It was a full house at the Lacombe Memorial Centre on April 3rd for the Lacombe and Ponoka riding election forum.

People in attendance were able to ask anonymous questions to the candidates. A variety of issues were brought up including, healthcare, education, and economic spending.

A local mother and daughter named Peggy, and Amy MacTaggart were happy to get a feel for the candidates.

“I wanted to hear the different opinions of the political parties. I also wanted to hear the tone and if they were respectful of other people. I feel that’s really important in my representative is that they are respectful of the opinions of others,” explained Peggy.

“I thought it was really important to come out and really listen to what each of the candidates are actually saying in person. It can be confusing to find the platforms and the specifics online…” said Amy, “I was really interested in hearing comments about education and curriculum changes as well as the economic diversification.”

Both Amy and Peggy were interested in topics involving education and both felt that their concerns had been addressed.

The LMC was filled with 500 plus chairs and many of them were filled. However, it seemed that new voters and younger generations we’re not filling the audience as much as the older generations.

In this election, it will be Amy’s second time voting and she was very passionate about having her voice heard.

“As a young person, I think it’s really important to get out and vote because that’s the main way that we have our opinions heard and are represented by our MLA’s. So for myself, that was a way that I personally could both educate myself about the different political parties as well as show support for other young people of how important it is to come and hear the potential candidates for your riding.”

For Peggy, her passion for politics was ignited by women who fought for the right to vote.

“I feel that voting is a really important part of being a woman and of being a citizen of our province. I love Alberta and I think that it is just really important to be educated about the different positions that parties take.”

The next Lacombe and Ponoka riding election forum will be on April 8th from 7:00 PM-9:00 PM and it will be held at the Blackfalds Community Centre. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. For more information about your local area candidates, click here.