Like many people traveling between Edmonton and Calgary, candidates in the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race will stop in Red Deer for a meet and greet.
The Red Deer and District Chamber of Commerce has organized an “informal opportunity to meet with candidates” for March 1 at 10:30 a.m. at the chamber, 3017 Gaetz Ave.
“We’re really excited to provide an opportunity for the people of Central Alberta to learn their platforms and meet the individual that could be the next Prime Minister,” said Rick More, Red Deer and District Chamber of Commerce interim CEO. So far, candidates attending include Andrew Scheer, Deepak Obrahi, Lisa Raitt and Chris Alexander.
The party is scheduled to select its next leader on May 27. The leadership race came about when Stephen Harper stepped down following his loss in the 2015 federal election to Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party.
“As an apolitical organization, we think it’s incredibly important to provide opportunities to connect with and hear from those decision makers guiding public policy, and likewise for those in power to hear from the people they are working for and representing,” More said.
“Reading their platforms on the internet, or watching these people on TV is one thing, but meeting them face to face and having an opportunity to ask your own questions can drastically change the voting outcome.”
Other candidates in the leadership race include: Maxime Bernier, Steven Blaney, Michael Chong, Kellie Leitch, Pierre Lemieux, Kevin O’Leary, Erin O’Toole, Rick Peterson, Andrew Saxton and Brad Trost.