This Sunday NDP members in the riding of Cariboo North will determine who their next candidate will be at a nomination meeting taking place at the Royal Canadian Legion Hall in Quesnel.
Their choice is between Quesnel city councillor and forest industry worker Sushil Thapar and 150 Mile rancher and former Cariboo Regional District director Duncan Barnett.
Both candidates will speak and answer questions.
The meeting kicks off at 1 p.m. and will feature keynote speaker Adrian Dix, B.C. NDP leader.
NDP Constituency Association president Brian Kennelly said the public will have an opportunity to see and hear Dix and Cariboo-Chilcotin NDP candidate Charlie Wyse talk about the NDP’s ideas to change B.C. for the better.
“It’s a chance for people to hear Adrian’s ideas for positive change and I think that will resonate with a lot of people because I think a lot of people are waiting for change,” Kennelly said.
“Dix has been putting forward practical ideas to support good jobs, provide workers with better training and make post-secondary education more affordable for young people.”
Kennelly has been part of the NDP Association on and off for 30 years.
“This was a Social Credit riding for quite a while, and then we had an NDP MLA by the name of Frank Garden, and then we had a few terms with a Liberal candidate and then it went to Bob Simpson who was elected for two terms with the NDP,” he recalled, adding Simpson left caucus in January 2011, and then decided to run as an Independent.
“There is a sizeable portion of people who worked during the elections of 2005 and 2009 to get an NDP MLA elected who believe in the NDP values and platform and want to see that continued,” Kennelly said, adding it’s difficult to know what an Independent’s philosophy and without a party platform, what an Independent stands for.
“I guess two questions are: who they are accountable to and who their audience is, will they be listened to without being a member of government or a member of the Opposition?”
Although only previously registered NDP members are eligible to vote, the general public is welcome to attend and hear the speakers.