2 candidates seek nomination for seat vacated by Jason Kenney
Two Calgarians are seeking the Conservative nomination in Calgary-Midnapore, the seat vacated by Jason Kenney on Friday.
Former Common Sense Calgary executive director Stephanie Kusie announced Monday she will seek the nomination.
Jack Redekop has also announced his intention to run in Calgary-Midnapore.
Kenney stepped down Sept. 23 to seek the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservatives.
Pushing Ottawa to champion the province's energy industry and balance the budget will be the focus of her campaign, Kusie said in a release.
Byelection date not yet set
"Calgary is going through a very difficult economic time right now, but you would never know it based on the Trudeau government's behaviour," she said.
"We need a government that is proud of our energy industry, makes pipelines a priority and is focused on other policies to create jobs. If the Trudeau government continues to focus on raising taxes they will only make things worse."
A former diplomat, Kusie ran in Ward 12 in the 2013 municipal election, losing to Shane Keating before taking over the leadership role at Common Sense Calgary, described as a "citizen's advocacy group dedicated to lower taxation and responsible spending at city hall."
No date for the Calgary-Midnapore Conservative nomination has been set but officials hope a candidate will be chosen by the end of November.
A byelection must be called within six months of Kenney stepping down but no date has been set.
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Correction : An earlier version of this story said Stephanie Kusie was the first to announce her candidacy for the Conservative nomination for Calgary-Midnapore. In fact, Jack Redekop had earlier announced his intention to run for the party in that riding.(Sep 26, 2016 6:19 PM)
