'I am now the Yukon candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada,' says Sue Greetham.

Greetham was acclaimed at last weekend's Conservative Party nomination meeting in Whitehorse.

'It's very exciting. I can't tell you,' she told the Star Monday.

The Conservative Party approached Greetham about a week ago and asked her to be the party's representative for the Jan. 23 federal election. No other candidates put forward their names.

Greetham has never run for office before, but her family is 'lifetime Conservatives,'

Support at the nomination meeting was strong, she said, and the focus is now on co-ordinating the campaign.

Greetham plans to start her campaign in the communities in early January before moving her push for the Yukon seat to Whitehorse.

Her campaign will likely revolve around the issues of justice, health care, ethics in government and aboriginal concerns, she previously told the Star.

Despite running against Liberal incumbent Larry Bagnell, she said she is confident the Conservatives have a chance of taking the riding. A Conservative has not represented the seat since Erik Nielsen stepped down in 1987.

'I'm an optimist,'Greetham said, though she added she 'loves' Bagnell as a Member of Parliament.

'I'm not going to compete with Larry in this campaign,' she said. 'The Conservatives are going to compete against the Liberals.

'(This election is) about Yukoners. It's about how we see the future.'

Greetham first visited the Yukon in 1984 and later moved here with her husband of 35 years, Stan, in 1996. She has two children and one grandchild.

She is originally from Brighton, Ont., where she and her husband still own two businesses, Groundtrax Inc. and Greetham Industrial Services Inc.

Active in her community of Marsh Lake and in the Southern Lakes region, Greetham is a member of the Fire Rescue Society, the rodeo association and the local holistic health network.

She was also a driving force in the establishment of the Southern Lakes Visitors Association.

Greetham's nomination now officially takes the names on the ballots to four.

Pam Boyde is representing the NDP and Philippe Leblond is the Green Party candidate.