NDP close to selecting local candidates
By Gillian Slade on December 29, 2018.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com @MHNGillianSlade With a provincial election just months away the local NDP constituency association is gearing up to select candidates in both the Brooks-Medicine Hat and Cypress Medicine Hat ridings. A contestant has been approved for the Cypress-Medicine Hat riding and is expected to make a formal announcement around the second week in January, said Rick Moore, president for the local constituency association. For the Brooks-Medicine Hat riding there are potential candidates in various stages of the nomination process. If in the past there appeared to be a lack of NDP contestants that does not seem to be an issue now. “We have spoken with many people about running and there has been interest for a number of reasons,” said Moore. From a personal perspective, Moore believes the success of the NDP in the last election has played a role. The biggest factor though has been the strength and leadership of Premier Rachel Notley combined with the efforts of Bob Wanner, said Moore. Many government ministers have been brought to the riding by Wanner “supporting the growth of new industries in our region to diversify our economy, and helping to gain tens of millions of dollars of provincial investment to our communities” in southeastern Alberta, he explained. “I also think many people are concerned about the repercussions of a Jason Kenney government and how that will impact our educators, our students, our healthcare workers, our seniors and emerging industries,” said Moore. A nomination meeting is being planned for Cypress-Medicine Hat in early February and if the contestants in the Brooks-Medicine Hat riding are ready, the plan is to co-ordinate the two for efficiency and to save time, said Moore, noting that no date or venue has been finalized yet. “As soon as nominees announce their intention to seek the candidacy they will start campaigning, but we are already preparing,” said Moore. There is an air of optimism about how the election campaign will go and how the NDP will do. “I am confident the NDP will do very well in both ridings and Alberta in general,” said Moore. When NDP MLA Bob Wanner announced recently that he will not seek re-election he talked of choosing “vision” over “division,” and that is something Moore agrees with. “I believe southeast Albertans want and need leaders they can trust to represent the diversity of their constituents and leaders who can make well-informed decisions for the continued prosperity of our region,” said Moore. Information was not immediately available on the number of local NDP members but Moore says this will be made available in the new year. 16
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