The BC NDP has chosen a candidate for the Nechako Lakes riding.
Ann Marie Sam was acclaimed by the party at a meeting on March 28. She will face incumbent Liberal MLA John Rustad and Libertarian Party candidate John Rempel.
“Anne Marie Sam has devoted herself to building resilient, strong northern communities,” says John Horgan, leader of the BC NDP. “She has what it takes to defeat Christy Clark and will be a strong voice for the people of Nechako Lakes.”
Sam is a councilor for the Nak’asdli Whut’en and was a school trustee for SD 51 from 2011-14. She has some concerns about the state of her riding.
“Good jobs are disappearing and small northern communities are feeling the pressure,” said Sam. “Christy Clark has neglected our forest industries and people here are struggling. What will keep people in northern towns like Fort St. James?” she said. “When there are fewer opportunities for the younger generation the whole community suffers.”
Sam says her motivation for getting into the race is simple. “I want to see my children to be able to have the same opportunities that I did here: to be able to live in Fort St. James, working in Fort St. James, and to raise a family here that’s my focus.”
Rustad has held the riding since 2005, when it was known as Prince George-Omineca.