For the second time in as many elections, Liberal Mike Morris will be facing off against New Democrat Bobby Deepak in Prince George-Mackenzie.
As a rookie candidate Morris won in 2013, continuing the Liberals' grip on the riding which Pat Bell held for the previous dozen years.
Reached Monday, Deepak, a labour lawyer, was critical of Morris' performance, saying he's failed to provide a "strong and effective northern voice in our region."
"I don't think too many people know who he is and he's been an MLA for four years," Deepak said.
Morris, a former RCMP superintendent and B.C. Trappers Association president, has been the public safety minister and solicitor general for 2 1/2 years.
Deepak is calling for "good sustainable jobs" in northern B.C. and claimed the Liberals are responsible for the loss of thousands of forestry-related jobs. He said the NDP would kick-start wood manufacturing and process more logs in the regions where they've been harvested.
On pipelines, Deepak took a similar stance. He said the issue is not their presence but rather what's being transported through them. Rather than sending raw bitumen, "which is the equivalent to sending out raw logs," Deepak said the material should be processed into higher-value products in B.C. first.
On the Site C project, Deepak said the NDP's position has always been to get B.C. Utilities Commission approval, a step the Liberals declined to take. And if BCUC gives it the green light, Deepak said it would pursue a B.C.-workers first policy for its construction.
Hydro says about 80 per cent of the 400 workers on the project are from B.C., but that figure has been disputed. And last month, a temporary foreign worker was brought onto the job site.
One of Deepak's goals is to "make life more affordable for everyday folks, not just those who are wealthy and well connected."
To that end, he said the NDP will implement $10-a-day daycare, eliminate medical services premiums and freezing BC Hydro rates.
He said services such as health care have been gutted by the Liberals and noted a local doctor's comment in February that the waiting list for surgery has climbed to 2,500 as an example of the trouble.
Morris did not return a request for comment Monday. In a January interview, he said the major issue for him is job creation.
Neither the Green Party nor the B.C. Conservative party have nominated candidates in Prince George-Mackenzie, according to their websites.
