Cathy Hogg will represent the Alberta NDP in the upcoming spring election. (Photo Courtesy Bob Schneider)

By Chris Brown

Cathy Hogg wins NDP nomination for Cypress-Medicine Hat

Mar 1, 2023 | 4:57 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Alberta NDP members in Cypress-Medicine Hat have chosen Cathy Hogg to run for the party in the upcoming spring election.

Hogg won the party’s nomination over two other contestants on Tuesday night, the first time ever the party has had a contested nomination the constituency.

The win came hours after the United Conservative Party released its budget, which Hogg says is simply a pre-election budget.

“The affordability measures, the cheques, and the fuel tax rebates and utilities, those are all programs that are set to expire right after the election and so there’s cause for concern there,” she says. “And then the RStar and the police force you know those are all hidden in the budget too. So there’s concern too about when does that resurface. So it’s some are saying a fraudulent budget.”

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A rancher in the Cypress Hills, Hogg has lived in the area for more than 40 years. Since 2013 she’s been a board trustee for Prairie Rose Public Schools, currently serving as chair.

She says she’s humbled and honoured to have been chosen by local party members to represent the NDP, and congratulated candidates Tim Gruber and David Martin on their campaigns.

Hogg says for the next three months she’ll focus on the issues that are top of mind for Albertans and locals – health care, the economy and education.

She wants to improve access to primary care – saying it’s sad some in our community don’t have access to a family doctor – and supporting and building the local economy.

On education, Hogg says she believes in equity in educational opportunity and making sure students are having their educational needs met. She says Alberta is the lowest per-student, per capita-funded education system in Canada. “That’s shocking to me and very concerning. We need to do better.”

She’s ready to get to work and wants to get started on the right foot.

“The first thing I’m doing is going to the shoe store and buying some really good walking shoes,” she laughs. “I’ve got a lot of doors to knock on.”

So yeah it’s getting some of the members together to help me in that process. A lot of volunteers are going to be coming out and just going out and having those conversations one door at a time.”

The United Conservative Party will hold its nomination meeting later this month.

The provincial election is set for May 29.

Former UCP member and current Independent MLA Drew Barnes has represented Cypress-Medicine Hat since 2012. He has not said whether he’ll run this spring.