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Alberta Politics

alberta election candidate update – february 2012.

With an election call expected in the next three to six weeks, Alberta’s opposition parties are busily nominating candidates to stand in the upcoming vote. Some parties, like the Wildrose Party and the NDP, are close to nominating a full-slate, while the Liberals are scrambling to catch up. The Alberta Party and EverGreen Party are only expected to nominate a small number of candidates.

The Progressive Conservatives are expected to appoint their final candidate in Calgary-West on February 16. This appointment will replace previously nominated candidate Shiraz Shariff, who was disqualified by the PC Party last week.

Here are some of the recent updates I have made to the list of declared and nominated candidates standing in the 2012 provincial general election:

Battle River-Wainwright: Midge Lambert is seeking the Alberta Party nomination. Ms. Lambert was the Green Party candidate in Wetaskiwin-Camrose in the 2008 election. The NDP are holding a nomination meeting on February 21 where Terry Zalwalski is expected to be acclaimed. Mr. Zalwalski was the NDP candidate in the federal riding of Vegreville in the 1993 election.

Bonnyville-Cold Lake: Retired municipal administrator Roy Doonanco has been nominated as the Wildrose candidate, replacing previously nominated candidate Chuck Farrer.

Nicole Hankel Liberal Party candidate Calgary-Acadia
Nicole Hankel

Calgary-Acadia: Nicole Hankel is the Liberal candidate. She ran in the 2011 federal election as a Liberal candidate in the Macleod riding south west of Calgary.

Calgary-Elbow: William Hamilton has been nominated as the EverGreen Party candidate.

Calgary-Fish Creek: Nazir Rahemtulla is the nominated Liberal candidate in this south Calgary constituency.

Calgary-Fort: Said Abdulbaki has been nominated as the Liberal candidate in this east Calgary constituency. I am unclear whether this is the same Mr. Abdulbaki who ran for the Wildrose Alliance in Calgary-Montrose in 2008 and for the Wildrose nomination in Chestermere-Rockyview in 2011.

Calgary-Hawkwood: Social Credit Party leader Len Skowronski will stand as a candidate in this newly created constituency.

Calgary-Hays: Brian MacPhee will stand under the Liberal Party banner. Mr. MacPhee was the federal Liberal candidate in Calgary-Southeast in the 2011 election.

Calgary-Northern Hills: Stephanie Woodlund was recently nominated as the NDP candidate.

Calgary-South East: Marta Warszynski was chosen as the NDP candidate in a nomination meeting held earlier this week.

Calgary-Varsity: Jackie Seidel, Director of Field Curriculum at the University of Calgary Faculty of Education, was chosen as the NDP candidate this week, replacing previously nominated candidate Cynthia Caldwell.

Cardston-Taber-Warner: Aaron Haugen was nominated as the NDP candidate this week, replacing previously nominated candidate Barbara Eng-Bonthoux.

Rod Loyola NDP Edmonton-Ellerlsie nomination candidate
Rod Loyola

Cypress-Medicine Hat: Manuel Martinez is expected to be nominated as the NDP candidate on March 2, replacing previously nominated candidate Scott Riable. Mr. Martinez was his party’s candidate in the 2008 election.

Edmonton-Ellerslie: The NDP nomination contest is heating up. Rod LoyolaKevin Wright, and one other candidate are seeking the nomination. Former Liberal MLA Bharat Agnihotri, who was previously nominated as his party’s candidate in the upcoming election, appears to no longer be the candidate.

Edmonton-South West: Former Catholic School Trustee Rudy Arcilla was nominated as the Liberal Party candidate in this newly created constituency. Served as a trustee from 2007 to 2010.

Rick Szostak Liberal candidate Edmonton-Whitemud
Rick Szostak

Edmonton-Whitemud: Rick Szostak is the nominated Liberal candidate in this constituency. Mr. Szostak was previously the Liberal candidate in Edmonton-Sherwood Park in the 2008 and 2011 federal elections.

Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville: Spencer Dunn is the nominated Liberal Party candidate.

Highwood: Miles Dato was recently nominated as the NDP candidate.

Leduc-Beaumont: Dave Stasiewich has been chosen as the Wildrose candidate.

Little Bow: Everett Tanis is the Liberal Party candidate. Mr. Tanis was the 2008 Liberal candidate in this constituency, earning 1,080 votes. In 2011, he was honoured as Picture Butte’s Citizen of the Year.

Medicine Hat: Graham Murray is the nominated EverGreen Party candidate

Sherwood Park: Past County Councillor candidate and local bus driver Dave Anderson was recently nominated as the Liberal candidate.

Whitecourt-Ste. Anne: Likely winning the best name of the 2012 provincial election, is newly nominated NDP candidate Blue Knox.

SENATOR-IN-WAITING ELECTIONS

This past weekend, Progressive Conservative officials selected Doug BlackMike Shaikh, and Scott Tannas as their three candidates in this Spring’s Senator-in-Waiting vote.

15 replies on “alberta election candidate update – february 2012.”

What are the requirements to run in the Senate election?

Seems inconsistent that they either run under a provincial party or as an independent but if appointed they serve under federal party or as an independent.
I understand it has to do with the them running under Election Alberta rules. But not all provincial progressive conservatives are federal conservatives.

As a voter, I would rather vote for someone who would sit as an independent senator.

It is sad that the best that the Liberals can do is to find perennial losing candidates in rCalgary ridings they haven’t won for … Ever. And won’t come in third as a result.

Fixed Wing:

Why the Liberals bother running in constituencies they have never held is beyond me. Waste of their resources.

An even bigger waste of resources is the fragmentation of votes and the splintering of progressive candidates in constituencies where the PC party will receive less than 50% of total votes and be elected.

Yes. You just proved my point. By running candidates in completely unwinnable ridings, the Liberals will further splinter the vote and elect more PC’s.

I think you’re right about vote splitting but Why is it the Liberals fragmenting the vote? Why is it the Liberals who should stand down?

Didn’t they come in second in pretty much ALL of the constituencies above?

Ditto Fixed Wing Goose. The Alberta Liberal is the only real progressive alternative considering total vote plurality in the last election and considering the number of constituencies that were second place for ALP.

So stop fragmenting winnable seats and develop a strategic approach to end vote splitting.

MeadowlaRk Lemon says: “So stop fragmenting winnable seats and develop a strategic approach to end vote splitting.” ChangeAlberta.ca, which will go live within a week, is tracking the electoral contests in seats winnable for parties other than the Tories and their WR offspring. We’ll be recommending the “strategic choice” in constituencies before election day. But last time around’s second won’t always cut it since there are more parties in the field and popular support for the Liberals versus the NDP has shifted. For an objective assessment of various constituencies, be watching for changealberta.ca

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