CALGARY CENTRE CLASH
Liberal candidate Kent Hehr, left, likes his chances for re-election in Calgary Centre, but Conservative candidate Greg Mclean, right, expects a photo finish.
Four days out from the federal election, a familiar face greets commuters hopping on and off the Ctrain at 8th Street station downtown Thursday morning.
“Remember to vote on Monday,” chants Calgary Centre Liberal candidate Kent Hehr.
The party’s only candidate running for re-election in Calgary says he’s door-knocked at 130,000 homes since 2016, in addition to serving coffee on downtown street corners when he’s in the city.
Many experts predict the inner-city riding is the only local constituency that will be competitive on election day, with the remainder of Calgary going blue.
Hehr, a former MLA who in 2015 became the first federal Liberal to win the seat in 50 years, insists he’s never felt so good about a race.
“It feels better out there today than it did on election day in 2015,” he said.
“This campaign is the best one I’ve ever run. It’s the best conversations I’ve had at the doors, it’s the most people who have said they’re going to support me. I think we’re going to win it on Monday.”
His main challenger is Conservative Greg Mclean, an investment portfolio manager, who predicts a photo finish.
“I’m expecting a tight race and I’m encouraging everybody to vote, because when you wake up on Oct. 22 and you have a government or a representative who doesn’t represent your values, you’ll be a little astounded if you don’t participate in the process,” said Mclean.
The Liberals, through “anti-pipeline legislation” such as bills C-69 and C-48, have been “horrendous” for Calgary, according to Mclean. He said he hears that frustration at the doors.
“It looks like an endless morass of non-completion on pipelines,” he said.
“People feel that the issues that affect Calgary have not been heard by this federal government and there has been a member, and previously a minister, in Calgary Centre who has been at the table for all of these horrid decisions and has voted with the government against the interests of Calgary.”
But Mclean acknowledges Hehr carries an advantage.
“He’s had a lot more exposure and name recognition is strong for Kent,” the Conservative says.
“He’s had an opportunity to be at people’s doors for four years now and he’s a prolific retail campaigner. I’d say more successful as a campaigner than he is as a politician representing people’s views in Ottawa, which I think is what we have to hold him to account for at this point.”
The riding’s division is evident among voters.
Sylvie Law, owner of Sylvstyle Boutique on 17th Avenue, said pipelines are the most important issue to her. She said the Conservatives understand the needs of Albertans the best and are poised to win Calgary Centre, which spans the city’s core.
“I think they’ll do it, no problem. Where I live, everyone’s got Conservative signs on their lawn,” said the resident of Garrison Woods.
“There’s one or two Liberals. That’s it.”
But next door, Grinning Goat store manager Kelsey Hibbert said issues such as the environment matter more to her than just the economy. Hibbert said her views align best with the NDP or Greens, but will likely cast her ballot for the Liberals.
“I know who I want to vote for, I know who I align with, but I feel like I should vote strategically,” she said.
“Maybe I don’t want the Conservatives to win more than I would want to vote for the Greens. That’s exactly why I don’t feel like my vote necessarily matters that much.”
NDP candidate Jessica Buresi said she empathizes with those who feel they are stuck with a binary choice.
While she wants to be MP, Buresi said she is staying “strategic and realistic,” telling those who feel restricted to voting Conservative or Liberal to “just look at the polls and then vote with your heart.”
“There’s not much more you can do,” she said.
Green party candidate Thana Boonlert and Chevy Johnston of the People’s Party of Canada will also appear on the riding ’s ballot.
Hehr, meanwhile, says the Liberals remain the best choice for progressive-minded voters, arguing the party is the only one with a balanced approach toward the environment and the economy.
“The proof in the pudding is in the eating, and we have delivered for this city,” he said, citing federal funds for projects such as Calgary’s Green Line LRT, the ring road, and arts and culture facilities under the Liberal government.
“If you don’t have a plan for the environment, you don’t have a plan for the economy, and that’s what our Liberal agenda is.”
He said he’s listening to voters’ concerns about tackling both issues head-on.
“My wife always says to me, ‘Kent, you need a hobby.’ Why do I need a hobby when I have job that I love, I have a job where I get to work with interesting people?” he said.
“I will get a hobby when I’m out of politics. This is my life.”
When you wake up on Oct. 22 and you have a government or a representative who doesn’t represent your values, you’ll be a little astounded if you don’t participate in the process.