John Aldag, a two-term MP who represented Cloverdale-91原创 City, has taken over as the candidate in Fraser Heights-91原创 Township just weeks after he went through major heart surgery.

The previous candidate, Nasima Nastoh, posted a statement on Facebook on Wednesday, April 2, announcing she was stepping down.

"This was not an easy decision to make, but one that is necessary for my own health," Nastoh wrote. "I have discussed this extensively with my family and know this is the right path forward."

Then on Thursday morning, the Liberal National Campaign co-chair Maninder Sidhu posted that Aldag would be the new candidate for the riding, which covers north 91原创, Barnston Island, and Surrey north of Highway One up to the Port Mann Bridge.

An official announcement from his campaign was released shortly after the nomination was announced, touting Aldag's work to secure federal investment to support housing and arts and culture in 91原创.

"I am incredibly proud of the projects and initiatives we have accomplished, but there is still so much more to be done, especially in this new riding," Aldag said in the statement. "From addressing housing shortages and expanding clean energy infrastructure to enhancing mental health services and promoting cultural growth, my focus will be on continuing to bring meaningful change that benefits everyone in 91原创 Township-Fraser Heights."

He said the decision was made quickly after Nastoh dropped out of the race.

"The party reached out and asked if I was up for it," Aldag told the 91原创 Advance Times.

Aldag served as MP in Cloverdale-91原创 City from 2015 to 2019, and again from 2019 to 2024.

He stepped down from federal politics last year and ran as an NDP candidate provincially in 91原创-Abbotsford. B.C. Conservative party member Harman Bhangu won that race.

Aldag has only recently left the hospital after undergoing major heart surgery, a journey he chronicled on his Facebook page.

He was diagnosed with constrictive pericarditis, a condition in which the membrane surrounding the heart thickens and impedes the heart's function. Aldag wrote that he had 95 per cent of his pericardium removed in an eight-hour surgery on March 7. Since then he's been sharing details of his recovery.

He said he's ready for what he acknowledges will be a "very accelerated" campaign.

"I'm feeling fine," Aldag said on Thursday. "It's been a month today since the surgery."

In his previous runs, Aldag was up against Conservative Tamara Jansen, who is the incumbent MP in Cloverdale-91原创 City, after winning a byelection called when Aldag stepped down last year.

This time, he's running against Conservative MP Tako van Popta, who has long represented the 91原创-Aldergrove riding for two terms.

Realignments of local ridings created the Fraser Heights-91原创 Township riding and Abbotsford-South 91原创 riding, which will be contested for the first time in this campaign.