North Island–Powell River candidates from left to right: Jessica Wegg (Green), Tanille Johnston (NDP), Jennifer Lash (Liberal), Aaron Gunn (Conservative), Paul Macknight (PPC). Photo collage: Jesse Woodward / CHLY 101.7 FM

The writ dropped on Sunday, March 23rd, launching Canada into its next federal election period, ending the anticipation for local party candidates in North Island—Powell River.

This is the first election following the redistribution of federal electoral districts that took place in 2022, and one notable difference for the North Island—Powell River Riding is the addition of East Courtenay, shifting the boundary line to include all neighbourhoods east of the Courtenay River.

Another change this election period for North Island—Powell River is that current NDP MP Rachel Blaney will not seek election again, after serving the riding for nearly 10 years. She said in a press release March 27th that she looks back on this time with “immense gratitude and pride,” and that “it has been an honour to serve as the representative of this region.”

CHLY and CVOX spoke to candidates in the North Island—Powell River riding, to hear how they are feeling going into the election.

First to respond was the NDP’s new candidate Tanille Johnston, who said she has been eager to start campaigning.

“I'm excited. I am feeling great. I am a planner at heart, so the waiting period for the writ drop was something else. So I was super excited when it was finally official-official. So that we could all just get started and get moving with it. I think a lot of people have been kind of anxiously awaiting the election and that same decision as to when it was going to happen, so it was almost like a sigh of relief and then 'let's get going,’” Johnston said.

Also quick to reply was the Green Party candidate Jessica Wegg, another first-time candidate who also said she is excited.

“I am feeling excited. I'm excited for Canadians to have this opportunity to vote at such a crucial time, especially when we can see just how important it is for citizens to participate in the Democratic process,” Wegg said.

Liberal Party candidate Jennifer Lash is also running for the first time, and is excited about the conversations she has been having with community members so far.

“I'm feeling so energized and excited 'cause of all this momentum towards the Liberals and it is just a really exciting time to be out there talking to people about the future of the communities in North Island—Powell River. We have communities from big to tiny, and a wide-wide range of them, and they all have certain issues that they wanna address,” Lash said. “They're concerned about the tariffs, they're concerned about economic development, they've got concerns around healthcare. But they're coming with ideas. They're coming with a willingness to try and find solutions and work together on things, and I'm finding that just exhilarating and exciting. So it's been an amazing first couple days of the campaign.”

Paul Macknight, returning candidate for the PPC, thanked the newsroom for reaching out but said he will not be giving interviews at this time and suggested listeners read his bio online.

Aaron Gunn, first-time representative of the Conservative Party, did not respond to the request for comment before the publication deadline.

Electors have until April 22nd to register to vote, or apply to vote by mail, either online or in person at a local Elections Canada office.

Elections Canada has offices throughout the North Island—Powell River riding in Campbell River, Port McNeill, Comox, and Powell River. Electors may also visit these offices to vote early by special ballot, before the April 22nd deadline.

Advanced voting will take place April 18th - 21st, and election day will be on Monday April 28th.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada. Reporting done in the Comox Valley is done in partnership with CVOX.