Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to call an election on March 23, leading the Liberal Party for the first time into an election.
Parliament has been prorogued since Jan. 7, after former prime minister Justin 台湾MM裸聊室 announced his resignation on Jan. 6. MPs are set to return on March 24.
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Despite not declaring what riding he will be running in, it will most likely not be in the North Island 鈥� Powell River riding, which already has a Liberal Party candidate, Jennifer Lash.
A long-time Sointula resident, Lash announced her candidacy on March 3.
鈥淚 raised my family and built my career on the North Island, and I understand that our communities are shaped by compassion, responsibility, and practicality," said Lash in the announcement release. "If I am elected, I will make sure these values are at the heart of our government and reflected in our policies and programs."
Lash, a climate strategist, is the founder of Living Oceans Society, a non-profit advocacy group for protecting Canada's oceans.
In her press release, Lash said the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) nor the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) have the skills to take on U.S. President Donald Trump and his threat of tariffs.
"Nor do they have credible plans to support resilient communities, build more homes, and make life affordable. As the Liberal candidate, I will offer concrete solutions that make a difference.鈥�
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When Mark Carney won the Liberal leadership on March 10, Lash said she was excited, saying Carney "plans to usher Canada into a new era of economic independence, reducing reliance on the U.S. and ensuring prosperity for all Canadians."
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Aaron Gunn was announced as the North Island鈥揚owell River candidate for the CPC in December 2023.
鈥淭he journey has just begun. I am excited to be part of the team to defeat Justin 台湾MM裸聊室 and make Pierre Poilievre the next Prime Minister of Canada,鈥� Gunn said during his announcement. 鈥淪ince meeting Pierre in 2021, I鈥檝e gotten to know the man I believe will be Canada鈥檚 next prime minister. He has the vision, drive and, most importantly, the courage to stand up to Ottawa鈥檚 elites and finally defeat Justin 台湾MM裸聊室.鈥�
Gunn is a Campbell River-based filmmaker, producing Vancouver is Dying and Canada is Dying.
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On March 11, Gunn held a True North Strong and Free election rally in Campbell River. Campbell River City Coun. Ben Lanyon introduced on the stage, but not before claiming a trifecta of municipal, provincial, and federal conservatives all advocating at the same time with the same message for this area will end the "litany of liberal lies once and for all"
During his speech, Gun mentioned the ongoing trade war once when talking about building pipelines to eastern Canada, instead taking aim at Liberal and NDP policies, the carbon tax, and promoting a "warrior not woke" culture, and speaking against diversity, equity and inclusion policies in government hiring.
鈥淚f you want to play your little woke experiments, that should be the last place that they should be done. We should be taking the best people to do the job.鈥�
Gunn served in the Canadian Army Reserves and worked with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation before entering politics.
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Campbell River City Coun. Tanille Johnston announced herself as the NDP's candidate for the riding in September.
"I feel like as a social worker, we're a natural fit in a political space as a lot of politics is policy and advocacy as is social work. I've always had a passion for policy, I did my final practicum for my Social Work degree in the policy department with the Ministry of Children and Families at the Provincial Office, not because that was the natural path, but because I fought the school to make that my path and did the footwork to ensure I had a practicum supervisor within the policy team to enable that opportunity for myself. Bell Hooks said, "The personal is political," and I feel that deeply as a Status Indian whose life is very much under the control and maintenance of the Federal Government through the Indian Act," she said in an interview with Black Press.
Some key areas she's targeting for improvement are the state of Canadian healthcare, particularly diabetes, and affordable housing. Another thing Johnston will advocate for is fully implementing the United States Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action.
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A We Wai Kai First Nation member, Johnston became the city's first Indigenous city councillor. She was elected on Oct. 15, 2022.
The Green Party of Canada's Jessica Wegg announced her second run for the North Island鈥揚owell River in May 2023. Wegg has been the candidate since the 2021 federal election.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a great candidate, and she鈥檚 a lawyer, a human rights advocate really strong on Indigenous issues and she鈥檚 also a mom and really rooted in community, so I couldn鈥檛 be (more) pleased,鈥� Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said.
Serving as the party's international trade critic in the shadow cabinet, Wegg believes everything comes back to the environment.
鈥淚鈥檝e personally been鈥� more acutely aware of how things in our environment affect the people we love and the people we care about,鈥� she told the Campbell River Mirror in 2021. 鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible to see your children suffering. I just needed to do everything that I could to prevent my kids from having to suffer. We see it getting worse and worse. They didn鈥檛 miss school because of COVID鈥� but they made attendance optional because the heat was unbearable and dangerous.鈥�
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Wegg appeared with May and co-leader Jonathan Pedneault in Campbell River in March last year for a town hall meeting. Wegg later appeared at a Seniors for Climate Action march in Campbell River in October, where she gave a speech.
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Paul Macknight will lead the People's Party of Canada in the North Island鈥揚owell River heading into the election.
Macknight supports the party's platform's commitment to individual freedoms, economic prosperity and limiting government interference. According to his profile on the party's website, Macknight wants small business owners to receive government support.
"Paul believes that those who have invested their time, resources, and vision into their enterprises deserve a business-friendly environment that fosters growth and success," reads the profile. "As a dedicated advocate for economic fairness, Paul is determined to reduce unnecessary regulations and taxes that stifle innovation and opportunity, helping businesses thrive."
