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Full house greets political candidates

More than 150 watch, listen and comment at Tuesday's provincial candidate forum.
Liberal candidate John Nowak shares a few words with incumbent Ray Danyluk — with Wildrose candidate Shayne Saskiw in the background — following Tuesday night’s forum.
Liberal candidate John Nowak shares a few words with incumbent Ray Danyluk — with Wildrose candidate Shayne Saskiw in the background — following Tuesday night’s forum.

Attendees at Tuesday night's political debate at Lac La Biche's Portage College knew they were at the right place as they walked between a little 21-sign-salute of candidate Shayne Saskiw signs leading from the parking lot to the building's front doors. The Wildrose candidate for the Lac La Biche-St. Paul constituency was one of the four men chasing the seat that will represent the area following the April 23 provincial election. Incumbent Ray Danyluk opened his night's platform with a recap of his 11 years as the area's provincial representative. "You know me,' Danyluk told the 150 people attending the candidate debate that was hosted by the Lac La Biche Chamber of Commerce and the Lac La Biche POST.

But Liberal candidate and current Lac La Biche County councillor John Nowak said that just because a politician has a long history, it doesn't guarantee he has a future. "Stand up if you want change in government," Nowak said in his opening address. Several dozen members of the audience did get out of their seats. And although a few more audience participation requests didn't go quite as well, his introduction showed that some in attendance were looking for a different way of governance.

Wildrose candidate Shayne Saskiw, a Two Hills-area lawyer, hopes this provincial election will draw more interest from Alberta voters than the one in 2009 which elected a majority Conservative government under Ed Stelmach. "Less than 40 per cent of Albertans voted because there was no valid choice,' he said. Citing recent polls and news reports, he also said people are looking at change. "The polls are showing that we are close," he said.

NDP candidate Phil Johnson who was raised in Lac La Biche hopes this month's provincial vote will attract more young voters. He said the misconception of today's youth is that their vote won't matter. He told the crowd that those thoughts are outdated and it is young challengers like himself who will shape and lead the future of the constituency, the province and the country.

All four candidates navigated through several planted landmines from audience questions and stuck to party lines in many of their answers. Big issues brought up during the two-and-a-half event included local healthcare issues, the Air Weapons Range, local education, recent government legislation on land rights, the balance between economic development and the environment, and senior care. Although at times a few fingers were pointed and a some curt comments were shared among the candidates on the stage, the evening's proceedings went fairly smoothly under the cautious guidance of moderator Al Bertschi, a college instructor who also emceed the 24-person debate in 2010 for the Lac La Biche County candidates' forum. "Thank you all, the candidates and the audience for a good night, for keeping it polite." The candidates are expected to hold a smaller forum on Aboriginal issues at the Canadian Native Friendship Centre in Lac La Biche later this month. The vote of the next MLA and the next government of Alberta is on April 23.

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