Doherty reelected

For a seventh straight federal election, the Cariboo-Prince George riding is staying blue as it has once again voted in a Conservative Member of Parliament.

Todd Doherty will be serving his third term for the riding which serves a population of about 108,907 in the north-central

interior of B.C. after winning around 50 per cent of the vote Monday night.

“I think being elected for a third time is an incredible honour,” said Doherty, surrounded by his family at the Courtyard Marriot in Prince George on election night.

However, with national results showing a Liberal minority government similar to federal election results in 2019, Doherty remains in the same position as a member of the official opposition.

“People were frustrated we were in the middle of an election to begin with. I think overwhelmingly that was the message ‘why are we in this election?’,” said Doherty. “I think this was a huge waste of money. Think about what that money could have went to and the good that it could have done across our nation.”

Doherty added that the campaign was more divisive than 2019 as he experienced slashed tires, sign vandalism and threats.

“We can disagree with one another but the threats of violence is unacceptable, so it has been really tough.”

However, Doherty said he is eager to get back to Ottawa and bring the feedback he’s learned from this campaign.

“I want to make sure that I am taking back the feedback that we heard on the doorsteps from those other candidates and be better,” said Doherty.

“I want people to know who their member of parliament is and to feel comfortable they can walk up and talk and ask questions – the message that we heard from some of the candidates was they didn’t feel that way so I think we can take from this and make sure we are doing better the next time.”

Doherty’s career in politics has seen him responsible for presenting and passing Bill C-211, which encompasses the federal framework to address the challenge of those people in service dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He is also known for his advocacy for mental health. In 2020 Conservative leader Erin O’Toole named Doherty special advisor to the leader on mental health and wellness in the shadow cabinet.

Polling in second place was NDP candidate Audrey McKinnon. It was a first-time federal race for McKinnon who gained more than 20 per cent of the vote Monday night.

The former CBC reporter, now in communications, had been motivated to run in the federal election because of her experience living in poverty as a single parent.

“It’s a lot of work to be a candidate and to run a campaign and I’m just really grateful to everybody who contributed to the campaign,” said McKinnon. “We did absolutely everything that we could in 36 days which is a very short window of time.”

McKinnon also noted frustration with national results projecting another Liberal minority government.

“Well, it was an unnecessary election and I think the results proved that as the Liberals and Conservatives have gained almost nothing at this point and I can say I’m proud that the NDP looks to be increasing,” said McKinnon. “And unfortunately, this has cost all of us a lot of money.”

Monday night results showed the NDP winning 27 seats which is an increase from 2019’s 24.

“I believe that there is a lot of progressive support in this riding and that we have a lot of work to do to let people know that we’re here,” added McKinnon, about the gains the NDP made in Cariboo-Prince George. “That’s what I’m willing to do and it’s what I’ve been trying to do for the last thirty-six days is to get out there and speak to as many people and let them know that there is a better alternative,” said McKinnon before thanking everyone she’d met on doorsteps, over the phone or on social media.