Cariboo—Prince George

Cariboo—Prince George encompasses a vast stretch of British Columbia's central interior, running from near Williams Lake in the south through the Cariboo plateau to Prince George in the north and westward to Vanderhoof. The riding covers tens of thousands of square kilometres of boreal forest, ranch land, and river valleys drained by the Fraser and Nechako river systems. Prince George, with a population of approximately 76,000, serves as the regional capital of northern British Columbia and the riding's largest community. Williams Lake (population roughly 10,500), Quesnel (population roughly 10,000), Vanderhoof, and Wells round out the smaller population centres. The riding was created in 2003 from parts of Cariboo–Chilcotin and Prince George–Bulkley Valley.

The population of the riding is approximately 117,000. The demographic profile is predominantly European-origin, with a significant Indigenous population drawn from several First Nations, including the Lheidli T'enneh, whose traditional territory encompasses Prince George. The riding skews older than the provincial average, reflecting youth outmigration to larger coastal centres. English is the overwhelmingly dominant language.

Candidates

Todd Doherty (Conservative) Doherty and his wife Kelly have been small-business owners for over 20 years. He spent 25 years in the aviation industry, representing Canada on trade missions and regulatory panels across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. First elected in 2015, Doherty championed Bill C-211, the world's first federal framework on post-traumatic stress disorder, and led the effort that created Canada's three-digit 988 suicide prevention hotline. He served as Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, as well as previous shadow portfolios in fisheries, national defence, and transport.

Audrey McKinnon (NDP) A former CBC reporter and communications professional, McKinnon worked for the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, which serves several First Nations in the region. A single mother to an 11-year-old son, she was motivated to run by her experience living in poverty. Her campaign priorities included tackling the drug crisis through decriminalization and safe supply, fighting climate change, and improving affordability for northern families.

Garth Frizzell (Liberal) A long-serving Prince George city councillor first elected to municipal office in 2008, Frizzell completed a term as president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities before entering the federal race. He teaches technology, business, and economics courses at the College of New Caledonia. His campaign argued that the riding needed a representative inside the governing party to better advocate for northern infrastructure and services.

Jeremy Gustafson (PPC) Gustafson ran under the People's Party of Canada banner, advocating the party's platform of fiscal restraint, opposition to pandemic-era mandates, and reduced immigration.

About the Riding

Forestry is the backbone of the Cariboo—Prince George economy. The region is British Columbia's top lumber-producing area, accounting for roughly 29% of the province's total production capacity. It is home to 21 lumber mills, seven pulp and paper mills, and several other wood-processing facilities, with approximately 14% of regional jobs directly tied to the forest industry. Prince George itself houses multiple major mills, including operations by Canfor and other producers. Mining, ranching, and agriculture serve as secondary economic pillars across the Cariboo plateau, where cattle ranches have operated for more than a century.

The riding faces the compounding effects of the mountain pine beetle epidemic, which devastated millions of hectares of lodgepole pine forest across the central interior beginning in the late 1990s. The beetle kill reduced the available timber supply and accelerated mill closures in smaller communities. Wildfires have become an annual threat, with the 2017 and 2018 fire seasons forcing mass evacuations from Williams Lake, Quesnel, and surrounding communities. The intersection of beetle-killed timber, drought, and warming temperatures has made wildfire risk a defining concern for residents and municipal governments across the riding.

Prince George has worked to diversify beyond its resource-industry roots. The University of Northern British Columbia, founded in 1990, enrolls several thousand students and is a centre for research in northern health, environmental science, and Indigenous studies. The city also serves as the health care hub for northern British Columbia, home to the University Hospital of Northern BC. Transportation infrastructure—including the convergence of Highway 97, Highway 16, and two national rail lines—gives Prince George its historical identity as a supply and logistics centre for the north.