There was a sense that strategy had been executed locally, but no one at the New Democratic Party's election get-together Monday night in Prince George could shake the cloud of national defeat.
The national polls had indicated a tight three-way race across Canada between the NDP, Conservatives and Liberals, with the opposition New Democrats a bit behind as election day began. No one at the party was anticipating a downward spiral so crushing it would suck them back to 2008 numbers.
Locally, too, the results were atypical of the polls that had Cariboo-Prince George candidate Trent Derrick a strong candidate to challenge for the lead or even win the riding. Instead, Derrick did not take advantage in the percentage slip given up by traditional winners the Conservative Party and ended up in third place - only the second time the NDP had fallen to that spot on the podium in the 11-year history of the riding as it is currently drawn.
The party faithful watched first as national leader Tom Mulcair gave a televised concession speech where he celebrated that they had run more women and more aboriginal candidates in Canadian history but he had to admit "It is clear there are major differences between our respective parties. We accept that choice with full humility."
Then it was local candidate Trent Derrick's turn to concede, who said being among the campaign volunteers and longtime members "was one of the best experiences you could have," and one of the best times of all was the last few days as he went door to door meeting prospective voters.
"The national landscape was a shock," he said. "But what came out on top was, Canadians wanted a change. The majority of people we saw door-to-door were 'anyone but Harper' and we have seen that reflected."
Derrick said he saw the NDP brand come to life in vibrant ways in Cariboo-Prince George.
"You have to give credit to the volunteers and the longtime members," he said. "It is no longer a Conservative stronghold, and that bodes well for Cariboo-Prince George. If you want to win this riding, you're going to have to fight for it."
The same cannot be said for the neighbouring riding of Prince George--Peace River--Northern Rockies. Incumbent Conservative Bob Zimmer capitalized on a widespread party base to retain the seat with usual high numbers. Since the 1968-72 mandate had a Liberal representative, it has only gone to three Members of Parliament (Zimmer, Jay Hill and Frank Oberle), all of them from the political right wing.
The NDP's candidate Kathi Dickie held onto the usual percentage of the vote - about 17 per cent - but was in an unfamiliar spot on the podium in third place. Liberal challenger Matt Shaw surged to about 25 per cent of the vote in that riding this time out, a modern record for that party, a level that party hasn't attained since those winning days back in the early 1970s.
"Kathi was someone I didn't know at all coming into this (she being from Fort Nelson), but she was a fighter. She really held Bob Zimmer to task throughout the campaign, and impressed just about everybody," said Derrick.
Although he was displeased with the local and national results, Carrier Sekani Tribal Council chief Terry Teegee, wearing his NDP orange shirt at the concession party, said the Liberal Party's national win did pose some positive results for some items on the NDP agenda, and specifically on the aboriginal agenda.
"Justin Trudeau committed to holding a national inquiry into the missing and murdered women of Canada, and I think that should be done within the first year he's in office," Teegee said. "The Conservative leadership never once met with the Tsilhqot'in leadership (since the local aboriginal nation won a landmark case in the Supreme Court of Canada) so I hope Liberal leaders will have that meeting now. And all of that has to lead to discussions about dismantling the Indian Act. I just ran into Bob Rae (former Liberal leader and current aboriginal consultant) a couple of weeks ago and that did not come up. It has to be where the discussion goes."
