Prince George businessman Trent Derrick will fly the orange flag for Cariboo-Prince George during the federal election.
On Monday night Derrick won the NDP nomination for the riding, beating out competitors Debora Munoz and Laura Zimmerman.
The final ballots were cast at the office of the Steelworkers Local 1-424 following nomination meetings over the weekend in Williams Lake and Quesnel.
"The next steps are to plan to defeat Stephen Harper and Conservative government," Derrick said shortly after being named the victor in the nomination race.
"I think we're egging to pull our team together and make our plan to take our steps forward and deliver the message that Tom Mulcair has the experience and the NDP is the one party that will bring change to Ottawa."
Derrick has lived Prince George and area for 32 years - 22 in the city and 10 in Hixon - and currently runs a small business, the Spa of the North at the Coast Inn of the North. He is a member of the Gitxsan First Nation and holds a bachelor of arts degree in religion and theology from Taylor University College in Edmonton.
Derrick said it's that small business background that may have helped to put him over his challengers for the nomination.
"I think it was my experience as a small business person that I'm able to deliver the message that the NDP is able to support small businesses," he said.
"The NDP has a plan to lower the small business tax rate from 11 to nine per cent, the NDP has a plan to strengthen the middle class and the NDP has a plan to focus on developing manufacturing in Canada."
Now that the nomination is set, there won't be much of a shift for Derrick.
"I've been doing campaigning throughout the nomination process, making sure that I've been hitting the streets and knocking on doors throughout communities in the riding just to hear their concerns," he said.
Derrick most recently ran for office on the municipal level last year, when he sought a seat on city council.
Derrick's nomination makes him the sixth candidate for Cariboo-Prince George.
He joins Liberal Tracy Calogheros, Independent Sheldon Clare, the Christian Heritage Party's Adam De Kroon, Conservative Todd Doherty and the Green Party's Richard Jaques.
An NDP candidate for Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies has yet to be nominated.
