In Prince George, B.C., parties campaign for lost Liberal votes

For two decades, voters in northern B.C.'s largest city have voted for the B.C. Liberal Party.

But with that party — rebranded as B.C. United in 2023 — out of the race, many voters including former MLAs are searching for new political homes.

The city of about 76,000 people is split into three ridings connected to neighbouring communities, each of which voted for the B.C. Liberals in every election since 2001.

But with only one incumbent in the race, all the remaining candidates are working to make themselves known to voters.

The challenges facing the city, known as B.C.'s "northern capital," are not that different from top issues elsewhere: concern about downtown, where a tent encampment has been in place since 2021, the toxic drug crisis, which has claimed a higher per capita number of lives in the north than many other regions, and affordability, as housing prices — while still significantly cheaper than Vancouver or Victoria — have rapidly risen in the past five years.

Affordability is an issue for Melissa Nelson, but she says, "I'm not sure what politicians can do about that." 

Promises of tax cuts aren't enough to win her over, either. 

"It seems like a good idea, but I am happy for my taxes to go to social services... I don't mind paying."

What she doesn't like is the more limited options available in this campaign.

"We have defaulted to a two-party system, which kind of sucks," she said, adding her vote is very much open to what she hears from local candidates during the campaign.

Affordability is also top of mind for Mike Fahrenback, who says he'll be voting for "the lesser of two evils."

"I liked the Liberals before. I don't understand why they folded."

But, "I don't like the NDP, plain and simple," he said, loading groceries into his van.

"I am semi-retired. I'm 73 years old. I shouldn't have to work for a living anymore just to pay the bills, but I do. It's not right."

Changing allegiances

It all adds up to a fascinating election for observers like Michel Bouchard, a professor at the University of Northern B.C. for nearly 25 years.

"In the last election I participated in, it was more or less a given that the Liberal Party would win," he said in an interview in French. "This year, it's interesting to know not only who will win but also by what percentage."

One key figure not in the race is Shirley Bond, one of the best-known names in the provincial legislature, having been in office since 2001, representing the riding now known as Prince George-Valemount.  

Another well-known former B.C. United MLA and cabinet minister, Coralee Oakes, is running as an Independent in the riding of Prince George-North Cariboo, which includes Quesnel.

First-time B.C. United candidate Kiel Giddens, a spokesperson for the Coastal GasLink pipeline, has joined the Conservative ranks as the candidate for Prince George-Mackenzie. Conservative Rosalyn Bird in the Valemount riding is a relative newcomer to the region, while North Cariboo candidate Sheldon Clare, known for his work as a firearms activist, has previously mounted failed bids for MP and city councillor.

The other independent candidate in the region is Rachael Weber, who was originally going to run for the Conservatives in Prince George-Mackenzie before being replaced by Giddens.

Giddens' former party, B.C. United, had put out opposition research pointing to Facebook posts she made indicating, among other things, that 5G technology is a "weapon" and warning of the coming of the Antichrist.

She is now running on a campaign of being the "true" Conservative candidate for the region, claiming the current party has been taken over by centrists. She has not responded to requests for comment on the posts surfaced by B.C. United and which are no longer publicly available.

Weber also sits on the local school board, as does the NDP candidate for the riding, Shar McCrory. McCrory is joined by Clay Poutney, the former chief of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation in the Valemount riding, and Quesnel School District employee Denise Bardua is running in Cariboo-North.

The Green Party is also running a full slate of candidates who include Gwen Johannson, the former mayor of Hudson's Hope, City of Quesnel employee Randy Thompson and James Steidle, an activist with Stop the Spray, which has pushed for the end of using glyphosates to kill broadleaf trees in forests.

Though the party traditionally has not received much support in these ridings, the candidates have been active turning out to debates and public forums where representatives from the better-known parties have sometimes been absent.

NDP hopes to gain ground

Despite intrigue on the ground, poll projections and history would indicate a win for the B.C. Conservatives, as the Prince George ridings have leaned right both provincially and federally for decades.

But the NDP's McCrory believes her party can make inroads as voters search for a more centrist option.

"I don't think polls can tell us what's going to happen here," McCrory said.

"In this election, we have a lot of new things with a new framework. I'm going to focus on talking to people and listening to their concerns."

Former NDP MLA Lois Boone, who represented Prince George from 1986 to 2001, also believes the shifting political landscape could help the region turn orange again based on conversations she's having as a volunteer going door-to-door.

"People here, they feel very abandoned," she said. "Quite frankly, a lot of them are looking very favourably at the NDP."

Rustad, the local boy

But the Conservatives have a potential advantage particular to Prince George: Leader John Rustad was born and raised in the city and now lives in the neighbouring riding of Nechako Lakes, which supporters say means he understands the issues unique to the area.

In late September, his team held a rally in town and among the roughly 200 people who came to listen was Pat Bell, a former key B.C. Liberal Party minister and MP who had to leave politics for health reasons.

"Federally, we've been Conservative for a long time ... so I think the transition's going to be pretty simple," he said. 

"Fiscally, I'm conservative. Socially I'm probably a liberal, but what I know is when you're running a nine billion dollar a year deficit... something has to change."

Shirley Bond wants a vote for the north

However, the most well-known politician in Prince George is, by all accounts, Shirley Bond. Like John Rustad and Pat Bell, she is from Prince George. She is also the former interim leader of the Liberal Party and has served as a cabinet minister six times. Since the B.C. United debacle, she has opted not to join the B.C. Conservatives and has instead ended her political career prematurely.

Bond has not made any endorsements but is urging voters to look at who will best represent the region, regardless of party.

"This is an extraordinary part of the province, and so often we feel disconnected that Victoria doesn't hear us," she said. "Part of the reason that people have been so supportive is I am very fierce when it comes to where I live and the work that needs to be done."

"What does the future look like for northern British Columbia?"