Conservatives, like former PM Stephen Harper, have been representing the people in the area for a long time
Today, people who live in the federal riding of Calgary Heritage will go to the polls to choose who will replace Conservative MP Bob Benzen.
Benzen was first elected in 2017 after Stephen Harper resigned as prime minister and a byelection was held. Late last year, Benzen quit and gave up his seat, saying he wanted to go back to his private business and family life.
Calgary Heritage has always been a safe seat for the Conservative Party. Each of the four times it has been contested since 2015, the Tories have won by comfortable margins, three times by Benzen and once by Harper.
The electoral district, which used to be called “Calgary Southwest,” was made after the federal government changed the way votes were counted in 2012. But the riding is mostly the same area as the one that came before it, which Harper held from 2003 to 2015.
Preston Manning, who was the leader of the old Reform Party, also lived in Calgary Southwest.
Still, political analysts and party leaders will be watching things like voter turnout, momentum or changes in vote share, looking for trends or to see if certain messages are getting through to people.
Monday, the polls are open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.Advance voting took place from July 14 to 17, and according to Elections Canada, an estimated 8,966 people voted at advance polls in the riding.
After the election, when the results have been checked, that number will be changed.
The candidate
Shuvaloy Majumdar has worked for the Conservatives for a long time. Since 2016, he has worked at Harper & Associates, the consulting firm of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.Before that, he worked for the Harper government in foreign affairs. In March, his party gave him its nomination.
In several YouTube videos, Majumdar called for changes to Canada’s energy policies, criticized what he called a “woke wave of tyranny” in the country, and said that his party would work to lower the cost of living.
“I’m running because Pierre Poilievre, a man I’ve known for 25 years and whose leadership I admire,” Majumdar said in a video.
A representative for Majumdar said that the candidate would not be doing interviews until July 25.
Elliot Weinstein, the federal Liberal Party candidate, said that his experience running a small business might sway voters who are still undecided.
Weinstein owns an indoor beach recreation center in Calgary called The Beach YYC. He used to work as a project manager at the consulting firm Goldener Associates. He said that when he goes door-to-door, people often talk to him about affordable housing, health care, and energy policy.
Weinstein said, “We’re offering a positive vision and a positive candidate who isn’t an insider, has business experience, and wants to be a new positive voice in government.”
Gurmit Bhachu, the federal NDP candidate, has taught elementary school for a long time and is in charge of communications for the Calgary Public Teachers’ Association Local 38.
Bhachu said that he was focused on issues like affordability and inflation that he was hearing about at the door.
Even though Calgary Heritage has long supported the Conservative Party, Bhachu said he felt that voters he met while going door-to-door shared the same views on issues as the NDP.
“Well, the problem seems to be culture, doesn’t it? Bhachu said, “A lot of people in Calgary Heritage vote conservatively because that’s how their grandparents voted, that’s how their parents voted, and that’s how they will vote.”
Besides Majumdar, Weinstein, and Bhachum, there are also the following candidates in the riding:
- Ravenmoon Crocker is a member of Canada’s Green Party.
- Dan Irving, Maverick Party.
- People’s Party of Canada’s Kelly Lorencz.
- Larry Heather is a member of Canada’s Christian Heritage Party.
In Canada, there were four byelections earlier this year, and both the Liberals and the Conservatives won two seats each. The four seats were considered safe for the parties that had held them before. However, even though the status quo was restored in the House of Commons, there was still a lot to look at.
Lori Williams, a professor of political science at Mount Royal University in Calgary, says that there are “tea leaves” to be read in Monday’s race, even though it may look like a sleeper at first glance.
“It’s important to keep in mind that this used to be Stephen Harper’s riding. It has been represented at the federal level by a long list of well-known conservatives,” she said.
“But it also includes the Calgary-Glenmore riding, which is currently represented at the provincial level by Nagwan Al-Guneid, a very strong NDP candidate who just barely won in this riding. So there are many different things here.”
Elections Canada has this page with information about where to vote.