Rodney looks to return in Lougheed
On Monday, educator, film maker, and motivational/ keynote speaker Dave Rodney — the only Canadian who has scaled Mount Everest twice — was re-elected in the Calgary-lougheed riding for a third term.
As a Progressive Conservative party member, the 47-year-old won the 2004 and 2008 elections in a riding that has only been represented by the Tories since its’ creation in the 1993 boundary redistribution.
“It’s been an incredible honour to represent CalgaryLougheed in the past two terms,” Rodney said. “I am truly excited that people in Woodbine, Woodlands, Evergreen, and Bridlewood have decided they want to send me back to do a whole lot more on large and small scales.”
Rodney was up against a high-profile Wild Rose candidate in John Carpay, who spent the weekend doorknocking and boasted on his Facebook and Twitter pages that he had hit nearly all of the houses in the riding. However Rodney insisted he wasn’t worried, especially after own door-knocking crusade.
“From the very first night to the last, we just had great response from the doors,” Rodney said. “We were there morning, noon, and night.
“I can’t say it’s too much of a surprise but it’s something you never take for granted.”
Carpay, 44, is the founder and president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms where he defends the free speech rights of Canadians prosecuted by human rights tribunals, and of university students who are resisting censorship and political cor- rectness on campus.
He was also the Alberta Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation from 2001 to 2005, advocating for lower taxes, less waste, and accountable government.
With a population of 45,133, the riding is located on the southwestern fringes of the city. It extends from 146th Avenue S.W., south to Spruce Meadows Trail and east to James Mckevitt Road and north to Anderson road, including the communities of Bridlewood, Evergreen, Woodbine, and Woodlands. In 2008, it had a voter turnout of 39.1 per cent.