The 2025 federal election campaign is gaining momentum in its third week and candidates are out meeting with constituents, while keeping a keen eye on election polls.
New Democratic Party candidate for North Island-Powell River Tanille Johnston said she feels like the campaign is going quickly, but that it's been an amazing experience to be able to travel and visit constituents throughout the riding, which includes the qathet region.
Johnston was born and raised in Campbell River and is from the We Wai Kai First Nation. She said after going away to study she felt a strong desire to return home.
"This is where I want to be," said Johnston. "I feel extremely accountable to the communities that are within our riding.
The Peak asked Johnston questions about how she will address the needs of her qathet region constituents, as well as the greater Canadian public's needs, in Ottawa.
Peak: How are you feeling about the campaign so far?
Johnston: I'm feeling like it's going super-fast at a light speed.
I want people to know that I care about every inch of our riding, and then I want to do my best to make sure I'm getting out there and seeing people in their communities.
Peak: How will you address the needs of qathet region constituents as an MP when you live on Vancouver Island?
Johnston: Well, I think it's important to show up in all of the communities that are in the riding and not just try to do the work from one siloed place. I have been over in Powell River numerous times, even since the nomination for the NDP.
I was at the Blackberry Festival and I came back over for the first Pride event, which was amazing, looking forward to next year.
Showing up is important to me. I believe that's what keeps you most accountable as an MP to your constituents, and it'll be my number one priority of course, to make sure people are feeling like I'm there in their community for them.
Peak: Over 30 per cent of the population in qathet is more than 65 years old and considered seniors. Does the NDP have anything in its platform to address issues such as affordability, specifically for seniors in the riding?
Johnston: We are definitely not leaning into cuts and increases in age for accessing Canadian Pension Plan (CPP). We just announced some increases in not only seniors benefits, but benefits for persons with disabilities, which is huge.
I am hearing on the doorsteps that we need to do more. The cost of living is so high that we're really chasing that down with increasing our seniors benefits and our benefits attached to disability. There's still lots of work to do in that area, but I am happy we're going to be looking at increasing those.
Peak: Why is your party best suited to address the needs of Canadians?
Johnston: We're the party of the everyday working person. We're focused on the whole community, and not just the billionaires who are right at the top, with the most money, the most ability and the most access to everything.
We're getting on the ground and hearing the folks who are having challenges with accessibility, health care, and folks who can't afford a home; the everyday person who is working a full-time job, where it's not affording them the access to the programs and services they need to thrive in life, and we're just not seeing that from the other parties.
Peak: What do you feel is the right way to handle US president Donald Trump's administration on the national stage?
Johnston: We need to look at investing in ourselves. We need to reinvest in doing the work that Canadians want us to do. We need to invest in building our affordable housing and looking at doing that at a federal level with a federal housing strategy.
We need to secure our public health care and make sure we're investing in health care for ourselves, including bringing doctors into our hospitals and clinics so people can actually access health care, and really doing that work for Canadians and not getting distracted by Trump's constant tariff threats.
One of the things for me is the issue of electricity. We purchase a large amount of electricity from the United States, and one way we can get away from that is investing in our different types of energy: our wind energy, our solar energy, our water energy, to invest in those things, that would make us more independent with our energy resources.
Peak: What makes you the best choice to represent the North Island-Powell River riding in Ottawa?
Johnston: I'm the only person [potentially going to Ottawa] who’s from here [North Island-Powell River], born and raised here and raised my family here. I have deep roots here and I love my relationship with the Tla'amin Nation through the soccer pitch.
We [We Wai Kai First Nation] have a lineage that comes right from Tla'amin and that's something we don't talk about that much, is our connections through our First Nations communities that bring this riding really close to home. I feel like those things keep me down to earth and grounded in what the community actually needs.
I'm going to show up and I'm going to be consistent, and I'm here for the community. I view the MP role as listening three times as much as you're talking and comprehensively understanding what the needs are of the riding, then doing your best to carry those through your party, into the House of Commons, to make sure that representation is there.
Also seeking to represent North Island-Powell River as MP are Aaron Gunn (Conservative Party of Canada), Jennifer Lash (Liberal Party of Canada), Paul Macknight (People’s Party of Canada), Glen Staples (Independent) and Jessica Wegg (Green Party of Canada). Interviews with Lash and Wegg will be published this week. Gunn and Macknight have not yet scheduled interviews offered by the Peak in March. Staples, who was a late entry in the race, will be contacted this week.
Powell River Chamber of Commerce will host an all-candidates meeting from 6 to 8 pm at Evergreen Theatre in Powell River Recreation Complex on Thursday, April 17.
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