Three days into the 2015 federal election, parties are still nominating candidates in Alberta’s thirty-four ridings. Here are the latest updates to the growing list of candidates:
Calgary-Midnapore: Brennan Wauters is the nominated Green Party candidate in this south east Calgary riding. Mr. Walter was the 2011 Green candidate in the British Columbia riding of West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea-to-Sky Country.
Calgary-Nose Hill: Faizan Butt will run for the Democratic Advancement Party of Canada.
Edmonton-Riverbend: The Conservatives will choose their candidate on August 5, 2015. Competing for the nomination are former one-term Progressive Conservative MLA Matt Jeneroux, past Wildrose Party candidate Ian Crawford and realtor Sandy Pon.
Red Deer-Mountain View: Former Green Party candidate Evan Bedford is now running for the NDP nomination against public school trustee Dianne Macaulay. Mr. Bedford was initially nominated to run for the Greens in this election but withdrew his nomination to run for the NDP. He also ran as a Green candidate in the 2008 federal election in Red Deer and 2008 provincial election in Red Deer-South.
Sherwood Park–Fort Saskatchewan: Kevin Fichtner is the third candidate to enter the NDP nomination contest in this riding. Already competing for the nomination are Joanne Cave and Adam Comartin. The nomination meeting is scheduled to be held on August 14, 2015.
Peace River-Westlock: Three candidates are seeking the NDP nomination schedule to take place on August 30, 2015. Former Assembly of First Nations regional representative Cameron Alexis, former Peace River town councillor and school board trustee Wanda Laurin and lawyer Jennifer Villebrun (who ran for the NDP in the 2011 federal election and the Greens in the 2008 federal election in the now defunct Peace River riding).
St. Albert-Edmonton: Liberals in this riding are in sorry state, according to an article published in the St. Albert Gazette on July 29, 2015.
The article, which was not published on the paper’s website, reports that one candidate, Randy Williams, withdrew his nomination because the party failed to review his nomination application in a timely fashion. Mr. Williams also states that a “lack of party fundraising, insufficient volunteers, a resigning riding president stating his intention to vote for the NDP” led to his decision to withdraw. Local riding president Barry Barclay is reported to have announced plans to step down due to ideological differences with the Liberal Party over Bill C-51.
The Gazette also reported that AlbertaPolitics.ca blogger David Climenhaga has put his name forward for the NDP nomination, but is still awaiting approval from the party headquarters. In this opinion of this blogger, Mr. Climenhaga would make an excellent candidate and the NDP would be foolish to turn him down.
Still behind in their nomination process, the NDP have pushed forward nomination meetings in the following ridings:
- Banff-Airdrie on August 15, 2015
- Bow River on August 15, 2015
- Calgary-Confederation on August 9, 2015
- Calgary-Forest Lawn on August 6, 2015
- Calgary-Heritage on August 26, 2015
- Calgary-Nose Hill on August 25, 2015
- Calgary-Rocky Ridge on August 20, 2015
- Calgary-Skyview on August 15, 2015
- Edmonton-Centre on August 11, 2015
- Edmonton-Mill Woods on August 26, 2015
- Edmonton-Riverbend on August 27, 2015
- Edmonton-Wetaskiwin on August 17, 2015
- Yellowhead on August 19, 2015
Please email david.cournoyer [at] gmail.com if there are any further additions to the list. Thank you.
