Another federal party is officially seeking the Foothills seat.
With newly-elected Prime Minister Mark Carney expected to call a snap election in the coming days, the People's Party of Canada formally nominated candidate Paul O'Halloran on March 20, becoming only the third party to do so in the riding.
O'Halloran has been a member of the People's Party since its inception as a recognized party in November 2018, according to a social media statement.
"As a founding member he passionately believes in the parties values of freedom, fairness, respect, responsibility and the common sense policies, seeing how they would benefit Canadians and Canada," continues the statement.
Hailing from Trenton, Ont., O'Halloran has lived in Alberta for 31 years. He enlisted in the military at the age of 25 and, after a 1993 tour in Cambodia, was posted to CFB Calgary in 1994. After his honourable discharge from the military in 1997, he moved to Black Diamond, now called Diamond Valley.
"Since leaving the military he has been self-employed in the field of residential construction and has survived the negative impacts inflicted in the industry because of poor government policy and their never ending bureaucratic overreach," reads the statement.
His candidacy with the People's Party is rooted in his "unwavering conviction on principled decisions" and he is "fearlessly outspoken in standing for his convictions at any cost. Without reservation he will defend those who are unfairly treated."
O'Halloran became the party's candidate after formerly-nominated candidate Diego Machado decided against running, according to a social media announcement on Feb. 20.
Reports indicate that Carney is expected to call Canada's 45th federal election on Sunday, March 23, with the election to be held as early as April 28.
Two other federal parties have nominated Foothills candidates so far: the Conservative Party with incumbent MP John Barlow, who has held the seat since 2014, and the Liberal Party with political newcomer John Bruinsma.
The New Democratic Party and Green Party do not currently have candidates nominated.
While the Foothills seat is widely considered a Conservative safe seat, with polls indicating that Barlow currently has higher than a 99 per cent chance of holding the seat, the People's Party is a force to be reckoned with in the riding: the 2021 election saw the party finish with over 5,000 votes, or eight per cent, putting candidate Daniel Hunter in third place ahead of the Liberal Party candidate.
