The Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock riding has two new confirmed candidates for the as-yet-to-be-called provincial election.
The fledging Alberta Independence Party has put forward Rochester's Buster Malcolm as a candidate, while the Alberta Party appointed Wayne Rufiange to run March 5.
The United Conservative Party's Glenn van Dijken — the incumbent MLA in the Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock riding — earned his nomination July 14 with 70 per cent of the constituency's vote against Monty Bauer.
The NDP have yet to declare a candidate for the riding, after Athabasca-Sturgeon-Redwater MLA Colin Piquette announced his exit from politics Feb. 5.
Buster Malcolm
In an interview, Malcolm said he officially filed his paperwork with Elections Alberta March 6. The party's central plank is to separate the province from the rest of Canada and become an independent nation.
Malcolm said he first became interested in politics in 2015, when Justin Trudeau's Liberals took power in Ottawa.
"Work in general has diminished because of the policies of his government," he said. "I myself have worked at the service rigs for more than 30 years, having worked my way up to consultant. For the past year, work has been sketchy for me, and that's after already having bounced around different jobs for the previous four years due to the faltering economy."
The 54-year-old originally hailed from Fort McMurray, and spent his formative years in Redwater. He first moved to the Athabasca region about 20 years ago, an area he still calls home today.
"It's our hope that the Alberta Independence Party forms government," Malcolm said. "Assuming that happens, the first thing an AIP government would do is hold a separation referendum, which if successful, will put an end to equalization payments, the GST as well as the much-maligned carbon tax. That one continues to bleed into all aspects of Alberta life, including for farmers, the oil patch, as well as even the hospitality industry."
He added that overall, it will be a four-year transition period to divorce Alberta from the rest of Canada assuming a yes vote succeeds.
"We would do a complete rebuild of the laws and constitution by Albertans alone," Malcolm said. "That includes for currency and for Alberta's potential military. Alberta would also assume its share of the Federal debt upon separation, and will see all Federal assets within the province be turned over to Alberta, following some negotiations of course."
Even before they separate, he said an AIP government would bring in its own police force to replace the RCMP.
"It would be easier to start from scratch instead of just expanding the role of the Alberta Sheriffs," Malcolm continued. "As well, Alberta would not be the first province to have such a police force, as there is also the Ontario Provincial Police, the Sûreté du Québec as well as the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary."
Malcolm said on top of that, Alberta would immediately have a $15-billion surplus immediately upon leaving confederation.
"That would include all the money saved from transfer payments to other provinces, as well as from taxes collected by the Federal government," he said. "We would also charge no income tax for anyone earning $45,000 or less, and a 20 per cent flat-tax for those who earn $45,001 or more. As well, we will have domestic business flat-taxes at 8.5 per cent, and foreign business flat-taxes at nine per cent. The municipal interest payments will also be abolished altogether."
Malcolm added all their numbers are based on the Alberta Budgets passed by the NDP government from 2016-2018.
"That is also assuming that oil is at $59 USD per barrel," he said. "Assuming Alberta becomes independent, all Federal Pension Plans would be moved to the ATB."
Malcolm also took the time to address concerns that Alberta is a land-locked province.
"There actually are United Nations agreements signed in 1965 for tide water," he said. "Once you become an independent nations, the country is no longer land-locked under the UN agreements. Coastal states who ratify the convention are then required to give access to tide water, meaning Canada has no choice but to give us access. It also allows us to build our pipelines to the coast, which will give the province $40-billion extra dollars a year."
But he added the first step, of course, is not just getting elected, but getting the party registered too.
"Currently, all AIP candidates must run as an independent candidate, as the party needs about 44 candidates to be registered with Elections Alberta to formally be recognized," Malcolm said. "Since the beginning of March, 15 candidates have now filed their papers."
He said in his case, each individual candidate needs 30 signatures from residents on their nomination papers in order to run.
"I got that in just two-and-a-half hours of door-knocking," Malcolm said. "About 50 per cent of the doors I knocked on saw their residents sign my papers, so that shows that our party's message is starting to resonate with us."
But until he gets all his candidate ID, he still cannot formally campaign.
"I'm waiting for a button to formally identify me as a candidate," Malcolm said. "As well, I am also waiting for some receipt books for all the donations made to my campaign."
Wayne Rufiange
The longtime educator and current principal of R. F. Staples Secondary School in Westlock said he has always had an interest in running for elected office.
"I would not say I was chomping at the bit to enter politics, but I have had the interest," he said. "When I got into school administration, especially when I became the principal at Morinville Public School about nine years ago, I really got to see and be a part of the inner workings of the government through Alberta Education and Alberta Infrastructure, and became frustrated with all the loopholes involved."
He added that as principal, he constantly looked at the challenges and issues families were constantly faced with in getting support for their children.
"I also became passionate about mental health issues, too," Rufiange said. "While I do believe that I do a good job in my current role as a principal, I also believe that a better way to affect change is to take the next step and jump into politics."
Rufiange previously ran for his party's nomination in the Morinville-St. Albert constituency, but finished second to former St. Albert city councillor Neil Korotash. He said while he currently lives in St. Albert, he still has lots of connections in Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock.
"I grew up in the Dapp area," he said. "I began my teaching career at R.F. Staples in the early 2000s, where I am currently the principal, and a lot of my friends and family still lives in the constituency. I may not live in the constituency myself, but it is still near and dear to my heart."
He said when he looks at the old Progressive Conservative regime and the one term of NDP government, he believes something has got to change.
"I believe the new UCP party would take us back to what the old PCs did, and that will not set us up for the future," Rufiange said. "I feel the Alberta Party gives us something better to vote for, as opposed to just simply voting against something like in 2015, and that's not something where we should be at."
He said at this point, there is no middle ground in Alberta politics.
"If the NDP says one thing, the UCP says something different," Rufiange said. "There is no credit to any intelligence on any side, and that's a problem. If we want to make Alberta better, than lets work on those good ideas instead of wasting energy just arguing that we should do something different."
The Alberta Party currently has three MLAs in the legislative assembly.
Rufiange said he recognizes that there is an uphill battle ahead of him in the upcoming election.
"Right now, there is no Alberta Party constituency association in the area," he said. "I am literally starting off with absolutely nothing. It's a daunting task, but I am fortunate enough that I can take time off work to go out an campaign."
But he also said that he needs to continue having a full-time job in the campaign to support his family.
"I have three children between the ages of eight and 13," Rufiange said. "Right now is actually one of the busiest times of a school year, as we plan for next year. While it puts me in quite a predicament, I am still going to do what I can to bring the Alberta Party name forward, and at the very least get the party brand out there."
Rufiange also dismissed talk that a vote for the Alberta Party was like throwing your vote away.
"If you mark the X beside what you believe in, then that's not throwing anything away," he said. "That's just you being your own person, and we implore people to look at what's out there and don't buy into that rhetoric that you're wasting your vote."
Rufiange also noted that with the redistribution of constituencies from the previous election, how to realistically manage all the issues of the new and bigger constituency has been at the top of his mind.
"I would be open to having two constituency offices open, with one in the Westlock or Barrhead and the other in Athabasca or Boyle," he said. "I cannot visit every area on a weekly basis, and I will be wasting more time driving than doing the work that I want to. To split the constituency up into a manageable area is something that I thought about, and even having a rotating town hall schedule to give people the opportunity to see my face and talk to me throughout the area."
Rufiange also said he will be filing all of his paperwork on time with Elections Alberta.
"They will be sent to the appropriate people well before the deadline," he said. "That will at the very least save me a trip to the courtroom, although when you look at it, any publicity is good publicity."
