Four years after unsuccessfully challenging for the NDP nomination in Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies, Angie Bonazzo has returned to the political fray as the party’s candidate for Cariboo-Prince George in the Monday, April 28 federal election.
Speaking to The Citizen on Tuesday, April 1, Bonazzo said the party sought her out back in February to see if she’d be interested in running again this time around.
“The NDP is the original party that brought public health care to Canada,” Bonazzo said.
“This is where I make my living, I work with patients directly and I’m very passionate about this. The NDP has brought in the dental-care program, pharmacare, is delivering right now birth control and diabetic medications and I want to preserve that. This is one of my guiding principles to preserve that for this region and all of Canada.”
Bonazzo is a mental health support worker at the adult withdrawal management unit in Prince George, more colloquially known as the detox unit.
She also volunteers at the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia as a newborn cuddler at the neo-natal intensive care unit and as a yoga instructor at the Prince George YMCA.
While health care is a major passion, Bonazzo said she thought the biggest issue of this election campaign are the tariffs being put on Canadian goods by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We have to stand together to preserve our sovereignty, to preserve the programs that we value highly as a nation,” Bonazzo said.
She cautioned the country against being too reactionary towards Trump’s actions given how often he and his administration flip-flop on issues.
Also, she said Canada needs to stop being so reliant on the U.S. as its predominant trading partner.
“Our forestry sector is really impacted up here,” Bonazzo said of the Canada-U.S. trade war. “The shipping of raw logs to the United States to mill or overseas to mill, that needs to stop.”
With the NDP promising to build rent-controlled homes on public land as part of its election platform, Bonazzo said Canadian forestry products could be used towards that endeavour.
Affordable housing is needed in Prince George, she said, for both the unhoused and middle-class people having trouble affording rent and mortgages.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh recently promised to provide Canadians with access to low-interest mortgages through the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation if his party forms government. Bonazzo said it was a good promise but she wasn’t sure whether they would be able to deliver on it.
With the recent elimination of the federal requirement for provinces and territories to have a consumer carbon tax, Bonazzo said it was a good move to help keep money in Canadians’ pockets.
However, she also said that climate change is real, that it is a problem that affects BC and she’s not sure what the best tool to replace the tax is at this point.
Prince George hasn’t elected a New Democrat to the House of Commons since 1988 when Brian Gardiner won in the former riding of Prince George-Bulkley Valley.
“We need a voice in the House of Commons that protects those that don’t have the voices here that are living in our community,” Bonazzo said.
“The Conservative and the Liberals are chomping at the bit to cut money to social programs. That is the last thing we need in this community right now. I want to be that voice that projects the delivery of health-care services in the North.”
Later this week, she said, she has meet-and-greets planned for the Williams Lake and 100 Mile House areas. After that, they’ll be heading to Vanderhoof. Her campaign has yet to schedule any Prince George events.
Voters interested in reaching her can email [email protected].
Other candidates in Cariboo-Prince George include Conservative incumbent Bob Zimmer, Christian Heritage Party candidate Jake Wiens, People’s Party candidate Rudy Sans and Green Party candidate Jodie Capling.
