With Prime Minister Mark Carney having called a federal election this past Sunday, candidates are lining up to run for office. Ballots will be cast on April 28.
There will be a big change for Airdrie residents this election cycle given district zoning that came into effect last year.
Airdrie-Cochrane is a new electoral district. Following the 2022 Canadian federal electoral redistribution, it will first be contested at during the 2025 federal election. It was created in 2023 as "Airdrie-Cochrane" from parts of Banff-Airdrie, including the Airdrie, Cochrane, and parts of Rocky View County.
The Constitution of Canada requires that federal electoral districts undergo a redistribution of boundaries following each ten-year Canadian census.
The Banff-Airdrie riding will be abolished this election cycle, being split between Airdrie—Cochrane, Bow River, and Yellowhead.
Blake Richards is the incumbent Conservative Member of Parliament, having having been elected to represent the now defunct riding of Wild Rose in the 2008 and 2011 federal elections. He has subsequently represented the riding of Banff—Airdrie since 2015 and confirmed he'll seek re-election under the new Airdrie-Cochrane riding.
In all three past elections, Richards has won his seat through an overwhelming majority. Richards worked in agriculture and the oil fields prior to his political career, earning a degree in political science at the University of Calgary. He has also served as the CPC's Shadow Minister for Veterans Affairs for much of the past term.
Sean Secord is the riding's Liberal candidate. Secord is a Cochrane resident who holds Master's degrees in healthcare and business, as well as a Certified Health Executive designation from the Canadian College of Health Leaders. They currently serve as Vice President of an Alberta-based biotechnology company that specializes in early disease detection.
Sarah Zagoda will once again run as the Airdrie-Cochrane NDP candidate. Born and raised in Edmonton, Zagoda is a mother of three and serves as a Technologist for Rocky View Schools. She ran as Banff-Airdrie's NDP candidate in the 2021 federal election, placing second behind Richards in the riding.
Paul Blaha will be the People's Party of Canada (PPC) candidate, having never previously run for office before. There is little information on the candidate other than a link to his LinkedIn profile, which lists him as Manager, Investment Strategy and Product Management, at Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo).
At the time of publication, there is no Green Party candidate or anyone running as an Independent so far in Airdrie-Cochrane.
In 2021 Federal election, the Banff-Airdrie riding saw three candidates run as independents, on top of Conservative, Liberal, NDP, and Green Party candidates. Banff-Airdrie also had a Maverick Party candidate - formerly known as Wexit Canada - which was formed shortly before that election cycle. The party was deregistered by Elections Canada last month.
A new political party called The United Party was announced last year, which bills itself as a party for "all citizens." There are currently no candidates in the Airdrie-Cochrane riding.
After nearly four years of a commanding Conservative lead, the latest polls show that the Liberal Party now has a two-point lead. If Carney loses the election, he would earn the distinction of shortest serving Prime Minister - beating the record currently held by Sir Charles Tupper back in 1896, who served for only 69 days.
