A federal election polling station is pictured in Vernon, Monday, Oct. 21, 2019.

(HOWARD ALEXANDER - NEWS EDITOR / iNFOnews.ca)

Tory candidates in Thompson-Okanagan ridings are largely set as a federal election approaches, while the people running against those four incumbents are largely yet to be determined.

The Liberal Party is gathering steam amid US tariff threats and under new leader, Prime Minister Mark Carney, but few Liberal candidates have been confirmed in the region so far, despite an election call as early as this Sunday.

Juliette Sicotte is taking on longtime incumbent, Conservative MP Dan Albas, for the Okanagan Lake West-South Kelowna riding. 

Former MP Stephen Fuhr is return to represent the Liberals for the new Kelowna riding, taking on Conservative incumbent Tracy Gray. Federal NDPs have also named Trevor McAleese for the riding.

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In the new Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola riding may be lawyer Iain Currie. He's known to voters in the region for past Parliament bids with the Green Party, but he's aiming to fly a new flag this year. He's filing for nomination under the Liberal Party banner just days ahead of an expected election call.

There is no one else known to be vying for the Liberal seat there, nor any other party. If acclaimed, Currie will take on incumbent MP Frank Caputo.

New riding changes mean Kamloops is nearly split in half, with parts of Sahali and downtown incorporated within a riding that stretches beyond the Shuswap region to Golden.

Current MP Mel Arnold will represent the the Conservative Party again in the newly-drawn riding, and there's no known opposition yet for Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies.

Without an incumbent to place there, Conservative Scott Anderson won the candidacy seat for Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee. He has no known opponent.

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Just one sitting MP in the region won't be seeking reelection, who is also the only non-Conservative MP.

Without the NDP's Richard Cannings, the party put forth Linda Sankey in the Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding. Kevin Klippenstein is vying for the Conservative nomination, but there are no known Liberals or Greens for that riding.

The newly drawn election map means 2025 will bring one new MP for the Thompson-Okanagan, with four Conservative incumbents on the ballots across the region.

New Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to call the election Sunday, just a day before Parliament is scheduled to resume.

If called, voters could head to the polls as soon as April 28.

— This story was updated at 1:12 p.m., March 21, 2025, to correctly state Kevin Klippenstein has not been confirmed as a Conservative Party candidate.

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