A full week into the federal election campaign, the major parties have positioned candidates in most Calgary ridings, but the Liberals and NDP are still playing catch-up. Read More
Eight of Calgary’s 11 federal ridings had full slates of candidates
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Eight of Calgary’s 11 federal ridings had full slates of candidates
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A week into the federal election campaign, the major parties have named candidates in most Calgary ridings, but the Liberals and NDP are still playing catch-up.
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The Liberals named political commentator and University of Calgary executive Corey Hogan as its candidate in Calgary Confederation on Tuesday, replacing Thomas Keeper who was dropped by the party just days ago.
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As of Tuesday, eight of Calgary’s 11 ridings had full slates of candidates. But in the remaining three, voters are still waiting to find out who the contenders will be. The Liberals still don’t have candidates in Calgary East and Calgary Heritage, while the federal NDP is missing candidates in Calgary East, Calgary Heritage and Calgary Signal Hill. In rural Alberta, the Liberals are missing names in Battle River, Bow River, Medicine Hat and Ponoka.
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Noon News Roundup
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Four Calgary ridings will be battleground in federal election says political science professor
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The sluggish start to the snap election comes as several Calgary ridings are shaping up to be more competitive than past elections.
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“There are four ridings in Calgary that are going to be in play: McKnight, Skyview, Centre and Confederation,” said Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University. “Those will be battlegrounds that we haven’t typically seen in this city.”
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Bratt called Hogan’s nomination in Calgary Confederation “a major deal” and expects the ridings to be even more competitive with the announcement.
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“It puts a really high profile candidate, in a potentially winnable riding in the city,” he said. “He’s the most high profile Liberal they have come out with – outside of Chahal.”
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Bratt points to shifting demographics, redrawn boundaries and recent momentum for the federal Liberals as reasons behind the growing competitiveness in Calgary ridings. Calgary Centre has previously gone Liberal, while Skyview is held by the party. Confederation saw success for the NDP provincially in 2023, and McKnight now features a prominent Liberal contender in George Chahal.
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Bratt suggests the Liberals’ slower pace in finalizing the Calgary slate may reflect how quickly the political landscape has shifted.
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“In January, no one wanted to run for the Liberals in Calgary because they were going to get wiped out,” Bratt said. “Now, there’s a scramble. Calgary Centre only got a candidate after the election was called. Confederation got theirs in the second week.”
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Thomas Keeper was nominated as the Liberal candidate for Calgary Confederation, but CBC reported over the weekend Keeper was dropped by the party for failing to disclose a stayed assault charge from 2005.
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While the NDP lags in candidate nominations, Bratt suggests this is not surprising. He says the party’s priority is in Edmonton more than in Calgary.
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In this election, Bratt says, “you’re going to see NDP provincial voters voting Liberal.”
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Candidates of all stripes are hitting the streets, talking to constituents at the door
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Still, some NDP candidates are making their presence known on Calgary doorsteps.
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Keira Gunn, running for the NDP in Calgary Confederation, has been campaigning intensively — door-knocking for four to six hours a day.
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In 2021, Gunn ran a low-budget, last-minute campaign in Calgary Forest Lawn. This time, she feels more prepared running in Calgary Confederation, where she lives and has ties to the University of Calgary.
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On the prospect of past NDP voters voting strategically for the Liberals, Gunn urges people to do their homework on what’s going on in their riding.
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“You need to be cautious . . . about how you make that strategic vote, and where you’re getting your information,” she said. “When you get a lot of aggregated information, it’s not really portraying what’s happening on the ground, who the candidates are and . . . ties they have to the community.”
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The Conservatives traditionally hold an advantage in ground organization, Bratt says, noting the Liberal ground game outside of Skyview and McKnight remains uncertain.
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He points to conservative MPs Michelle Rempel Garner (Calgary Nose Hill) and Greg McLean (Calgary Centre) as examples of candidates coming out in full force out of the gates.
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“McLean realizes it’s a battleground, and he had his signs up within hours of the election being called,” Bratt said.
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Calgary Nose Hill incumbent Rempel Garner said she’s been “getting my cardio in” while running a “very busy, full campaign” since the writ dropped.
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“We’ve got hundreds of lawn signs up on private property,” she said Tuesday. “We’ve been door-knocking in all of the communities in my riding. It’s been really busy, but also exciting.”
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She said top concerns she’s hearing from Calgary voters are about housing, affordability, community safety and jobs in the energy sector.
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In Calgary Signal Hill, Liberal candidate Bryndis Whitson was also out in full force, handing out signs and knocking on doors. After campaigning in chilly weather the past few days, Bryndis said Tuesday felt like a “a great day” for campaigning.
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Whitson, who has been door-knocking for the Liberals since 1997 when she was in Grade 12, says this campaign has a different energy.
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“It’s a different feel,” she said of door-knocking in the conservative stronghold. “People much more willing to not vote the way they typically have.”
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Whitson says her campaign has run out of lawn signs, already exceeding the number distributed in the riding in 2021.
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“We have to order more already,” she said.
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The deadline for parties to nominate candidates or for Independent candidates to put their names forward is April 7.
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Election day is April 28.
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