As expected, former Liberal MLA Terry Lake will be seeking the federal Liberal nomination in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.
Lake is the first person to publicly declare for the party’s local nomination as the Oct. 21 federal election nears. The local riding association has not yet set a nomination date.
While incumbent MP Cathy McLeod was confirmed last year as the Conservative candidate in this year’s election, Lake is the first person to announce a bid for the nomination of another party.
Lake, the former mayor of Kamloops and former provincial health minister, oversaw the declaration of a public health emergency amid the deadly fentanyl crisis.
He told KTW in March that the ongoing controversy involving the federal Liberals and SNC-Lavalin was not impacting his decision.
Having discussed the situation with caucus members of the party and having followed the situation as it unfolds, Lake believes the issue was a case of a difference of opinion on what constitutes pressure or influence.
“And because this is the first time the government has been through this deferred prosecution process, I think people don’t understand where the solid lines are, so no matter what party was in power, I think this might have been an issue,” Lake said before he finalized his decision to seek the nomination.
The remaining political parties have yet to announce any interested seekers of their nominations in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.
