Lakeland riding constituents will have a new option on their ballots when they head to the polls on Oct. 21, after Roberta Graham entered the race as a candidate for the Veterans Coalition Party of Canada (VCP).
The Beaverdam-area resident is making her political debut in the upcoming federal election.
“I’ve lived here for 20 years. I know the problems of the area, I’ve seen the area grow, at times way too quickly, and we didn’t have the proper infrastructure for it,” Graham expressed. “I think I can fight for (the Lakeland riding) because I know the problems here. If you vote for someone that isn’t even from your area, how do you know that they know what you need or if they’ve listened to you?”
The VCP was started by former armed forces member Randy Joy. Learning about the party’s platform, Graham said she immediately connected with the values and principles they’re trying to uphold.
“It was their platforms. It was about taking care of Canadians first and that means a lot to me.”
She continued, “It’s not about dividing the people. Veterans Coalition is more about bringing people together. The government has divided us for the past 40 years; they tell Quebecers that westerners don’t like them and they tell westerners that Quebecers don’t like them…the government has worked on a divide and conquer situation for a long time. People need to start working together again.”
Originally from Quebec, Graham made the move west in 1979 after not being able to find work following high school. First living in BC, she came to Alberta 20 years ago.
“I came into Bonnyville, and we arrived with a one-ton chevy truck with a mattress, a washer and dryer, and a dog. In a year, working two jobs myself and my husband working, we had a down payment on a house,” recalled Graham. “I consider Alberta my home. I’m very proud to call myself Albertan.”
While she hasn’t run for politics before, Graham has been involved on the sidelines organizing the yellow vest protests in Bonnyville and the truck convoy on the ring road in Edmonton last year.
One of the aspects that attracted her to the VCP was the fact that they allow MPs to vote how they see fit for their constituents.
“When I signed up with the VCP, I signed an agreement to take 20 per cent less on MP salary. I also agreed to be accountable to my constituents for voting me in. In that, that means the party doesn’t tell me how to vote. If we want a pipeline and that’s what my area needs, I vote for the pipeline. If (another MP) lives somewhere else, they might want to vote for something else that is part of their area’s issues.”
Graham added, “With that, you won’t hear any promises that can’t be made.”
Despite the party’s name, Graham explained that the VCP isn’t just for veterans. While that was the focus in the beginning, the party has expanded their vision.
“The VCP is all about Canadians. They want real Canadians in government that aren’t just professional politicians who have never really worked, never really had to struggle. They want people that are a bit more empathetic, and they want equality for everybody. It was said to me a couple times while I was knocking on doors, ‘oh Veterans Coalition is only for veterans.’ No, it’s not. It started that way when Randy first was trying to get the party off the ground…he got deeper into it and he realized that all Canadians need this. It’s a Canada-wide problem, everybody is hurting in every province.”
Also in the running for Lakeland MP is Green Party candidate Kira Brunner, Alain Houle with the People’s Party of Canada, Robert McFadzean of the Libertarian Party, Conservative incumbent Shannon Stubbs, NDP candidate Jeffrey Swanson, and Mark Watson with the Liberal Party of Canada.
