Election Year is Here – Up and Coming Candidates to Watch
Unless something completely unexpected arises, Albertans will be returning to the polls on Monday, May 29th to determine who will form our next provincial government. It is expected that this will be a two-party race once again between the United Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party with very low odds for other parties to earn a seat in the Legislature.
As is always the case leading up to an election, there are a number of new faces on both sides of the aisle hoping to earn a coveted seat in the Assembly this spring for their respective parties. In our first issue of The NEWS in 2023, associate Heather Feldbusch will take a look at some of the notable candidates for the UCP this spring. This will be followed by a synopsis of key NDP candidates by vice-president Pascal Ryffel.
United Conservative Candidates
The UCP has secured 52 of its 87 nominees, 10 of which are not incumbents. Let’s review some of the new candidates running to become the newest members of the Legislative Assembly.
Drayton Valley-Devon - Andrew Boitchenko
Andrew Boitchenko won the UCP nomination in Drayton Valley-Devon this fall after incumbent Mark Smith announced he would not be seeking a third term. Boitchenko previously ran in the nomination in 2019 and remained actively involved in the UCP serving a term on the provincial board and also on his local constituency board. He is also a member of the provincial advisory council for Alberta-Ukraine relations and is well known to this government. His riding is viewed as a UCP safe seat and will be among those to watch for cabinet with a UCP victory.
Chestermere-Strathmore – Chantelle de Jonge
Chantelle de Jonge won her nomination in December and will represent the UCP on the Chestermere-Strathmore ballot. Current UCP incumbent Leela Aheer announced this fall that she would not be running for the UCP in this next election. While this is her first time running provincially, de Jonge has worked as a constituency assistant in the office of former Calgary-Skyview Conservative MP Jag Sahota and is familiar with the behind the scenes of the political world. This riding is also seen as a UCP safe seat, so she is likely to win her election.
Edmonton-Castle Downs - Jon Dziadyk
UCP Edmonton Castle Down candidate, Jon Dziadyk, is no stranger to public office. Dziadyk was elected to Edmonton City Council in 2017 in an upset win over the reigning incumbent. He is putting in the work once again to secure his path to victory, but no Edmonton seat is a given for the UCP. Currently he is serving as a chief of staff in the UCP government. By representing Edmonton where the UCP is not likely to pick up many seats, if Dziadyk can pull out a win, he would have a strong case for cabinet.
In 2019, of the 63 seats the UCP won, 18 were occupied by incumbents, less than 1/3 of the total group. Of the current 52 candidates the UCP has nominated for 2023, 4/5 are incumbents. Each sitting of the legislature is unique, and the 31st Legislature will be no different. We will continue to watch as the path to election 2023 unfolds.
NDP Candidates
Edmonton
Most of the NDP’s incumbent MLAs are from the capital city so the crop of new candidates is not extensive. One of the brightest stars among the new crop is Brooks Arcand-Paul (West Henday) who is looking to replace outgoing MLA Jon Carson. Arcand-Paul currently works as the legal counsel for the Alexander First Nation and is highly regarded within the party establishment.
Aiming to replace popular outgoing MLA Deron Bilous is Peggy Wright (Beverly-Clareview). Wright has significant experience as an educator and has very deep roots in the party, having served countless years as a volunteer as well as party president.
Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse (Rutherford) is running to fill the spot left by retiring MLA Richard Feehan. Ms. Stonehouse has an extensive CV working on anti-racism initiatives and Indigenous cultural programing and should be a top contender for a cabinet spot if the NDP wins the election.
Two other capital city candidates to watch are Nathan Ip (south West) and Rhiannon Hoyle (South). Both will have a harder time defeating their UCP rivals than any other candidates in the city and it is quite possible the party will want to shore up these seats by filling them with cabinet ministers. Both Ip (former school board trustee) and Hoyle (community activist) have won fiercely contested nominations and have the experience and skills needed to jump into cabinet.
Calgary
With only three incumbent MLAs in the city there will be lots of opportunities for victorious Calgary MLAs to compete for cabinet positions should Rachel Notley return to the Premier’s office. Top among them is likely Samir Kayande (Elbow). The chemical engineer turned energy analyst has an impressive resume along with a great story to tell about losing his job in the energy sector during the oil crash and successfully transitioning to a new career. Kayande was featured heavily on stage during the NDP’s AGM in Calgary last year. Well spoken, thoughtful and charismatic, Kayande should be in prime position for cabinet.
Former four term city councillor Druh Farrell (Bow) should also have the skills, experience and name recognition to make the cut.
Luanne Metz (Varsity) is in many ways a star candidate for the NDP. As a highly regarded medical researcher and neurologist Metz would surely bring a key perspective on health care to cabinet that will not be left on the sidelines.
In the north of the city, Parmeet Singh Boparai (Falconridge) can be expected to be rewarded for his hard work, having essentially campaigned non-stop since narrowly losing the seat in the 2019 election.
Gurinder Brar (Northeast) in a neighbouring riding is another candidate to watch.
Other
With most of the NDP’s support in the two major cities, anyone winning a seat outside of those two major urban areas will automatically be in good position to snag a cabinet position. If the NDP is to win the election, candidates like Rob Miyashiro (Lethbridge East) and Bill Tonita (Strathcona-Sherwood Park) almost certainly have to win. Both candidates are popular municipal politicians with considerable experience, meaning both are high on the list of ‘rural’ cabinet potentials.
Sarah Elmeligi (Banff-Kananaskis) could end up being one of the NDP’s only truly rural (rather than small urban or suburban) MLAs and can be expected to be given a long look.
Danielle Larivee (Lesser Slave Lake) faces longer odds in her rural seat but given that she is a popular former cabinet minister she can be expected to be brought back in if she wins.
Karen Shaw (Morinville-St. Albert) and Kyle Kasawski (Sherwood Park) have good odds of winning their seats if the NDP manages to win the election. The party also has high hopes for Michelle Baer (Red Deer South) but it is a long-shot riding for the NDP.
