With less than two weeks until Canadians go to the polls, the slate of candidates in area ridings have been set.

 While the writ was dropped on August 2 and national campaigning has been fierce, on the home front however, it has been a little more muted. 

Monday, September 28 was nomination day and on Wednesday, September 30, the official list of candidates that will appear on the ballot was issued.

In alphabetical order in the Battle River-Crowfoot riding, Gary Kelly of Tolfield is running for the Green Party. The father of three has a diploma in biological sciences from NAIT and a certificate in Conservation Enforcement from Lethbridge College. An avid volunteer in his community, he has been involved in a number of boards and was an Auxiliary RCMP Constable for five years.

 Andy Kowalski is the Liberal candidate. He is the owner and operator of Ryley Sausage in Ryley, Alberta. He tells The Mail that for years he has been involved in politics, but in the background. He says the focus of the election is the economy and feels the Liberal’s policies are the most constructive.

 Incumbent Kevin Sorenson has been busy campaigning. Originally elected in 2000 as an Alliance member, he won the next four elections under the Conservative banner with more than 80 per cent of the popular vote each time. He pinpoints the economy and leadership as the key election issues.

Rounding out the pack is Katherine Swampy. The 29 year old is running under the NDP banner. She made her way through Drumheller last Friday, and says she is receiving great support along the way. She just graduated from the University of Alberta through the Augustana Campus with a Bachelor of Arts.

The Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the Drumheller Sublocal of the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) have slated an election forum on Tuesday, October 13 at the BCF at 7 p.m.

Residents of Bow River have a wide variety of choices come October 19. The new riding, which includes Standard, Rosebud and Rockyford, to name a few, has seven candidates in the running.

 William MacDonald Alexander is representing the Liberal Party. The Calgary resident is in his final year of study at the University of Calgary.

 Rita Fromholt is running for the Green Party.  She is a B.C. resident and is serving as the West Coast Campaign Coordinator of the Green Party.

Fahed Khalid is running for the Democratic Advancement Party.  He is an independent consultant in the energy industry. 

Andrew Kucy is an independent candidate. The Langdon resident is a professional engineer in the oil and gas sector.

Lynn McWilliam is running for the NDP. She is a Town of Bassano councillor and for over a decade worked on Parliament Hill for various MPs. 

Martin Shields is in the running for the Conservative Party. He has served as the Mayor of the City of Brooks since 2007, and has been active with the conservative party in the area.

Frans VandeStroet is the candidate for the Christian Heritage Party. He has run in the Medicine Hat riding in 2008 and 2011. Born in the Netherlands, he immigrated to Canada in 1997.

Election Day is Monday, October 19.

As the federal election looms closer, NDP candidate in the Crowfoot–Battle River Constituency, Katherine Swampy is campaigning full speed ahead.

Swampy visited with The Mail last Friday on a trip through the constituency to meet with voters. She says she is getting a good response.

“I find that after I talk to conservatives and they understand what we have to offer, many of them are almost afraid,” she said.  “They don’t want to sign because they are worried, they wear a blue button because they don’t want their friends to look down on them. But they tell me “I’m gong to vote for you, but I can’t put a sign in my yard.”

Swampy is a working mother and just graduated from the University of Alberta at the Augustana Campus with a Bachelor of Arts with a major in economics and a minor in political studies. She is on leave without pay to campaign.

She sees a shift in the policies of the Conservative Party.

“Progressive Conservatives were more focused on social values and economy, but now the new Harper Conservatives are just more focused on the economy. They seemed to forget they were working for the people. The people are starting to feel that now,” she said.

“Many Conservatives feel betrayed and the NDP wants to show them there is a choice out there.”

She is passionate about the issues.

“I am affected by everything that Stephen Harper is doing. For one, I am First Nations, we have been neglected for many years, and he is not helping with anything. I am also a mother of five, so as a parent I understand the concerns that young families have. I couldn’t; afford childcare if it were not for close family relatives,” she said.

“I also just graduated, so I have a student debt. So I understand students who are saddled with a crazy amount of debt. Why is it considered fair that those who paid a few thousand dollars for their degrees, tell us we have to pay tens of thousands for degrees?”

She sees the NDP’s platform as a balanced plan.

“We have stable plans for the economy, the environment, for healthcare and childcare,” she said. 

She appreciates that she is in a very conservative riding, and she is in a David and Goliath battle. 

“I am fighting to have our voice heard. Because this is a very conservative area, a lot of people are not even thinking if whether they are even going to vote. There are many people who don’t vote, and it is their voice that is not being heard. I am out there fighting for the middle class families, I am out there fighting for the students who are going to school and struggling to survive, fighting for those losing their jobs, being a voice for the voiceless,” she said. “I would really love to see them act on what I am fighting for, even if I have no chance of winning…  but if they actually address these issues, I will have been successful.”

She feels compelled to get involved in politics.

“I was living and feeling all of the hardships that Harper’s conservatives have put on the people and I needed to take a stand and fight for this. Who else was going to fight for me?”