By Cheryl Jahn

Politics

Candidates added in Cariboo-PG

Mar 28, 2025 | 3:51 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Update: (6 p.m.) As of 6 p.m. on Friday night, March 28, Chris Beach was not listed as an official candidate on the Liberal Party website.

When contacted regarding his candidacy, Beach told CKPG News the following:

“I’ve been told there is a backlog of Liberal candidates to be named in B.C.’s 43 ridings and there’s a process that needs to play out and that the riding for Cariboo-Prince George is now closed to other Liberal candidates.”

CKPG News will provide further updates as soon as they’re available.

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Earlier (4 p.m.) No surprises, the current MP for Cariboo-Prince George Todd Doherty is running for the federal Conservatives. It will be Doherty’s fourth turn at the wheel. Doherty has been a strong advocate for PTSD as well as mental health and addictions supports. But he says more can be done. And he admits, with Mark Carney as the Liberal leader, this campaign will be interesting.

“I would you know, I would be lying if I said that it hasn’t caused me a little bit of concern. But again, I would point to the last election where at this time in the last election, all parties were a couple points apart. We knew that if they changed leadership, that there would be a bump.”

Speaking of federal Liberals, former Burns Lake mayor, current College of New Caledonia instructor and political pundit Chris Beach has thrown his hat in the ring. He says he’ll work hard to right the economic ship and will be loud and proud in advocating for the North in Ottawa.

“You have to fight tooth and nail to advocate for the people in these ridings. Because I’m from a small town, I’ve been a mayor in a small town and municipal councillor, a regional district director, and every single job counts. In Vancouver, five jobs might not be a big deal. That is a huge deal in a small community.”

Beach has been outwardly vocal as a critic of Liberal policies recently. He says, as a young person, he was a card-carrying Liberal but grew unhappy with the way the party changed. But things are different now.

“Mark Carney has changed my mind. He is making decisions that aren’t political decisions. I think they’re the best decisions for the country, for what we’re facing right now. The threats we are facing from Donald Trump because simply he has the economic experience. You know, he’s he’s led the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England. He’s worked on Wall Street. That’s a good thing.”

In the meantime, both candidates acknowledge the National economy is a very high priority, especially given the threats from our neighbours to the south

“Our leadership provincially and federally have failed the hardworking families and owners and businesses all across our country, not just here in our region. Look, I grew up in the region.”

The other declared candidates in the riding are Jodie Capling with the Green Party, Angie Bonazzo, Rudy Sans with the People’s Party of Canada, and Jake Wiens for the Christian Heritage Party.

Advanced electoral polls open April 18th with general election day set for April 28th.