“I’m not sure if an election is right around the corner.”

Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Conservative MP Frank Caputo just doesn’t have any confidence in NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s  latest comments that he is prepared to scuttle the Liberal Minority.

Singh says Justin Trudeau’s struggling Liberal government doesn’t deserve another chance and their time is up.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Singh’s comments are a “stunt” and is calling for Parliament to return right away to force the motion. Poilievre says holding the vote when the house returns would mean months of chaos under Trudeau.

The Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois have both been calling on New Democrats to vote non-confidence in the government, but with NDP choosing instead to support the Liberals on three confidence votes since September.

If such a vote passes, it would trigger an election.

As such, Caputo says the timing of the NDP announcement on Friday is quite curious.

“We just had a vote of confidence 11 days ago, which isn’t really all that long ago and and what was really significant about that was that those the words that made up the motion of confidence were actually the words of the NDP,” noted Caputo.  “They were the NDP leader, Jagmeet Singh’s own words. And so he voted against his own words and voted that he had confidence.”

Caputo says this has left him skeptical of Singh’s ultimate intentions.

“We’re not going back [to Parliament] until January at the earliest.  Late January.  So I guess I’m just questioning the timing of this,” said Caputo. “They’ve told us before, they ripped up the agreement, and now here they are saying they don’t have confidence when 11 days earlier they did.  I’m a bit skeptical at this point.”

Kamloops to be represented in Commons by two MP’s

When an election is eventually called in 2025, Kamloops will be split into two ridings.

Those include the new Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola riding, as well as Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies.

Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola (KTN) is carved out of the existing Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding that Caputo represents, but will also include parts of Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola and Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon.

Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies (KSC) takes part of Caputo’s existing riding, but also adds most of Mel Arnold’s North Okanagan-Shuswap riding, and the northern portion of the Kootenay-Columbia riding in the Rockies.

Despite the new communities and larger physical footprint, Caputo suggest it shouldn’t change their campaign ‘ground game’ all that much.

“When the writ does eventually drop, I think that you still campaign the same way,” said Caputo.  “You campaign from a position of always having to earn the voter’s trust.”

Caputo intends to challenge for the new Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola riding, which he notes will include a number of new communities.

“We’ll also have Merritt, Logan Lake, Lillooet, Lytton, Ashcroft, Cache Creek, all the way north to Blue River, and also all the way north into the Cariboo just shy of 100 Mile House,” noted Caputo.  “So quite a big riding.”

Caputo says his Caucus colleague Mel Arnold has been chosen to represent the Conservatives for the Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies riding, which includes the eastern half of Kamloops.

“East of 6th Ave in Kamloops, all the way to the Alberta border on the Number One Highway,” noted Caputo.

A leading federal New Democrat official in Kamloops says steps are already being taken by the NDP to deal with a divided Kamloops, and what that may mean for candidate selection.

“There has already been discussion about search committees for candidates,” said Bill Sundhu, who ran against Caputo in the 2021 federal election, finishing second.  “But given the news today [Friday], that process will be accelerating and feelers are already being put out to people.”

While not officially ruling out another run for federal office, Sundhu suggests it’s unlikely you’ll see his name on a ballot next year.

“After 2021 I had announced that, you know, two times is a good run. It was a great experience. I’m proud of the campaign we ran,” noted Sundhu.  “But I think, just as in the recent provincial election, it’s time for a new generation. And I will have to be actively involved, mentoring, and and supporting the NDP team and helping it, organize, but but it would be a tremendous surprise even to myself if I were to do that so I would say the answer is no.”

Caputo says he sees the split of Kamloops as an opportunity to run a joint campaign with Mel Arnold.

“He’s the one who actually shepherded the private members bill that I drafted. He sponsored it, and we shepherded it through Parliament and the Senate together,” said Caputo.  “For those who don’t know Mel, he’s just a great salt of the earth person, and I look forward to working with him.”