Uncertainty looms over the date of the next federal election, but that hasn't slowed down the Conservative campaign in the Foothills, says MP John Barlow.
Barlow, who has represented Foothills in the House of Commons since 2015, confirmed that he will be seeking re-election in the next federal election.
"It's hard to believe but it's been 10 years," said Barlow, reflecting on first being elected in the now-defunct Macleod electoral district in a 2014 byelection.
In the 2021 election, Barlow retained the seat with 69 per cent of the vote.
Barlow cites the satisfaction of his constituents in the Foothills among his largest points of pride during his current term and throughout his decade of service.
He continues to work on two bills in Ottawa: Bill C-234, which would expand exemptions and eligibility of certain farming equipment under the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, and Bill C-275, his own private member's bill which would increase protection of livestock from biohazards under the Health of Animals Act.
Both have passed through the House of Commons and are currently at consideration, the former back in the House following amendments and the latter in the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry.
Barlow has served under four Conservative Party leaders — Stephen Harper, Andrew Scheer, Erin O' Toole and now Pierre Poilievre — and has been named shadow minister for agriculture, agri-food and food security under the latter three.
Barlow said Poilievre's leadership has been received well among those in the Foothills.
"[Poilievre] is talking about the issues that are important to Canadians, that my constituents are talking about every single night at the dining room table: the inability to put food on the table, the cost of putting fuel in the car, mortgage payments, inability to buy your first house and and those types of things," he said.
"But I think the real thing that resonates with me is Pierre wants to reunite this country. I think the country has never been more divided than it is right now and he wants us to be proud of who we are as Canadians."
According to Barlow, dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party is not only evident in Alberta but is clearly visible across the nation.
"They're ready for an election," he said of Canadians. "The cost of living with the carbon tax is probably the number one issue by far that comes up no matter where I am in the riding, but certainly no matter where I am in in Canada."
If the Conservative Party forms government, Poilievre's immediate priorities would include addressing the carbon tax, housing insecurity and bail reform, continued Barlow.
"One of the first bills we'll have will be scrapping the carbon tax, axing the tax, and that's going to help bring affordability back to Canadians, but also bring back competitiveness," he said.
"Our biggest competitors don't have a carbon tax, like the United States. That makes our producers of energy and agriculture non-competitive, and by getting rid of that tax, that's going to address a lot of those issues."
Barlow addressed Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith's proposed Bill C-293, the Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness Act, which has generated controversy recently due to language used regarding agriculture and agri-food.
"This is another Liberal attack on Canadian agriculture," he said.
"This bill is taking every activist's utopian dream and putting it into one bill that sounds nice as a pandemic preparedness bill. That's not really what it is at all, and this one clause that talks about ending animal agriculture is is very problematic," Barlow said.
The next federal election is set to take place on or before Oct. 20, 2025 but as well-publicized tensions grow within and around the Liberal Party, the election could take place sooner than later.
"You never know when the election's going to be called, you've got to be ready all the time," said Barlow, adding that he likely won't have an official launch event once the writ is dropped.
"We're always out there in the community and events talking to folks," said Barlow, a staple at parades, rodeos and other events throughout the Foothills, "and we want to make sure people know that we're working hard."
Representatives from other federal parties in the Foothills could not be reached for comment.