Update:
The NDP announced Angie Bonazzo as their candidate for Cariboo-Prince George. She has a background in healthcare and labour activism for the Hospital Employees Union.
She works as a mental health support worker at the Adult Withdrawal Management Unit in Prince George.
Original:
Liberal leader Mark Carney has met with Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve parliament. Canadians are headed to the polls on April 28.
The riding of Cariboo-Prince George has three candidates confirmed to be running so far. The Conservative incumbent, Todd Doherty, Green Party candidate Jodie Capling and People's Party candidate Rudy Sans have all announced intentions to be candidates.
As of publication, there have been no announcements from the Liberal Party about their candidate.
Doherty was first elected in 2015 and was born in Williams Lake. He worked as an aviation executive and a business owner before being elected to parliament. After Pierre Poilievre became leader of the party, Doherty was named shadow minister of mental health and suicide prevention. In that role Doherty pushed for a national, three-digit number, 24-hour suicide prevention hotline. The hotline (988) was launched in 2023.
The Green Party's Jody Capling holds a master's degree in resource management and worked in energy efficiency for five years. She began volunteering as a yoga instructor after returning to the Cariboo and now teaches yoga and movement. Her biography on the Green Party's website says she is a passionate climate change advocate.
Rudy Sans of the People's Party was born in Paris and immigrated to Canada when he was 12. He works in the judicial branch of the B.C. public service. Sans lives in Prince George.
In 2021 Doherty won over 50 per cent of the vote in the riding with the NDP candidate coming in second with 20 per cent. Doherty's worst performance was in 2015 when he won 36.6 per cent of the vote compared to the Liberals' 25.8 per cent.
The Cariboo-Prince George riding includes communities as far north as Vanderhoof and as far south as 100 Mile House. Just over 40 per cent of the riding's voters in the 2021 election voted in Prince George. The boundaries of the riding have been redrawn since the 2021 election.
People can register to vote or update their registration at the Elections Canada website.
