BARRHEAD-WESTLOCK – Voters will have four options when it comes to the Peace River – Westlock riding when they go to mark their ballot in the 2025 federal election on April 28.
Incumbent MP and Conservative candidate Arnold Viersen will be running against Liberal candidate Luke Markowski, NDP option Landen Tischer, and independent Darrell Teske. Viersen is the only candidate that has run in the riding, which he has represented since it was formed in 2015.
Tischer has previously run in provincial politics — he garnered 25 per cent of the vote against local MLA Glenn van Dijken in 2023 — and he’ll be looking to build on his predecessor’s momentum. The NDP came in a distant second behind Viersen in 2021, receiving 13 per cent of the vote, narrowly edging out the People’s Party of Canada.
Markowski’s Facebook page lists him as a student at the University of Alberta, where he is currently studying international relations. His campaign website says he is a “devoted community leader,” with a “unique” understanding of local issues.
Teske is a familiar face for many Westlock residents; the first-time federal candidate spent most of his career teaching physics and general sciences at R.F. Staples. Teske says he’s running against Viersen, who he says embellishes problems and isn’t forward.
He’s running as an independent because the CPC didn’t have a nomination meeting — Viersen raised $15,000 in place of the traditional nomination process, with a mandatory $3,500 cut going to the party.
"The only way to give dignity is to have it challenged and vetted to ensure we get the right people,” said Teske. “As an MP, you should return to your constituency and invite people to challenge you."
Viersen is going into his fourth federal election after first winning office in 2015. The lowest percentage the former mechanic has received in any election was 63 in 2021, when he faced five other candidates, including candidates from the People’s Party of Canada (PPC), the Maverick Party and the Green Party, none of which have candidates in the riding this year.
While his time as MP hasn’t been controversy-free — Viersen wound up in hot water after making comments about gay marriage and abortion on a podcast with a Liberal colleague last May — he’s also put forward successful private member’s bills on human trafficking and pornography despite being in the official opposition.
The PPC were initially planning on running a candidate in the riding, but did not have a representative as of the April 7 nomination deadline. The party didn’t return a request for comment.
A all candidates forum was initially scheduled for April 9 in Barrhead but was cancelled at the last minute due to candidate availability.
For more info on the election, or to register to vote, visit the Elections Canada website. Advance polling opens April 18 and runs until April 21, special ballot voting takes place until April 22 at any local Elections Canada office, and election day is April 28.
Accepted ID is required to vote, which includes a driver’s licence, any other card issued by the Canadian government with a current name, photo, and address, two pieces of non-photo ID, or by a written statement and voucher.
