As in elections before, the race for Prince George-Peace River was no race at all. The Conservative candidate this time was untried and unknown outside of his own community, but the voter base didn't blink. Bob Zimmer was swept into government with the same gusto as his predecessor Jay Hill.
"I just can't believe it. We had solid numbers before but until you see it for yourself you just never know," Zimmer told The Citizen on victory night, from his campaign headquarters in Fort St. John. "I'm the only guy who ran in the nomination who had never run for anything else, I was never before a politician. We knew the NDP was taking the riding seriously, and Lois Boone was a solid candidate, so to see this happen along with the party's national majority feels very good."
While Zimmer held about as much of the popular vote across the riding as the Conservatives traditionally did in the past, it was the NDP who made the biggest gains. Lois Boone, a former provincial cabinet minister and longtime school trustee in Prince George, gathered 26 per cent of the riding's vote, whereas the NDP had been steady between 17 and 20 per cent over the last few elections.
"I think this is exciting. I said all along we would be celebrating regardless of what happened locally," she said. "We're seeing a breakthrough all across the country. People are taking us as a serious party now, and I see nothing but good things for the future. I'm a little nervous about the Conservatives having a majority and their agenda. The other side of it is, we have a strong opposition that will be able to speak up on behalf of the average Canadian."
Veteran candidate Hilary Crowley did not make personal gains, but her Green Party did. The Citizen told her first of party leader Elizabeth May's electoral victory, the first Green Party candidate to win a seat in any Parliamentary jurisdiction anywhere in North America.
"I'm on top of the moon," Crowley said, but it was a muted celebration. "I can't believe our two Conservatives just got in like everything was fine. I am really sad the the Conservatives have a majority. That is horrendous. But apart from that I am pleased. She [May] will be a phenomenal asset to Parliament. I wish there were more to support her, but it is a start."
Also suffering a percentage drop in the traditional popular vote, likely to the NDP, he figured, was Liberal Ben Levine. He said he knew from the start that he was in tough against any Conservative in this riding, and that the NDP was going to take the riding seriously, but he enjoyed the process.
"It will be an uphill battle, always, to be a Liberal in this region, but I have no complaints about how I was treated by any of the people I met during the campaign," he said. "I had a lot of help from family and friends and gave it an honest fight, to defend Liberal values and promote that in the region, so I feel very good about the way our campaign was run."
Zimmer said he looked forward to a majority government position, so issue could move more quickly through the Parliamentary process, and he said the NDP's ascension to the position of Official Opposition was going to pitch the political battle in very clear and polarized terms.
He said he had no expectations for cabinet posts, he was just looking forward to meeting his government colleagues in the days ahead and getting down to representing his constituents.
