Former Rocky View County (RVC) reeve and current Division 4 councillor Rolly Ashdown announced his intention to seek the Conservative Party nomination for the new Bow River electoral district July 31.
“I have conservative values and believe strongly in the Conservative Party of Canada,” said Ashdown.
The Bow River riding was created through a redistribution of electoral jurisdictions for the 2015 election. The riding has a population of 102,272, based on 2011 census figures, and extends from Fort Macleod south, including Wheatland County, parts of Vulcan County and the eastern side of Rocky View County and the City of Calgary city limits.
Ashdown said because there is currently no MP for this area, “it’s a good opportunity” for him to run.
“It doesn’t happen very often that things line up like this. It means it’s a good opportunity for a guy like me to run, and to see if people want me to be their guy in Ottawa,” he said.
Ashdown is currently serving his second term as councillor for RVC’s Division 4 – which includes the communities of Langdon and Indus, and was the former president of the Bow River Conservative Association.
“I’ve been involved with federal politics for awhile,” he said, about his involvement in recent policy conventions.
“I think that I might be well qualified (for the position) with my experience in municipal politics and my experience with the Conservative Party,” said Ashdown, adding he plans to speak with constituents in the riding to see what policies and platforms they support and what they’d like to see changed.
In response to what issues he thinks impact the Bow River constituents, Ashdown said he wants to talk with residents to see what their concerns are.
Ashdown said if he is successful in becoming the Conservative Party’s candidate, he would continue two principles he said he currently maintains as a councillor.
“I think when you’re representing people, a few things are important: You need to put their needs ahead of your own, and you need to be accessible to be able to represent people’s ideas,” he said.
Despite the large electoral area, Ashdown said he plans to speak with as many constituents as possible in the coming weeks. He will soon be launching his campaign website rollyashdown.com
The Bow River Conservative Party of Canada has not officially announced the call for nominations, however, it is anticipated this fall.
Alberta now has 34 electoral districts with a population of about 107,000 people in each. Federal electoral boundaries are reviewed and adjusted every 10 years.
