Angie Bonazzo says her run as the NDP candidate in Cariboo-Prince George was a first-time experience, but that she's proud of the impact she made.
“I don’t have anything to compare it to,” Bonazzo said. “It was different. I’ve discovered that you can’t prepare for any of the debates. You’re never prepared for the questions that come, but I got wonderful feedback on my presentation, my public speaking style, and my ability to debate.
“It was great seeing other candidates, meeting them, seeing where we sort of landed on that left-to-right spectrum, and hearing other people’s politics. It was wonderful meeting the constituents.”
Bonazzo, a Prince George resident who began her career as a nursing assistant with the Northern Health Authority in 2005 and currently works as a mental health support worker at a withdrawal management unit, finished third behind incumbent Todd Doherty (Conservative) and Liberal Clinton Emslie.
She told The Citizen that one of the highlights of her campaign was connecting with voters in 100 Mile House.
“In 100 Mile House, I made a powerful connection with younger voters who were concerned about LGBTQ issues and affordability,” she said. “Those younger voters didn’t feel that they were actually heard by the other candidates. So that was a very special moment.”
Despite a Conservative victory in the riding, Bonazzo said the NDP and other parties must not disappear after the election, but instead continue to work toward their goals in the North.
“In previous sittings, a lot of campaign promises haven’t been delivered on,” she said. “There seems to be a disappearing act when other parties are in positions of power in this riding. I feel the NDP will make inroads by being present, hearing constituents’ concerns, and working with people in this riding to deliver on campaign promises instead of disappearing — by being members of the community, at the table, working on issues.”
Bonazzo said she believes the NDP is uniquely positioned to address key challenges in both health care and the forestry industry in Prince George.
“The federal NDP needs to partner with the provincial NDP to work on these stump fees so we can start having a productive forestry industry again and get our mills revived,” she said.
“There is a housing issue in Prince George — we need to build affordable housing. I think the federal NDP has a unique connection with the provincial NDP that the other parties don’t have. That’s something special. The federal NDP must maintain transfer payments to the provinces to deliver health care, because we still have massive substance use disorder issues and social issues that can only be addressed through health care delivery.
“If we restrict health-care payments to the provinces, we won’t be able to provide the services this community desperately needs.”
One of the issues Bonazzo noticed during her campaign was a lack of political engagement from young people.
“Locally in the riding, there’s a lot of people who don’t want to be involved in politics, particularly young people — from millennials down to Gen Z,” she said. “I don’t know why that is. I think we need to make it attractive for people to want to step up and become involved with a political party that aligns with their beliefs and values.
“The reason we had a shoestring team is because we couldn’t get any younger people interested. So how do we make that attractive? How do all the parties — Conservatives, Liberals, the PPC, and the Greens — make it attractive for people to want to be involved?”
Bonazzo hosted an election night party at the Ramada in downtown Prince George, which was attended by supporters from both northern ridings.
The room was full of NDP supporters and past candidates, including Clay Pountney, former chief of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and previous NDP candidate for Prince George-Valemount in the 2024 provincial election.
Speaking to The Citizen, Pountney agreed with Bonazzo’s comments about the lack of youth engagement and the need for better federal representation.
“As much as Prince George is a city, it’s a small town,” he said. “I really enjoy it that way. I don’t know how we get youth out to vote — that’s another major issue.
“We have to start listening to the issues that are coming from young people. I also don’t know if the system is working right now in terms of proper representation. Like, look at the North — we have two ridings that take up half of BC.
“When Quebec and Ontario vote, it seems like the rest of Canada doesn’t have a say. It feels like they’re representing us, but they don’t really understand us.”
One of the biggest upsets for the NDP on election night was the announcement that party leader Jagmeet Singh was stepping down after losing his seat, with the party securing only seven seats in the House of Commons.
The Citizen asked Bonazzo about Singh’s departure and its potential effect on the party.
“I would say it’s not surprising,” Bonazzo said. “I think this is a devastating loss. I think he fought very hard. This was one of the toughest elections, given the current political climate coming up from the south. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s going to pursue other opportunities.”
Despite the loss, Bonazzo said the party needs to rebuild and prepare for the next election.
“There needs to be more of a gathering of NDP supporters and NDP talent,” she said. “We rode such a huge orange wave under other leadership. I’d like to see a revival of that.
“I think after a change in administration down south, we’re going to see a revival of the NDP. But in the meantime, let’s gather some talent, let’s get some passion going, let’s find strong leadership — and let’s start planning our next election win tomorrow.”
The Citizen was unable to reach Cory Longley, NDP candidate for Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies, for comment.
