Retired reservists sets sites on political office

Leon Jensen, the Liberal Party candidate for the riding of Langley-Aldergrove, served 43 years as a reservist while juggling a full-time career as the Project Director for Land Force Reserve Restructure.

Jensen joined the reserve force in 1970 as an Artilleryman serving with the 15th Artillery Regiment in Vancouver. He also worked with the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in Germany. Jensen worked through the ranks to a chief warrant officer and was commissioned as a captain retiring as lieutenant-colonel.

“The time in the Canadian Army is something I would recommend to any Canadian citizen. Regular or Reserve, both are great options. My highlights go from the snowball bugouts in Germany in 1972 when we didn’t know if hostilities had actually broken out with the Soviet Union/Warsaw Pact to working with the British Army in Bosnia as part of UNPROFOR and IFOR in 1995/1996… Of course nothing can possibly be better than the countless friendships and acquaintances from coast to coast and internationally. The finest band of brothers and sisters,” said Jensen.

Jensen retired from the reserves in 2013. His career in the military has been recognized with an Order of Military Merit and the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal.

Jensen turned to politics in the hopes to bring about a change in the country.

“I was worried about the direction that the country was heading in. I minimized my involvement during my years in the military. Once released, I sat down and studied the platforms of all the parties in order to find the one that most closely aligned with my core values. My choice was further solidified when the present government decided that, despite my more than forty years of service, I would now be considered a second class citizen due to my birth in a foreign country. Definitely not my idea of true Canadian values,” noted Jensen.

Jensen believes the Liberal Party has a plan to benefit the average Canadian.

“We have a plan that is focused on the middle class of Canada. We will build a Canada where people who work hard can look forward to a good standard of living, a secure retirement, and better prospects for their kids. A Canada that is inclusive of all our citizens because it is actually our differences that help build us stronger. Canadians can do better, and we plan to put in place the means for them to do that in an open and transparent manner,” said Jensen.

Jensen is currently completing a degree in Conflict Studies at Saint Paul University.