Our neighbours to the west are heading to the polls next month.
Voters in British Columbia will make their decision on Tuesday, May 9, 2017.
B.C. Liberal Leader Christy Clark is hoping for her second full term as Premier. She first succeeded Gordon Campbell in the position in 2011, and won a full term in 2013.
NDP boss John Horgan hopes to return his party to power after 16 years in opposition. Horgan became Leader of the Opposition in 2014, a year after his party’s disappointing election showing.
Currently, most opinion polls show that the NDP leads the governing Liberals by between two to five points, with the Green Party trailing a distant third.
Peace Country Seats Up for Grabs
While the B.C. government may or may not see a change, the two seats in the Peace Region are expected to remain Liberal.
In Peace River North, incumbent MLA Pat Pimm is retiring from politics. He was elected as a Liberal in 2009 and 2013, but left the caucus last year over conflict of interest allegations. He’d previous served as Minister of Agriculture from 2013 until 2015.
Hoping to succeed Pimm is Liberal Candidate Dan Davies, who is a 12-year veteran on Fort St. John City Council. Also running includes NDP hopeful Rob Dempsey, a high school Social Studies teacher in Fort St. John. Three candidates running as independents include Bob Federly, Rob Fraser and Jeff Richert.
Over in Peace River South, incumbent Liberal MLA Mike Bernier is hoping to win his second term in the legislature. Bernier was previously the Mayor of Dawson Creek from 2008 until 2013, and has served as the province’s Minister of Education since June 2015.
Challenging Bernier for the NDP is Stephanie Goudie, who currently works for the City of Dawson Creek, and is also active with that city’s Literacy Society.
The Green Party has not nominated a candidate for either constituency as of yet.
– Posted by BET
