Voters in the Peace River riding will have a number of candidates to choose from when the October 14 federal election rolls around. A total of six candidates have come forward by putting their names in the hat to officially represent the riding as Member of Parliament in the House of Commons during the next term. Leading the way is incumbent Progressive Conservative Party of Canada M.P. Chris Warkentin, of Grande Prairie, who is seeking his second term in office after winning his first quite handily under Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative banner. Warkentin won his first election in January of 2006 becoming only the fourth MP in this riding dating back to 1958. Warkentin won 27,785 of the 48,769 votes cast, for 56.97 per cent. Independent candidate Bill Given was his nearest competition with 9,882 votes (20.26 per cent). Warkentin is being challenged in this election by five other party candidates including Grimshaw resident Adele Boucher Rymhs (New Democratic Party), Liliane Maisonneauve of St. Isidore (Liberals), Grande Prairie lawyer Jennifer Villebrun of the Green Party, Edwin Sigglekow (Canadian Action Party), and Libertarian Party candidate Melanie Simard. Warkentin says on his website that under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, “Conservatives are cutting taxes to build a better Canada.” Evidence of that is supported in a number of ways, ranging from cuts in the Goods and Services Tax from seven per cent down to five per cent, reducing the personal income tax rate to 15 per cent from 15.5 per cent as of January 1, 2007, creation of the new Working Income Tax Benefit to help 1.2 million people over the “welfare wall,” and the introduction of the new $1,000 Canada Employment Credit to lower taxes for working Canadians. In terms of the environment, Warkentin says Conservatives are “turning the corner with a practical, achievable plan to clean up Canada’s air, land and water and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That plan calls for a 20 per cent reduction in Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and a targeted 50 per cent air pollution reduction by 2015. Sigglekow is a former farmer and oil patch worker, now residing in Grande Prairie. He is running for the Canadian Action Party whose policies involve protesting the Security and Prosperity Partnership between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico and what they see as an imminent move towards a North American Union, similar to the recent European Union. Boucher Rymhs is running for the NDP to further its protest against the development of nuclear power in Alberta, more specifically the Peace Country. She also ran as the provincial NDP candidate in Peace River in March with a similar platform. Simard, meanwhile, is waving the Libertarian banner in an effort to reduce taxes to a minimum and reduce the size of government while advocating for individual freedoms. Maisonneuve is deeply committed to the farming community in the Peace River area. She currently lives with her husband Richard Lavoie on a farm near St. Isidore and is focusing on several action issues in this election. They include being committed to a balanced approach for a strong economy and a green environment, developing a Canadian farm bill and land stewardship initiatives, providing leadership and conservation incentives in relation to the environment, preserving and enhancing quality health care, ensuring adequate funding for cities, towns and rural areas, and restoring funding for post-secondary education. Villebrun’s platform in this election is to promote a three-pronged vision of ecological sustainability, social justice and fiscal responsibility.