2 weeks Ago By Stephen Tipper
There’s little doubt the Conservative Party of Canada will win the southern Alberta seats in Monday’s federal election, but many rural voters in the area say they are worried about what happens if the Liberals remain in power. LeRoy Newman, who farms east of Okotoks, in the Foothills riding, said people in his area are concerned about polling suggesting the Liberals could form the next government. “They don’t know what to do if we get another Liberal government,” said Newman.
Agriculture producers want direction and a government that makes good decisions, said Newman, who’s hoping for stability for the agriculture sector under a Conservative government. “We’re very concerned, because I want a succession plan for (his two sons), but they kept changing the capital gains (tax), then the carbon (tax). We just want somebody in Ottawa that will have a plan and go with it.
” But the Liberal government has made decisions based on doing favours for different groups, charged Newman. “(Farmers) get thrown under the bus with China over electric vehicles and aluminum . Our canola gets tariffed and then what do we hear about it? Nothing.
But we’re going to help out an electric vehicle industry that’s non-existent.” While Liberal leader Mark Carney “sounds better” than former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the party’s cabinet would remain much the same as it has been, predicted Newman, an Alberta Grains delegate. “So we’re voting for the same thing?” he said.
Ivan Negrych, owner of the Cobblestone Manor in Cardston, said he needs the Liberals out to save his restaurant and bed and breakfast business. “They’ve just about bankrupt me twice with their policies and laws that they’ve been bringing in. I can’t afford to keep staying open if the Liberals get re-elected,” said Negrych, whose business is in the Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner riding.
The increase in food prices is also an important issue for the small business owner, with Negrych saying his grocery bill has almost doubled in the last two years. He said he used to pay $9.98 a kilogram for roast beef but last Saturday paid $18.
99 a kilogram. “This is stressing me right out. Every day I open the doors or try to open the doors, the cost of everything is just going skyrocketing, and it’s bizarre,” said the 71-year-old, who wants to retire and is selling the business, which his family has run for 23 years.
The Cardston business has also been affected by a slowdown in tourists coming from the U.S. By January, Cobblestone Manor was almost half booked for the summer, but half of those tourists have now cancelled, said Negrych, blaming the cancellations on tariffs, economic uncertainty and the increasing cost of travelling.
If the Conservatives under Leader Pierre Poilievre form the next government, Negrych looks forward to seeing the carbon tax completely eliminated and to tax cuts. But U.S.
President Donald Trump is helping Liberal Leader Mark Carney win the election, said Negrych. “With his tariffs and his finagling back and forth, he’s making Carney look like a saviour,” he said. Mike Duell, general manager of the Taber Home and Farm Centre, in the Bow River riding, is also hoping for a change in government.
Under the Liberals, the carbon tax has driven up costs for businesses, resulting in higher prices for everyone, he said. “I’m hoping (the Conservatives) want to represent people who are entrepreneurs and business people,” said Duell. In the southern Alberta town of Nanton, the election has been a quiet one, said Becky Scott, owner of Tap Town Books.
Few election signs are up around town, said the bookstore owner, who hasn’t had many conversations about the election. The Canadian book industry was set to be hit on April 2 by the federal government’s retaliatory tariffs against U.S.
tariffs, but got a reprieve from the “devastating” impact tariffs would have had. “I’m hoping that whatever government gets in, that they are . .
. able to deal with Trump,” said Scott. “We need to make other choices to build up the strength of Canada and stop the bickering — just make stuff happen.
” Annette Beusekom, owner of The Sandwich Shop in Nobleford, a southern Alberta town in the Lethbridge riding, said the election hasn’t been discussed much in her restaurant, but added her customers vote heavily for the Conservatives. “There are so many reasons (for wanting a change in government), but I think the Liberals have done enough damage,” said Beusekom. This is one of a series of articles profiling select ridings in our region in the leadup to voting day on April 28.
See our full coverage of the federal election campaign. To learn more about who’s running in your riding and the focus of their campaigns, check out our list of federal election candidates in Calgary and Southern Alberta. RelatedCalgary candidates ramp up ground game as election nears finish lineElections Canada short of poll workers in parts of southern Alberta.
