Conservative candidate for the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding, Cathy McLeod

(GLYNN BROTHEN / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS — For more than ten years, Cathy McLeod has served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo and is looking forward to continue to represent the riding for years to come.

McLeod announced last fall she would be seeking re-election in the upcoming federal election. Since then, she has been waiting to hear from her challengers, and just last month former Kamloops mayor Terry Lake announced he would be seeking the nomination for the Liberal Party of Canada in the riding.

McLeod says she's not worried about losing the election, despite Lake's popularity in the city. He has served as a city councillor, mayor and the Liberal MLA for the Kamloops North Thompson.

“What he has done is decided to run with the Liberal Party and from my perspective [the] current government has made many, many mistakes,” she says.

Lake announced on April 23 he would be returning to politics. He served as the B.C. Environment Minister from 2011 to 2013 before he was named Health Minister after the 2013 election. He held that position until 2017.

FILE PHOTO - Terry Lake poses for a photo after leaving the Legislative Assembly one last time before retirement at legislature in Victoria on March 16, 2017.

Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Since leaving politics he has taken on the role of vice-president of corporate responsibility for Hexo Corp, which is one of Canada's largest cannabis producers. In a media release, Lake said if he was to become to the federal Liberal candidate he would take a leave of absence from the company when the campaign officially begins.

Lake says his platform will focus on making progress on climate action, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and reducing childhood poverty. He also supports the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and helping rural communities that continue to lack adequate resources such as high speed internet and access to natural gas.

Meanwhile, McLeod also say she is just as supportive of the pipeline project and says it's critical to get the expansion complete. She believes the current government isn't getting results.

"I'm very concerned about the way [the current government] spend money without any consideration of how hard it is for taxpayers," she says. "I don't think our international relationships have ever been so bad, I don't think our interprovincial relationships have ever been so bad."

Gina Myhill-Jones of 100 Mile House announced she would be seeking nomination for the federal New Democratic Party in the riding on April 30.

There has been no official announcement yet from the People's Party of Canada about possible candidates, but a spokesperson says one will be made in the near future. The federal Green Party has yet to announce possible candidates for nomination as well.

The federal election takes place on Oct. 21.

Gina Myhill-Jones is seeking the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo NDP nomination. In a news release issued last week, April 30, she says she is ready to "roll up my sleeves and work for the people of the riding".

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Gina Myhill-Jones

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