It will be a tough battle for Prince George's two candidates in the Conservative nomination for the Prince George-Peace River as they battle four decades of history.
The riding has been dominated by two Conservative MPs for 39 years.
Jay Hill represented the federal riding from 1993 to 2010, while Frank Oberle was the MP for the previous 21 years. Both men were from the Peace River country.
"It's going to be hard. That goes without saying," said former-Prince George mayor Colin Kinsley, pointing to the decades the power base of the party has resided in the region, 250 kilometres north of Prince George.
Kinsley and Prince George city councillor Cameron Stolz are among seven candidates vying for the nomination which will be decided in voting from March 7 to 11.
All of the other candidates are from the Peace River region.
The remaining candidates include Fort St. John teachers Bob Zimmer, Dan Davies and Don Irwin; RCMP victim services co-ordinator Jerrilyn Schembri from Tumbler Ridge; and farmer and businessman Les Shurtliff from Taylor.
Kinsley noted the core of party membership is located in the Fort St. John-Taylor region.
Still, Kinsley, who has made several trips to the Peace River area, hopes party members will recognize his experience and government connections developed during his tenure in municipal politics.
It's important for Ottawa to recognize the value of the natural resource sector, so important to Northern B.C., said Kinsley, who took a leave of absence as a consultant with Enbridge Inc. Northern Gateway oil pipeline once his nomination was confirmed earlier this month.
Stolz, who has been working on his campaign since October, said he believes party members are keeping an open mind towards the Prince George candidates.
He acknowledged however there are several strong candidates from Northeastern B.C.
Zimmer is a former riding association president and Davies, a Fort St. John city councillor, has taken a leave of absence from his teaching position to campaign full time. Schembri, a Tumbler Ridge town councillor, is considered a dynamic speaker who could sway some voters during speeches prior to the votes.
Stolz also noted the Peace River and Prince George areas -- separated by the Canadian Rockies -- face different issues.
While Prince George is just emerging from a lengthy forestry downturn and the impacts of a global recession, the Peace River region has an economy that has been operating flat out. The Peace has challenges finding workers, and its communities' infrastructure is swamped by a workforce living in camps.
The Prince George-Peace River riding is vast, encompassing McBride to the east, the Peace River region and Fort Nelson, as well as Prince George north of the Nechako River and east of the Fraser River.
That there has been interest from a large number of candidates is no surprise.
It is almost certain the winner of the Conservative nomination will represent the riding in Ottawa, either following a by-election that must take place by April or through a general election if the minority Conservative government falls during its spring budget.
Hill won lopsided victories dating back to 1993, winning more than two-thirds of the vote in the last election in 2008.
The only election won by a non-conservative party was in 1968 by a Liberal candidate when Pierre Trudeau swept to power for the first time.
UNBC political scientist Gary Wilson said it's obvious why the interest is there. "It's pretty much the safest Conservative seat in Canada," he observed.
