Todd Doherty was up bright and early for Day 1 of his fourth federal election campaign, and he hit the ground running.
The Conservative MP had already logged five kilometres, touching base with his Cariboo-Prince George constituents, before heading to the rink Sunday morning at Kin 1 to catch the action at the BC provincial U18 hockey playoffs.
Cariboo-Prince George has elected only right-wing candidates since 1993, and if past results are any indication, the riding is as safe a seat as there is in Canada for the Conservative Party. In the most recent election, in 2021, Doherty received 50.8 per cent of the vote, defeating NDP candidate Audrey McKinnon (20.4 per cent) and Liberal Garth Frizzell (16.6 per cent).
But Doherty says he’s not taking anything for granted, and he’s hoping Canadians will want a change in government after nearly a decade of Liberal rule.
“I think we’ve seen how devastating the last 10 years have been for Canadians far and wide. We have more Canadians accessing food banks, and more Canadians at the end of the month who are $200 away from insolvency,” said Doherty.
“We also have interesting times south of the border as well, and I think it’s time we see a righting of the ship. We’re ready to go. We’ll be the hardest-working candidate out there. You have to work to earn people’s vote and respect.”
Doherty knows he can’t control what happens in the rest of the country, and it remains to be seen whether Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has what it takes to defeat Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney on election day, April 28, and form the next government.
But if he is re-elected, the 56-year-old Doherty vows he will continue to fight for the issues that matter most to the people who live in his riding, no matter who they decide to vote for.
“I just really focus on what we do here,” Doherty said. “Am I hopeful? Absolutely. I know our leader is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met in my life, and he’s spoken to tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of Canadians over the course of the leadership campaign and the last year. He’s heard far and wide the stories of Canadians who are hurting, and we have an incredible plan to put Canadians first, always.”
Carney has tried to distance himself from Justin Trudeau, whose popularity sank to the point where he announced on Jan. 6 he would resign as Liberal leader. Doherty said the leadership change within the Liberal government is not enough to reshape the country and fix its economic, housing, and healthcare issues.
“It’s the same ministers who were literally the architects of our failed policies right now,” he said. “Our region has been crippled with job losses. We still don’t have a softwood lumber agreement after 10 years with this Liberal government. How many mills have we seen go down the drain?
“Addictions, homelessness, the mental health crisis, crime rates, and catch-and-release — those are all things that are top of mind for us. How about major projects that bring about economic prosperity in our neck of the woods? We need to make sure that we are finding a way to get to ‘yes’ on major projects.”
The other confirmed candidates for Cariboo-Prince George are:
- NDP: Angie Bonazzo
- Green Party: Jodie Capling
- People’s Party of Canada: Rudy Sans
There is no Liberal candidate for the riding yet declared.
