As the by-election in Battle River-Crowfoot continues, a number of people have come forward to try to attain the seat in the House of Commons.
One of those, Bonnie Critchley, is from the area and is running as an independent in the upcoming by-election. She elaborates on why she thought it was important for her to “throw her hat in the ring”. “As a resident here in Battle River-Crowfoot, I was very content with Mr. Kurek, doing his thing. He represented us well enough. He showed up, shook hands, he answered questions, he took the time to speak with people here. I don’t expect Mr. Poilievre to do so. It didn’t sit right with me and somebody should do something about it. Me, being the old soldier I am, said well I guess that somebody is me, and here I am.”
Residing in the riding is a big point for Critchley but also understanding the feelings of the people of the constituency is a big factor for her running. “There is a difference between being a ‘Big C’ conservative and a ‘Small C’ conservative. We are typically a ‘small C’ conservative riding, which means it is not necessarily party loyalty but that’s what our options were. Now we have more options. We have options that live here as well actually know what the issues are here.”
Critchley knows that it will be a difficult battle at the ballot box, especially due to the now over 100 names registered on the ballot. “In this way, the only people who stand out are those with a party name underneath their name, everyone else is independent, independent, independent. They are pushing further into a party system. It is so counterintuitive to what their stated goals are. As for what I am going to do, I am going to run my race, talk to as many neighbours as I possibly can, and hope people can figure out how to spell my name. If there is another Bonnie C on (the ballot), I’m sunk. This is a lot money gone because ‘these guys’ decided to pull this stunt.”
As for the issues for the constituency, Critchley notes that Alberta Independence, firearm laws, consumer carbon tax, gender identity and women’s rights. To learn more about Bonnie Critchley, visit her website.
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