of experience, that’s what will bring value to Victoria. I was there (at Surrey City Hall) since 1985, when Surrey mattered. 140 000 residents, I think it’s that depth that has value because I know a lot about why Surrey has developed certain policies that it has implemented historically, and I know a lot about what it does. the province thanks to my years as the person who had to answer to the provincial ombudsman for any complaints filed against the city.

You decided not to run for mayor in 2018, when Doug McCallum succeeded you as mayor. Do you regret now that you didn’t run again that year and continue your job as mayor, or were you just done at that point?

“Well, I will always regret not having had more time as mayor, but I will compare it to what was important to me at the time, and that, to me, was that I had very young grandchildren. Maybe it comes from being as mature as I am, because I know those years go by way too quickly. What if I didn’t take advantage of making sure they knew who. was grandmother and what grandmother could do for them and having a history with them when they were little, I could never get that back I needed to take a break and spend time with them before they were too old. to care about it Now they are teenagers and they don’t want to spend as much time with grandma, but they will never forget that I was always there for every occasion, after school, on. pickup and sports, I needed to be there at this that moment.”

Your only son, Gordon Hepner, is now a Surrey city councilor. What advice did you give him, perhaps also vice versa, and did he encourage you to run for the legislative elections?

“He actually encouraged me. He said, ‘Sure, go for it.’ And if you know my son, he’s very strong and very opinionated and he doesn’t listen to me all the time, but he has overheard political conversations around the breakfast and dinner table since he was two years old , and he’s an only child. “So he grew up feeling like he was always aware of what was going on in the world. So I don’t need to give him advice, he often gives me advice.”

What is your first task as the MP for Surrey-Serpentine River, and do you hope to criticize any particular BC ministry?

“I hope John (Rustad) sees the value in what I can bring in any form, and I haven’t had that conversation with him, so I don’t know where that can take us. I think , given that there are so many new faces, I’m looking forward to hearing more from my colleagues and learning how the Victoria model works, compared to the municipal model. My first feeling is that there. has a lot to learn about processes because I have been, not overwhelmed, that’s not the word, but I was surprised by all the information that came to us like a fire hose.”

You mentioned that MLA school would be happening this week. What does this imply?

“Who would have thought I would go back to school at my age, but that’s what it’s called, I don’t use that as colloquialism, it’s MLA School. It’s three days, starting Tuesday ( November 12). It’s a matter of protocol and all those things. The interesting thing is that your constituency office is yours, so I have to find an office, manage the office, staff it, buy it. furniture for the office and put everything in place, that is. It’s going to be really exciting for me over the next few months, I don’t know, because I have to do all the tenant improvements as well. Now we’ll see how quickly the city can give us tenant improvement permits. It’s all something I’m looking forward to too, and I find it exciting, to be honest.”

It may be too early to ask, but at this point, would you consider running again in the next election in British Columbia?

“I’ll see how the next four years go. Given the narrowness of the ship, it might not be a full four (years), and if that’s the case, yes, I would think about it. We’ll have to see “As long as it’s going on right now, it’s pretty tight. If anyone gets sick, they better not stay home.”

Something non-political here, or maybe political, I guess. What might people know now about Linda Hepner?

“I used to be a figure skater, and it ruined my hip. I can’t skate anymore. What else? People might be surprised to know that I like to cook and I like to preserve. I I make jams, I make jellies, I make pickles, I love doing all that, it’s a creative element in my body, I say it with as much humility as possible, but I make the best pastries and. pies.