Loading articles...

Tough loss for local NDP candidates 

Last Updated Apr 17, 2019 at 1:03 am MDT

PHOTO. Jane Stroud and Stephen Drover celebrated the end of their campaigns for NDP MLAs in the 2019 Alberta provincial election on April 16, 2019 at Townhall. Melanie Walsh. MORNING NEWS ANCHOR.

The New Democratic Party (NDP) had fewer reasons to celebrate after the United Conservatives won the majority government in the 2019 Alberta provincial election.

Stephen Drover, candidate for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo sent his congratulations to Tany Yao and Jane Stroud, candidate for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche sent her congratulations to Laila Goodridge.

“Everybody in Fort McMurray had a chance to vote and they spoke, so we’re going to respect that,” said Drover. 

It wasn’t the result they hoped for but he added that he was proud and humbled by the support they received throughout their campaign.

“I still don’t believe everybody in Fort McMurray got the full message, and I’ll take blame for that. I wish I would have got the message out six months earlier and I think results would have been different than they were tonight.”

The NDP chose Drover and Stroud as the local candidates in February, months after the region already knew Yao and Goodridge would be seeking re-election for.

Drover is now concerned for our region with the UCP getting the majority vote. 

“If Jason Kenney falls through with some of his promises, I’m genuinely concerned that the trans mountain pipeline will be delayed at best, and cancelled at worst and I think that for Fort McMurray that is critically infrastructure.” 

He is afraid of what will come out of the relationship between Kenney and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, growing classrooms and potential cuts to health care.

Stroud hopes the UCP has the best interests for our region in their hearts.

She was disappointed in the outcome but was pleased with how her campaign went.

“I think we went flat out. I’ve been to Lac La Biche fives times, my riding goes as south as White Fish Lake, so it is a large riding, I’d probably say 400 square miles, so in the short duration of 28 day I think we did the best we could.”

She told reporters that other members of her campaign team will most likely be the ones putting their name into the hat for the next election. 

Stroud will now return to her municipal government position as a Councillor for Ward 4.

“We still have projects we need to push forward in the rural.”

The next council meeting is on Tuesday, April 23.