David Martin, a 47-year-old and founder of Cypress College, a business training centre, will seek the NDP nomination in the Cypress-Medicine Hat riding. He is the third hopeful to enter the race,--SUBMITTED PHOTO
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
The first New Democrat nomination contest in decades for a race in southeast Alberta just got larger.
Medicine Hat businessman David Martin says he will seek to run for the party in Cypress-Medicine Hat in the next provincial election, bringing the number of candidates to three.
The party’s contest, which ends Feb. 28, also includes retired teacher Tim Gruber and Prairie Rose Public Schools trustee Cathy Hogg.
Martin, who founded the business training centre Cypress College, says his disappointment in the current government and the need for stability in health care, education and the economy motivated him to run.
“Fundamentally I believe in equality of opportunity; everyone deserves the right to be healthy and educated and pursue jobs and careers to the best of their abilities,” Martin told the News on Monday.
“I feel that’s being taken away from the next generation and the people living here now.”
The NDP has outlined its platform heading ahead of the spring election on similar planks, lambasting the United Conservatives for their handling of health care, proposed changes to school curriculum and fights with Ottawa, which they say causes investor uncertainty.
The UCP has painted the New Democrats as allies of the federal Liberals and argued Alberta has increased social support and program spending.
“The accounting isn’t escaping the people who need and access the services who can see with their own eyes they are reduced,” said Martin. “Flirting with separatism disrupts investments … it adds uncertainty that is not needed. I support developing the energy sector in Alberta and we need to attract jobs and investment with a message of stability and unity.”
Martin, 47, moved to the city in 1992 to attend Medicine Hat College, and founded in 2001 and has operated Cypress College, which provides job training and job-seeking skill services.
A former army reservist and father of two, Martin also served two terms on the board of the Medicine Hat Chamber of Commerce in the early 2000s.
As of yet, Green Party candidate Dustin Cartwright is the only official candidate in the race.
Current MLA Drew Barnes sits as an independent after he was removed from the UCP caucus in early 2021. At least two other candidates have expressed interest in running in the yet-to-be scheduled UCP nomination process.
Martin says he sees opportunity for the opposition New Democrats in the Cypress-Medicine Hat riding, which is weighted to have more urban voters inside city limits.
“Barnes has his constituency of voters that support his message,” said Martin. “But I have to believe there are enough people in our community who care about public health care and our community as neighbours, and want to be Canadian.
“Barnes has talked about separation and I can’t support that.”
Conservatives have had little trouble holding the riding in the past.
As a UCP candidate in 2019, Barnes won two-thirds of the votes in the riding’s current boundaries, and also earned a majority of votes in 2012 and 2015 when it had a more rural makeup.
