Vicky Bayford, an Innisfail resident who was previously leader of the Independence Party of Alberta, will run as the People’s Party of Canada candidate for Yellowhead in the federal election on April 28.
Bayford has worked in oil and gas, specializing in regulatory consulting and operations, and became interested in politics in 2015 following the downturn in the industry and Justin Trudeau’s election as prime minister.
“Then, obviously, COVID came on us in 2020,” she said. “I was not OK with a lot of the lockdowns and restrictions that were put on us, so I started looking into things that I could do personally to hopefully implement some changes within government.”
Bayford has been involved in provincial politics for the last five years, gravitating to the Independence Party. She started off volunteering before being acclaimed as leader and serving in that role for a year, describing how her five years of experience gave her insight into how the political system works.
Bayford now has her sights set on federal politics, claiming many of Alberta’s problems stemmed from the federal government.
“And I feel like one seat, even in Alberta, could make an actual difference for Alberta for someone that’s actually going to fight for Western interest, as opposed to having to cater to Eastern interests over ours,” she said.
Because the People’s Party already had a candidate selected for her home riding, she was asked to run in Yellowhead and has committed to moving if elected.
Affordability was one of her key issues. She said the platforms of the major parities were all focused on spending money that Canada did not have instead of considering tax cuts, reducing bureaucracy and decentralizing so provincial and municipal governments can take on more responsibility.
Bayford reaffirmed her commitment to Alberta separatism, and if there was ever a successful referendum in Alberta, she would be a voice for those people if elected.
“For myself, personally, I am truly a separatist,” she said. “I’m not ashamed to say that, I’m not afraid to say that and that’s my personal want.”
As for why right-leaning voters should go for the People’s Party instead of the Conservatives, Bayford explained that the Tories would ultimately have to appease the East and had a party whip to keep MPs in line.
“The People’s Party in Canada does not have those restrictions on their candidates,” she said. “There is no party whip, so we are allowed to actually listen and promote the ideas that are coming out of our communities, out of our ridings and without fear of being persecuted within our own party to do that.”
An unofficial list of confirmed candidates for the Yellowhead riding The complete list will be available on Wednesday (April 9).
