Federal NDP candidate Lois Boone renewed her call Wednesday for a prompt byelection in Prince George-Peace River after the Harper Conservatives decided to bypass Prince George in federal budget consultations.
"It's clear we really don't have a voice with the Harper government," she said. "The Conservatives are taking us for granted.
"They deliberately left us without an MP last fall. Now they're showing our voice doesn't matter by leaving us off the list of communities where budget consultations are taking place."
Federal budget consultations will include 150 meetings across Canada, including meetings on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, the Kootenays and Kamloops, but Prince George is not among the stops.
Boone challenged Cariboo-Prince George MP Dick Harris (Conservative) to speak out.
"The Conservatives keep saying 'don't worry about not having an MP in Prince George-Peace River - Dick Harris will take care of you.' But when it comes to making sure we have a voice on the budget consultations, he's been silent."
Prince George-Peace River has been under the care of Conservative whip Gordon O'Connor since Jay Hill retired Oct. 25. O'Conner is the MP for the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton-Mississippi Mills.
Prince George-Peace River's Fort St. John office was closed and staff at the Prince George office at 7th Avenue near Vancouver Street are working with constituents on a by-appointment basis. The phone number remains the same at 250-561-7922.
About 106,000 people live in the riding, which covers 237,174 square kilometres.
Boone said the Conservatives are reluctant to hold a by-election in Prince George-Peace River because they fear the public backlash over their decision to vote in the HST.
"It's time for them to be accountable," she said. "They should call the by-election and hear what voters have to say."
Boone said party leader Jack Layton and the NDP will press for measures in the next budget to generate jobs and make life more affordable for northern families.
"We're fighting to remove the federal sales tax from home heating and to restore the retrofit program so people can make their homes more energy efficient," she said.
So far, only the NDP has selected a candidate to run in Prince George-Peace River.
Six people have announced their intention to seek the Conservative candidacy but a formal 28-day nomination process has not yet been declared.
A 36-day byelection must be called by April 25, but there is a possibility an election could be forced after parliament resumes on Jan. 31. The Conservatives haven't set a date for the 2011 budget, but it's normally unveiled before the fiscal year-end on March 31.
