On Jan. 15, 70 Mile House resident Sally Watson was acclaimed the BC NDP candidate for Cariboo-Chilcotin constituency for the May 9, 2017 provincial election at a nomination meeting in Williams Lake.
The longtime Cariboo resident and Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) Area E (Bonaparte Plateau) Director, Watson says she has witnessed firsthand how the decisions of the Christy Clark government are making it harder and harder for people to live here.
"Christy Clark isn't working for you. Our costs are going up, while our schools and healthcare are being cut. Everyday people are paying more and getting less.
"Christy Clark's government gives millionaires tax breaks, but it takes more money from you.
"Increasing costs of MSP, ICBC and Hydro rates are making it harder for families to get by. People are worried they won't have the same opportunities as their parents had."
Watson has the full support of BC NDP Leader John Horgan.
"Sally Watson has the community connections and leadership skills to be a great advocate for people in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. We need people like her on the BC NDP team because she has what it takes to help build a better British Columbia."
In early November 2016, Watson said she decided to toss her hat into the ring and seek the NDP nomination for the Cariboo-Chilcotin Constituency because she believed it was time for a change in government.
"I'm very, very tired of being misled before every single election by the BC Liberals, and then have things go sour almost immediately after the election. So, I think it's time for a change of government."
Watson said she contacted the NDP Cariboo-Chilcotin Constituency office to find out how to seek the candidacy.
They helped her contact the provincial party office and gave her the information she needed, she explained.
Watson has been a TNRD director for the past 14 years.
"It seems like the right time to jump into provincial politics and the NDP match my personal code of ethics, so it seems like a good fit."
Now that she is the candidate, Watson knows she has a lot of work to do in the Chilcotin and will learn the issues by hosting town-hall meetings throughout the constituency.
She has several concerns about the BC Liberal government.
"The BC Liberals are nearly giving away our natural resources in the trade-off for jobs. I think the natural resources belong to the people of the province.
"If we are going to sell them, we need to get an appropriate price for them.
"I don't think big business needs our help; they can take care of themselves. I think our marginalized people need our help."