The writ hasn't dropped but with the House of Commons rising for the summer, momentum is gathering for riding associations preparing to field candidates in the next federal election.
The stage is already set for Conservative candidates in both Prince George ridings.
Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies - saddled with the extra identifier as part of the work of the federal electoral boundaries commission in 2013 - has incumbent MP Bob Zimmer who is just wrapping up his first term in Ottawa.
And in December, the Conservative Cariboo-Prince George riding association held its hotly contested nomination vote to replace Dick Harris, who is retiring from politics after nearly 22 years in office. Todd Doherty emerged as the victor in that race against Nick Fedorkiw and former P.G. mayor Shari Green.
But every election is a chance for a fresh start and despite being held by the Conservatives and ideologically similar predecessors for decades, other parties are preparing themselves for battle.
The NDP in Cariboo-Prince George already has a ballot of three candidates made up of William's Lake's Laura Zimmerman, former P.G. city councillor Debora Munoz and P.G. businessman Trent Derrick.
Over in Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies, the candidates' list hasn't yet been unveiled but riding association president Judy Fox-McGuire said they're hoping for a race.
"We have some strong people who have come forward and expressed interest and we're just working through the process with them now so that they understand what's involved,
said Fox-McGuire, who was a candidate herself for the provincial NDP in 2013. "There's a lot that's expected of a candidate. We want to make sure people go in with their eyes open."
As the fall election approaches, there's more interest in the party, Fox-Mcguire said, but not necessarily because of Rachel Notley's historic win in the neighbouring province.
"I don't think it's as closely connected with Alberta as much as it is just how disappointed people are in the performance of the Conservatives over the last couple terms and wanting an alternative to that philosophy the Conservatives have been working towards the last few years," she said, citing issues with the Senate and provincial-federal crossover areas such as health care and education. "I think the Alberta election sort of helps that along, but I don't think that's where it's really coming from. I think it's disillusion with the federal Conservative party."
The Cariboo-Prince George Liberal riding association is hoping to have a candidate nominated by early September, said group president Heather Sanford.
With no incumbent on the ballot, Sanford said it's up to them to provide a strong alternative - no easy task when both the Liberal and Conservative parties have become resigned to the status quo.
"It's unfortunate, because what's happened over time is both parties have lost interest in (the riding)," she said, pointing to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to not attend the Canada Winter Games as well as difficulty in getting elected Liberal representation to the city for the February event. "People do themselves a bit of a disservice by being so predictable because of that. So neither party pays attention."
The Liberal base - having never elected a local member of Parliament - isn't as strong as the Conservative throng who turned out in the thousands to elect their candidate in December because it's seen as a coronation to the House of Commons. But there are new faces at every meeting and Sanford said she receives notice weekly of new members joining the fold.
There's even less interest in the neighbouring riding. Sanford and the rest of the Cariboo-Prince George executive are also serving as the interim executive for the Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies association.
"I would love to prove them wrong on that, would love to shake that up a bit because elections are open and it's an opportunity and there is no guarantee in an election," said Sanford. "It's why they're fun - fun to participate in and fun to follow. So I think it's up to us to provide a good alternative."
