Inderpal Dhillon was announced on March 30 as the Liberal candidate for the Skeena-Bulkley Valley riding.
His entry into the race makes it a five-candidate race between him, incumbent NDP candidate Taylor Bachrach, Ellis Ross of the Conservative Party of Canada, Catriona Wright of the Green Party of Canada and Rod Taylor of the Christian Heritage Party of Canada.
Dhillon, who has been living in Terrace since 2010, is an entrepreneur who owns multiple businesses in the region and is currently serving on the Terrace City Council.
"When I moved here [from Surrey], my vision at that time was to stay here for just two or three years," Dhillon said. "But because this is a great community, I realized I should stay here for the rest of my life."
Dhillon's top priority is economic development and bringing more trade into the region, specifically through the NSD Inland Port in Terrace and the Port of Prince Rupert.
"77 per cent of our trade was with the United States. If Mark Carney is elected, he is going to diversify our trade. [On April 3], he announced a $5-billion-dollar trade diversification corridor fund. I will make sure that our region gets the support it needs to further develop the Rupert port because it will help our whole region."
A new issue that is affecting both business and people in Northwest B.C. is the Liberal Party's new policy that is driving foreign workers back to their countries and leaving businesses without the workforce they need to operate.Dhillon said Canada needs immigrants to fill jobs and keep the economy strong, but too many people coming too fast puts unmanageable pressure on housing, healthcare, and services.
"Communities like Terrace, Kitimat, and Prince Rupert need better planning and support," he said. "We should welcome newcomers in a way that works for everyone 鈥� locals and immigrants. As your MP, I鈥檒l push for smart immigration policies that help our region grow the right way."
For truth and reconciliation, Dhillon said that he has very good relationships with all of the First Nations in the region.
"I will make sure that all of the funding which is coming from the federal government will benefit all of our Indigenous communities and with respect to the environment, so we can protect it."
Dhillon believes that protecting the environment and advancing responsible development can co-exist, or as he referred to it as, "they are two sides of the same coin."
"We are living in a time where climate change is no longer a warning; it鈥檚 a reality. From wildfires to extreme weather, our region is feeling the direct impact of global warming. At the same time, we must ensure that our communities have strong economic opportunities, especially by expanding trade beyond our reliance on the United States."
"The Liberal vision is clear: we believe in building a clean, sustainable economy, while ensuring that Indigenous voices are at the centre of every environmental and development decision."
Dhillon said he plans to help address long-standing challenges in Terrace by recruiting more doctors to the area, which has struggled with shortages for years. He also committed to supporting the creation of a detox centre to confront the ongoing drug addiction and homelessness crisis. On the national level, Dhillon pointed to Mark Carney鈥檚 national housing proposal, which aims to double the number of homes built annually in Canada to 500,000鈥攁 move he said would generate 80,000 jobs.
"I will make sure we can take as much advantage of that as possible, to build more housing in the region."
Dhillon owns multiple business in Terrace, including gas stations, properties and a dispensary. He said his portfolio has only been able to expand because of the support he has received from the community, including the region's First Nations.
In 2022, in a move to give back to the Terrace community, he put his name forward as a City Counsellor candidate and won. He now wants to continue service more broadly as the region's federal representative.
"We need an MP from the ruling party because this region always gets neglected whenever our ruling party and MP is different," Dhillon said. "To make Canada strong, we need Mark Carney. Some things are not just [fixed] with 'common sense,' we need specialists and Carney is one."
