United Conservative Party MLA Mark Smith has publicly confirmed that he will not seek re-election in Drayton Valley-Devon. He made the announcement while speaking at an event for UCP leadership candidate Travis Toews in Devon on Sept. 9.
Smith was first elected as a Wildrose Party MLA in 2015 and was re-elected under the UCP banner in 2019. The former social studies teacher was the center of controversy during the 2019 election over comments he made about gay people.
Despite the controversy, Smith was re-elected with 71 per cent of the vote.
Carol Vowk and Andrew Boitchenko are already seeking the UCP nomination in Drayton Valley-Devon, located southwest of Edmonton, and rumours have been circulating in political circles for months that Enoch First Nations Chief Billy Morin could seek the nomination. Morin has endorsed Toews for the UCP leadership and previously endorsed Pierre Poilievre in the federal Conservative Party leadership race.
NDP members acclaimed Kathleen Ganley in Calgary-Mountain View and Marlin Schmidt in Edmonton-Gold Bar. Both MLAs were first elected in 2015 and served as cabinet ministers during the NDP’s time in government.
“This is sure to be a pivotal election for Alberta, and I am honoured that my community has put their trust in me to continue being their representative,” Ganley said in a statement. “I hear from folks every day about how they don’t trust the UCP, and how their families are struggling more now because of them.”
MLA David Shepherd is seeking the NDP nomination to run for re-election in Edmonton-City Centre at an October 11 nomination meeting. Shepherd was first elected in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019 with 66 per cent of the vote.
Also in Edmonton-City Centre, Zak Abdi announced on Twitter that he is no longer running for the Liberal Party nomination and will instead will seek to become the Green Party candidate in Edmonton-City Centre.
And in Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright, Dawn Flaata running for NDP nomination at an October 15 meeting. Flaata is a local author with a long history of involvement in the chamber of commerce in Vermilion. She is also a former Constituency Assistant to former Conservative MP Leon Benoit. Vermilion Public Library.
Upcoming nomination meetings:
- September 20 – Edmonton-Castle Downs NDP
- September 24 – Calgary-Shaw NDP
- September 24 – Edmonton-South NDP
- September 25 – Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood NDP
- September 27 – Spruce Grove-Stony Plain NDP
- September 28 – Sherwood Park NDP
- September 29 – Chestermere-Strathmore NDP
- October 1 – Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills NDP
- October 2 – Calgary-Foothills NDP
- October 5 – Red Deer-North NDP
- October 11 – Edmonton-City Centre NDP
- October 15 – Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright NDP
- October 17 – Calgary-Beddington NDP
I am tracking candidates and building a list of people running for nominations to run in Alberta’s next provincial election. If you know of someone running, please post a comment below or email me at david.cournoyer@gmail.com. Thank you!
(I am launching a Substack. Sign up at Daveberta Substack).
One reply on “UCP MLA Mark Smith not running for re-election, NDP nominates MLAs Kathleen Ganley and Marlin Schmidt”
Re Chief Morin: It’s always disappointing to see Indigenous leaders supporting conservative politicians — a classic example of people supporting the “Leopards Eating Peoples’ Faces” Party and expecting theirs are not the faces that will be eaten. At the federal level, any of the Greens, Liberals or Nee Democrats would be a better choice when it comes to Indigenous issues, and provincially the Alberta Party would be a safer alternative if he can’t bring himself to vote NDP.
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/leopards-eating-peoples-faces-party
As for Mr Abdi running for an Alberta Greens nomination, in Edmonton-City Centre, instead of the Liberals, I guess it’s a matter of which windmill to tilt at. Neither of those two parties has a snowball’s chance in Hades.