(Photo supplied by Elaine Perez)

By David Opinko

Elaine Perez running for federal NDP in Lethbridge

Sep 10, 2021 | 12:22 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Elaine Perez hopes to become Lethbridge’s first-ever NDP MP in the upcoming federal election.

She is a sociology student at the University of Lethbridge and believes that a more youthful perspective is exactly what the city and the country needs.

“I think that, because I started out volunteering and I’m still a student and I’ve worked closely with other regular persons that I can really listen, that I can really empathize and sympathize with the needs of the community. I feel like, because I am younger, I have just a fresher new take or new look on a lot of issues.”

Perez volunteered with the Alberta NDP in the 2019 provincial election and says that experience taught her a lot about what goes into political campaigns and how policy decisions are made.

When the federal party began looking for candidates, she jumped at the opportunity.

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“I was fully like, excited and prepared to take on this responsibility. I’m really passionate about trying to make Lethbridge better every single day and I think a really great place to start off doing that, you know, is with policy changes.”

She told LNN that she has three main policy priorities – affordable housing, doing more work on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and expanding universal healthcare to include dental, vision, and prescription medicine.

“I think the NDP had the closest values to mine and, therefore, I’m just like really excited to go forth with all of my personal beliefs and values and try to make some good within my community.”

General voting day for the 2021 federal election is Monday, September 20. Advance voting takes place from Friday, September 10 to Monday, September 13.

Six candidates will be running for a seat in Parliament for the Lethbridge riding.

For more details on the federal election and a list of who is running locally, use this link.