Many Elk Point residents may be familiar with area resident Duane Zaraska, but Zaraska is hoping to get a lot more recognition and support among people in the new Lakeland riding as he runs for the NDP in the upcoming Oct. 19 election.
“This is my first crack at it,” he said of his foray into federal politics. “I’m like a lot of the public – I see the need for change.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the election on Aug. 2, with observers anticipating this may be the longest and most costly campaign in modern Canadian times.
Zaraska, who is currently serving as the Metis Nation of Alberta’s vice-president for Region 2, was critical of the early election call.
“When we’re in the state our economy is in and the government is going to spend $55 million on an election, that is horrible,” Zaraska expressed. “Part of that is (the Prime Minister) is trying to exhaust the opposition but the NDP is a tough party and we’re fighters.”
For Zaraska, the management of the economy was among the Conservatives’ worst offences.
“We’re in the worst shape we’ve ever been,” he said, pointing to recessionary times, a loonie that dropped to an 11-year-low of 75.87 cents US last week, and sinking oil prices. “There’s a crisis here and that’s really motivated me to run.”
The new Lakeland riding will replace the former Westlock-St. Paul federal riding represented by Conservative MP Brian Storseth. Storseth has announced he will not be running in the recently called election and Shannon Stubbs will replace his name on the ballot as the Conservative candidate. Robert McFadzean will be the Libertarian Party of Canada candidate, while a Liberal candidate had yet to be announced as of last Friday.
Despite the region’s tendency to vote Conservative, Zaraska believes the majority of voters are being hurt by the Conservative government’s direction on policy.
“I think (NDP leader) Tom Mulcair is the only one with a plan,” he said, adding this entails changing the country’s focus from being strictly commodity-focused, and expanding the manufacturing, agriculture, secondary processing and alternative energy sectors, among others. “We should have diversified a long time ago.”
Zaraska says that the Conservatives have the advantage in terms of campaign dollars. According to Elections Canada, the Conservatives have raised more than $76 million since 2012, the Liberals have raised about $46 million and the NDP have raised almost $33 million.
While Zaraska called this a “slanted election,” he said, “We’re not going to be intimidated by that. We’re a strong team, we have a strong message.”
As to what he would bring to the table as a politician, Zaraska points to his varied experience, as someone who has advanced issues like education, economics and politics for the Metis people, as well as in his past work as a youth worker, a bus driver, an entrepreneur and a small business owner, as well as his participation with groups like the Lakeland Industry and Community Association board and the Beaver River Watershed Alliance.
“I’m a common man and I’m for the common man,” he said.
In his view, the federal government under the NDP would be a strong, social democratic government. He would like to see the government revisit the rights of aboriginals, bring back the Canadian Wheat Board, develop more wind and solar power, work with the provinces on improving health care and post-secondary education, and bring about a national, affordable child care program.
“All of those things have been ignored. We’re so focused on the one industry and looking after the big people, the 10 per cent. We’re not looking after the majority of people.
“We need change and that’s what the NDP is about, change.”
