Edmonton candidates hit the campaign trail

NDP candidate for Edmonton-Griesbach Janis Irwin said she is confident those in her riding are ready for a change.

With the federal election officially announced Edmonton candidates have been preparing to put their plans to action.

NDP candidate for the riding of Edmonton-Griesbach, Janis Irwin, said people in her neighbourhood seem ready for a change.

“Even prior to the provincial election we had a lot of support and we had a lot of people who were already interested in electing a New Democrat member of parliament here in the neighbourhood of Edmonton-Griesbach so I think certainly the provincial momentum will help but we have been building that for a long time.”

One political expert said Irwin may be right.

“We are not afraid to vote for someone else in this province,” Jim Lightbody said pointing to the recent provincial election.

Liberal candidate for Mill Woods and current city councilor Amarjeet Sohi said his riding had previous been a Liberal one, something he hopes will come about again.

“I am known for working hard. I am known for being out there speaking on behalf of the community and that is the message we are going to take to the door steps.”

Sohi said that his team has already spent the last three months knocking on doors to garner support for his campaign.

“We have covered, I would say, almost half of the riding already.”

Irwin said she has spent the last two years getting to know those in her riding.

“I’ve been our candidate for over a year so I have been knocking on doors for over a year. I have been on the campaign trail for nearly two years because I had to win my nomination.”

Elsewhere in the city Conservative candidate Len Thom has been preparing to take on Linda Duncan in the riding of Edmonton-Strathcona.

“The issues in this campaign are going to be the economy, national security, and keeping a balanced budget. Those are issues where I think Linda Duncan is on the wrong side. I think that is going to resonate with voters in Edmonton-Strathcona.”

In the end however, Lightbody said it would come down to how Canadians feel about Stephen Harper.

“It is a referendum on Prime Minister Harper. He has played fast and loose with the election conventions. But he has not a large burden of scandal. He has not genuinely mismanaged the economy.”

Voting will be held on Oct. 19, making the official campaign period 78 days long.

With files from Josh Skurnik