The end of the race to be the Conservative Party of Canada nominee for St. Albert-Edmonton is in sight.
On Thursday, the Conservative Party gave the go-ahead for a nomination contest to be held. According to the party’s nomination rules and procedures, a candidate nomination meeting will need to be held between 42 and 47 days after the contest opened, putting the meeting sometime in late November.
Those who’d cast a ballot to select the nominee will have to be members from at least 21 days before the vote, and the membership purchase cut-off is Oct. 30.
The new riding boundaries will take effect during the next election, switching the constituency from Edmonton-St. Albert to St. Albert-Edmonton.
Two candidates have been door-knocking for about a year in anticipation of the contest to replace the now-independent MP Brent Rathgeber as the local Tory standard-bearer. The next federal election is anticipated for fall 2015.
“We’ve had a good campaign, and I’m humbled by the strong support that I’ve received throughout the community,” said Michael Cooper.
Ryan Hastman has also been busy seeking support for his own run at the nomination. He said he’s spent the last year door knocking and attending events to build a foundation of supporters.
“The key now is to convert them into Conservative Party members,” Hastman said.
Both Hastman and Cooper say they’re ready to go. It’s not known if other candidates will join the fray.
Cooper and Hastman both say they’ve found strong support for the Conservatives’ brand of government at the doors.
Cooper, who has been involved in local provincial and federal politics since he was a teen, has drawn endorsements from several provincial MLAs.
“I just think that as a lifelong resident of the area, having been involved in the community for a number of years and my background as a lawyer, I think taken together provide me with the right background, the right experience and the right familiarity with the riding to be a strong and effective voice for the people of St. Albert-Edmonton,” Cooper said.
Hastman, a regional director from the University of Alberta’s Office of Advancement, ran for the Conservatives during the last federal election in Edmonton-Strathcona. He’s now a St. Albert resident and said he’s running to build a better community for his children.
“I have the political experience, the career experience and the family perspective that is necessary to be that voice (to Ottawa),” Hastman said.
