Alberta’s monochromatic federal representation means that any riding with even the sparkle of a glimmer of a chance that anyone other than a Conservative could win the seat is a hot riding this election. There are two ridings in the Edmonton area that stick out because of the riding’s historical voting patterns and the people running. Edmonton-Sherwood Park and Edmonton-Strathcona are both nail-biters.

The issues the candidates in each riding address (besides the environmental and economic impact of the oilsands) are national in character, but SEE hopes these quick quotes from each of your local candidates will give voters a sense of what individual candidates think on the issues, and what kind of representative you’re voting for on Oct. 14.

Jimmy ford and Tim Uppal’s feud could end the tory hold on battleground Edmonton-Sherwood Park
The presence of independent Jimmy Ford, who is running on a conservative platform and clearly endorsees Stephen Harper’s leadership, makes the usually solidly Tory riding of Edmonton-Sherwood Park an actual contest this election.

Ken Epp, of Unborn Victims of Crime Bill fame, retired at the end of the last Parliament. Tim Uppal, a former party advisor who has run several times in Millwoods, won the Tory nod, but Ford claims Uppal only gained the nomination because of a loophole in the nomination process which allows permanent residents who are not yet Canadian citizens to vote. Ford’s preferred candidate, Jacquie Fenske, lost, and the businessman was upset enough to run against Uppal. Uppal, meanwhile, says he simply worked harder than Fenske, and that his previous work for the party had nothing to do with his nomination.

The upshot of all this is that Edmonton-Sherwood Park effectively has two conservative candidates potentially splitting the vote, which means the riding could be won by an independent, or, at an outside chance, allow the Liberals or the NDP to squeak by.

In the last election, the second-place Liberals gained only 14 per cent of the vote, and beat out the NDP by only 28 votes. Rick Sozostak, the Liberal challenger, is an economist with the University of Alberta, while NDP candidate Brian LeBelle is a child and youth worker in Edmonton.
Planned or existing upgraders, the plants that transform bitumen from the oilsands into synthetic crude, have raised environmental concerns in the area, but the economy is at the top of some voters’ minds.

“Of course the environment is a big deal,” says local resident Amir Merali. “But as seniors, we are concerned about our pension income.”

He’s waiting until the leaders debate on Thu., Oct. 2 to decide which party has the best economic platform and can deal most effectively with the economic downturn in the United States. Here’s what the candidates had to say:

Contested Nomination
Ford: “It’s a typical top-down parachuting-in of a candidate. ... Tim Uppal is going to be Ottawa’s representative in Sherwood Park. They are gathering up all the new immigrants and the naïve newcomers to use them on the voting floor. No one’s saying anything for fear of being called a racist. You know how bad we are at that. As soon as somebody says something or criticizes anything to do with immigration, we get called a racist. They try to drive fear into Canadians to keep your mouth shut.”

Uppal: “There’s nothing wrong with having a democratic process. Splitting the vote is helping the Liberals. ... Letting Dion pick up a seat in Alberta is horrifying to people.”

Carbon Tax And The Environment
Uppal: “Companies in the Alberta heartland are concerned.” He adds that investment into Alberta could decrease because no one knows how the details of the Green Shift will work in the real world.
Ford: “[The carbon tax] is going to hurt seniors that can least afford add-ons to their ultimately bills. ... It’s like the NEP, the National Energy Program they tried to push on us. It’s for the benefit of other parts of Canada.”

Szostak: “Clearer air is a big one for us. We have higher rates of asthma, and there’s a reason for that. Near the upgraders, people have much more serious concerns about health effects and maladies that may be resulting from stuff being spewed into the air. As an economist, I think we don’t give companies oil for free; we shouldn’t be giving them air and water for free. If they are dirtying our air and water, they should pay a price, [as proposed with the Green Shift].”

LaBelle: “The cap and trade system will provide companies with a financial incentive to reduce emissions. . . It’s a completely separate market that doesn’t cost us anything.”
Economic Instability

Szostak: “We want to make Alberta a centre for environmental technology. That’s the kind of economic diversification that comes out of the Green Shift, because we are encouraging firms to invest in cleaner technology. And we have the scientists and the engineers and the skilled workers to be a world leader in environmental technology. [The Green Shift] gives investors certainly because they will know what environmental policy is going to be years off into the future. One of the biggest uncertainties in the oilsands right now is they don’t know what government they are going to get or what environmental policies they are going to get.”

LaBelle: “There’s a greater chance of companies pulling out because they can’t afford the carbon tax.”
Uppal: “The measures we are taking [to cut the GST] are small. These are not irresponsible tax cuts.”
Ford: “Our government in Ottawa is running a very credible fiscal
program.”