ATHABASCA — When constituents in the Lakeland riding head to the federal election polls Sept. 20, they will have a few choices on the ballot, and there may still be more to come.
Officially there are five nominees from five parties set to try and swing voters in their direction and now that the writ has dropped, they may be showing up in your town or even at your door.
Incumbent Shannon Stubbs has been a long-time member of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) first elected federally in 2015 and was appointed deputy critic for natural resources under then interim leader Rona Ambrose. She was re-elected in 2019 under Andrew Scheer’s leadership and in this election under current leader Erin O’Toole. The Tories are focusing on the economy including jobs, mental health and the environment.
Stubbs, who is from Two Hills, won both federal election campaigns she has run, with 74 per cent and 84 per cent of the popular vote respectively.
Hoping to take her on is Liberal nominee John Turvey, an economist who taught at the University of Alberta Business School until he moved to Vermilion where he now teaches at Lakeland College. Turvey has never run for office previously and Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party of Canada are also running on several healthcare related promises from paid sick leave to better seniors care.
Under the Maverick Party banner and interim leader the Jay Hill, is Fred Sirett, a Lloydminster pastor who has farmed and volunteered extensively, according to his biography on the party’s website. Currently the Maverick Party has one candidate in Manitoba, six in Saskatchewan, 17 in Alberta and three in British Columbia.
The Maverick Party, formerly Wexit Canada, want constitutional changes that will benefit British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the three territories, or failing that the independence of Western Canada, according to their website.
A regional party, not unlike the Bloc Quebecois, according to their website the party policy platform “is a work in progress that will ultimately be ratified at our inaugural Party Policy Convention" however, the party has been vocal about wanting to scrap the equalization program and Bills C-48 – the North Pacific Tanker Ban, and C-69 – No New Pipelines.
The New Democrat Party (NDP) are running on several planks including the economy, environment, strengthening public healthcare and committing to reconciliation under the leadership of Jagmeet Singh and Lakeland hopeful Desiree Bissonnette, a long time NDP advocate who lives in Lloydminster, will be on the ballot.
Ann McCormack from the hamlet of Clandonald 39 kilometres northeast of Vermilion is the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) candidate.
The former pharmacist supports leader Maxime Bernier who started the party to bring “together common sense, populism, classical conservatism, and libertarianism to create solutions adapted for the challenges of the 21st century,” according to their website.
Bernier is a former Conservative MP and first appointed Minister of Industry in 2006 during Stephen Harper’s government. He was appointed minister for two other departments before he sat briefly as an independent, leaving the CPC in 2018 and forming the PPC.
According to information from Aug. 19 only the Tories have a nominee in all 34 ridings in Alberta, followed by 33 for the PPC, 28 Liberals and 17 each for the Maverick Party and NDP. There are also 12 nominees for the Green Party, five Marxist-Leninist nominees, four for the Christian Heritage Party, three each for the Communist Party and Libertarian Party, and a solo nominee representing the Animal Protection Party.
