In 2009: Veteran NDP MLA Harry Lali was re-elected, defeating Liberal candidate Ella Brown by over 800 votes, 49-43%.
History & Geography: Broadly spanning the area between the Lower Mainland and Kamloops, Fraser-Nicola is a descendant of the old Yale-Lilloett riding. The riding includes the towns of Clinton, Lillooet, Ashcroft, Lytton, Merritt, and Princeton. With the exception of 2001-2005, Harry Lali has held this area continuously since 1991. The farming area between Pemberton and Kamloops has been a strong centre of Liberal support, while Princeton and Lytton have tended to support the NDP.
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Basic Stats:
Population: 30535 (79th)
Size: 33792 km (8th)
Density: 0.9 people/km (78th)
Odds and Ends: According to the 2006 census, 38.8% of family income came from government payments, the highest number in the province. The riding also has the second lowest number of Chinese speakers in B.C.
Candidates
Liberals-Jackie Tegart: An Ashcroft councillor since 2006, Tegart is the former head of the BC Schools Trustees. She sat on the regional school board for 20 years as well. Other community activities include being BC Healthy Communities facilitator, and a member of the Thompson Nicola Film Commission. She has eight grandchildren.
NDP-Harry Lali: The opposition critic for Community and Rural Development, Lali has a perfect record in this riding, having won in 1991, 1996, 2005 and 2009 elections, while sitting out in 2001. He served as Transportation Minister in the NDP government from 1998 to 2001. Before entering provincial politics, Lali was an Employment Counsellor and Merritt city councillor.
Conservatives-Michael Beauclair: A log-scaler, Beauclair is the owner of Nikaia Creek Contracting, a log scaling business. He graduated from BCIT in the 1980s, and has been in the log scaling businesses for 24 years. Beauclair was born and raised in Oliver, and has two children.
Greens-John Kidder: The owner and former chairman of software company APRIO Inc., Kidder has also been past chair of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. He is also the brother of Canadian actress Margot Kidder. He ran federally for the Liberals in Okanagan-Coquihalla in 2011, but finished in third place. He defended his move to the Greens by pointing out he was the first secretary of the Green Party of British Columbia 30 years ago.
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