By Scott Roblin

VIDEO: Smithers to carry Alberta Party colours in Cypress-Medicine Hat riding

Feb 20, 2019 | 12:19 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat’s newest candidate in the upcoming provincial election says she’ll present a middle ground option for voters.

On Sunday, the Alberta Party announced Colette Smithers will be carrying the party’s banner in the Cypress-Medicine Hat riding when the polls open up this spring.

Smithers, a member of a local personal assistant service, sits on many boards and advisory committees in the area.

She said she doesn’t share the values or policies of either the United Conservative Party or NDP, and wants to give voters another option this election.

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“We find ourselves in an environment in this province especially now, a very polarized and fearful environment,” said Smithers. “What I’ve found in the Alberta Party is we’re offering that middle ground.”

This will be the second go-around in the political sphere for Smithers, who ran for Medicine Hat city council in 2017 and finished 15th in vote getting with 3,611 votes.

While she didn’t get elected, she said it served as inspiration to try to get into politics for a second time.

“It didn’t deflate my aspirations, in fact it stoked them,” said Smithers. “I am excited to have a seat at the table, it’s an awesome responsibility to have people in your constituency cast a vote for you to be their representative in government.”

Smithers said she’ll be focusing her campaign on economic diversification and furthering the oil and gas sector, however one of her top focuses will be on social programming.

Suffering through financial struggles eight years ago, Smithers said she’s looking at furthering programming surrounding issues like homelessness, income support, and eradicating poverty.

“I became homeless at 50-years-old and that experience really shaped my vision of how we can support people. Or what people in vulnerable and marginalized sectors of our communities experience.”

A former worker in the oil and gas industry, Smithers said she’s a staunch supporter of the sector and the need for pipelines, adding the local economy could benefit from getting oil to tidewater.

“In this area especially, we have so many service industries to the energy industry,” said Smithers. “So, we need to ensure that opportunities are created for them by opening up access to markets for our oil.”

Smithers is the third candidate to confirm they’ll run in the Cypress-Medicine Hat riding, including incumbent United Conservative Party MLA Drew Barnes and NDP candidate Peter Mueller.

An election date has not yet been called.