Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Jasper resident Guillaume Roy is running as the NDP candidate in the Yellowhead riding this upcoming federal election.
This is Roy鈥檚 first foray into federal politics.
鈥淚 wanted to know who was running this year, so I decided to call the NDP and they said that they didn鈥檛 have any local candidate for the riding, so I just got in the vote because they asked me to go.鈥�
Roy was previously the director of the regional Association canadienne-fran莽aise de l'Alberta (ACFA) before becoming an administrator for Yellowhead Clean.
He was also involved in the Jasper Immigration Coalition.
鈥淥ther than that, I鈥檓 just a local citizen enjoying the farmers鈥� market, I guess,鈥� Roy said.
Roy decided to throw his hat in the ring mainly because of the climate crisis, which became more urgent for him after the smoky summer in Jasper due to the British Columbia wildfires.
鈥淲ith Liberals and Conservatives switching over the years, nothing has been really done,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about broken promises, and they want to do stuff but they didn鈥檛 do (anything), so I鈥檓 running because I want to see a real change about all that.鈥�
In addition, Roy is focused on providing more services for Indigenous communities and rural areas in Canada.
He noted the lack of public transportation and issues with Internet access in many communities.
鈥淎nything related to connection between people, that鈥檚 a little bit of what I鈥檓 trying to vow (for) a little bit in my campaign.鈥�
Since the campaign began, Roy has been learning about political campaigning and raising awareness about his candidacy.
鈥淚鈥檓 just a guy from Jasper, enjoying the outdoors, looking to hear from everybody, learning the stories of people and understanding their needs.鈥�
