Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo

Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo is an expansive riding in British Columbia's interior, centred on the city of Kamloops and extending northward through the Thompson Valley into the Cariboo plateau. The riding follows the Highway 97 corridor through Clinton, 100 Mile House, and 108 Mile Ranch, and runs northeast along Highway 5 toward Valemount. While the riding covers a vast geographic area, roughly three-quarters of its population resides within Kamloops itself.

Candidates

Cathy McLeod (Conservative) — The incumbent MP since 2008, McLeod was a registered nurse who earned a Master's degree in International Primary Healthcare. Before entering federal politics, she managed health centres in several interior communities including Chase, Logan Lake, and Kamloops, and served as mayor of Pemberton.

Terry Lake (Liberal) — A former mayor of Kamloops who went on to serve two terms as BC Liberal MLA for Kamloops—North Thompson. During his time in the provincial legislature, Lake held the portfolios of Minister of Environment and Minister of Health. He entered the federal race citing climate change and the opioid crisis as his primary motivations.

Cynthia Egli (NDP) — A family justice counsellor and mediator with the provincial Ministry of the Attorney General, Egli was named as the NDP's third candidate for the riding after the party's earlier nominees withdrew. She was a member of the BCGEU provincial executive and co-owner of a small business.

Iain Currie (Green Party) — A former Crown prosecutor turned civil litigation lawyer in Kamloops, Currie was drawn to politics by the urgency of the climate crisis. He helped the Greens achieve their highest-ever vote share in the riding.

Minor candidates included Ken Finlayson (People's Party), Kira Cheeseborough (Animal Protection Party), and Peter Kerek (Communist).

About the Riding

Kamloops sits at the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers, a strategic crossroads where the Trans-Canada Highway meets Highway 5 and where both CN Rail and CP Rail maintain operations. Thompson Rivers University, with a student body of more than 25,000 including a large international contingent, is one of the city's most important economic and cultural institutions. Royal Inland Hospital serves as a major regional medical facility. Beyond Kamloops, the riding's economy depends on forestry, ranching, and mining. The Cariboo towns along the Highway 97 corridor carry the heritage of the 1860s gold rush—their names marking distances along the old wagon road from Lillooet to the goldfields. The riding sits within the traditional territory of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc and other Secwepemc communities, making Indigenous affairs a significant local issue. Healthcare access in the riding's far-flung rural communities, the cyclical fortunes of the forestry sector, and wildfire management were prominent concerns heading into the 2019 campaign.