Liberals announce first candidate for Southeast Alberta

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on July 23, 2021.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

The federal Liberal Party has announced its first candidate in Southeast Alberta.

Getahun Shawile, an engineer based in Calgary, was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Bow River when the next election is called, the party’s website states.

He is the first Liberal nomination in Alberta outside of a major city, where the party has named seven candiates in the last three weeks.

Bow River, comprising Brooks, the counties of Newell and Vulcan, the M.D. of Taber and areas around Strathmore and Chestermere, is currently represented by Conservative MP Martin Shields.

He captured 84% of the votes in 2019 and retains the CPC nomination as sitting MPs are mostly acclaimed.

There is no schedule noted for a Liberal nomination in Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner, where the incumbent Conservative candidate is Glen Motz.

Candidate Devon Hargreaves will run for the Liberals in Lethbridge, the party announced in mid-June.

This month, nominations were determined for two Calgary ridings and five in the Edmonton area, including Randy Boissonnault in Edmonton Centre. He was one of three Liberal candidates to win seats in the 2015 election, but lost the seat in 2019.

New Democrat MP Heather MacPherson (Edmonton-Strathcona) is the only non-Conservative MP from Alberta currently.