Hey! We're Having an Election!

I got an e-mail over the weekend from a CPAC reporter. This reporter stumbled upon an old blog entry of mine in which I passed along the tale of Rob Anders.

For those who don't remember, Rob Anders created a bit of a stir when he ran for reelection in the 2006 Federal election. When the writ was dropped, he dropped off the face of the Earth. He wasn't door-knocking, he wasn't showing up for candidate's forums. He just...vanished. I used this as an example of the fanatical devotion to the Conservative party here in Alberta, because he even though he was no where to be found in his riding of Calgary West, he was still expected to get reelected in a massive landslide. And he did.

Anyway, this CPAC reporter was e-mailing me to tell me that Rob Anders has once again dropped off the face of the Earth, and could he interview me for a candidate profile for Calgary West? I told him that I wasn't in Calgary West anymore, so thanks, but no thanks.

Of course, you and I both know that I've never set foot in Calgary West.

For those who don't know, today, September 22, is a very important date in the Federal election. This is the day that the nominations close. Starting today, you'll be able to know just exactly who all is running in your riding. Elections Canada is saying that they'll have complete lists on their website by Thursday, but odds are your local media will have the lists tomorrow.

And lucky for you! In the riding of Fort McMurray--Athabasca, I am the local media! This is what we've got:

Representing the Conservative Party, the incumbent, Brian Jean.

Representing the Liberals, John Webb.

You down with NDP? Ya, you know me! Then you'll be marking your X for Mark Voyageur. Hmm.... The NDP don't have a page for him up yet.

If you're feeling all environmentally conscious and feel like going Green, then you've got Dylan Richards on your side.

Representing the First Peoples National Party of Canada, we have John Malcom. He's the only for this party running in Alberta.

And for the Christian Heritage Party, we've got Jake Strydhorst.

That's all we got for now. When Elections Canada unleashes the official list on Thursday, I'll update as needed.

I will admit, this is the one thing I really hate about rep-by-pop. Fort McMurray--Athabasca is the largest riding in Alberta, geographically. Many candidates have already said they probably won't do much campaigning outside of Fort Mac because they can't afford to travel.

We got around three or four weeks people! Let's enjoy the ride.