KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A former British Columbia politician who stepped away from provincial politics two years ago is ready to return, but this time he hopes to run federally.
Former B.C. health minister Terry Lake confirms he will seek the federal Liberal nomination in B.C.'s southern Interior riding of Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.
The riding covers an area from Kamloops in the south to Valemount and the Alberta boundary in the northeast.
It has been held by Conservative Cathy McLeod since 2008.
Nearly three-quarters of the district's population is centred in Kamloops, where Lake, a veterinarian, has served as councillor, and then mayor between 2002 and 2008.
Lake has spent the last two years as vice-president of corporate and social responsibility at Quebec-based marijuana company Hydropothecary Corp.
He says a nomination date has not been set but expects the Liberal riding executive to do that sometime in May or June.
"While no government or party gets everything right, I'm convinced that the Liberal Party of Canada is the best choice to keep our country moving in the right direction," Lake says in a Facebook post announcing his candidacy.
The former health minister also says Canada must create a federal strategy to address the overdose crisis and provide treatment programs.
In addition, Lake is calling for a climate action plan that transitions away from fossil fuels "but in a way that does not strangle the economic growth of our country that supports important services like health care, education and other social services."