Ahead of the election, and on a short time frame, Town & Country News offered each candidate a chance to contribute their views.

Chris Warkentin, Conservative

Warkentin was first elected in 2006.  A lifelong resident of the Peace country, Warkentin has served in a variety of key roles in Parliament, including as Chair of the Standing Committee on Industry, and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works. He lives in the Grande Prairie area with his wife and children.

What are your top three local priorities?
First, we need to unleash the full potential of our resource economy — energy, agriculture and forestry. These industries are the backbone of the Peace country, and they deserve a government that has their back. The Liberals have tried to shut down our way of life with overregulation, anti-resource rhetoric, and carbon taxes that make it harder to compete. I’ll fight for policies that support job creation, reduce red tape, and open markets for our products.

Second, we must make life affordable again. After nine years of Trudeau, Canadians can’t afford groceries, gas, or homes. The Conservative plan will Axe the Carbon Tax, bring home lower prices by ending inflationary deficits, and reduce taxes so families can keep more of what they earn. We’ll also tackle the housing crisis by removing gatekeepers, speeding up approvals, and making it easier to build homes — so young Canadians can finally afford to own a home of their own.

Third, we need to restore safety in our communities. Crime and addiction are rising, and it’s no coincidence—it’s the result of failed Liberal policies. I support common-sense Conservative plans to end catch-and-release, keep repeat violent offenders behind bars, and expand access to addiction recovery, not taxpayer-funded drug supply.

What do you offer that the other candidates don’t?

I’ve lived in the Peace country my whole life. I understand what matters to families in our communities because it’s what matters to mine, too. I’m not in this for a title — I’m in this to get things done for our community and ensure that future generations have the freedoms, opportunities and prosperity that we were blessed to have. I am blessed to be part of the Conservative team that’s ready to bring home common sense and rebuild hope for every Canadian. 

I’m proud to fight for our region and I have a proven track record of standing up for our people and delivering results.  I’ve been in the fight — defending our jobs, pushing back on federal overreach, and making sure our voice is heard in Ottawa.

Why have you decided to run?
I’m running because I want my kids — and one day my grandkids — to grow up in a community, province and country that’s strong, free, and full of opportunity. A Canada where you can work hard, raise a family, and actually get ahead.

This election is about the future of our country. After nearly a decade of Liberal failure, Canadians are losing hope. I’m running to help restore that hope. To bring back opportunity. To protect the values that built this country — and to help lead the change our nation desperately needs… and that our children and grandchildren deserve! 

Donovan Eckstrom, Parti Rhinocéros Party 

Eckstrom, 33, is born-and-raised Peace River country educator who’s successfully run in nine failed federal election campaigns. He says he is excited for that number to hit double digits.

What are your top three local priorities?

1) In 2011 I ran on a promise build the largest tin can telephone from the Peace region to Ottawa so our voices can be heard. I found the original can and promise, almost 15 years later, to follow through on that promise. I will build a can and string to Ottawa so our voices will be heard.
2) Pipelines are on our minds and for good reason. If elected I promise to pass a bill to build a pipeline that goes from Vancouver to Grande Prairie which will bring avocado toast and craft beer from the coast to the prairies. As well, there will be a pipeline from Halifax to Grande Prairie that will send delicious lobster and seafood to us. As well, there will be a pipeline from Tuktoyaktuk to Grande Prairie that will send delicious muktuk to us. Pipelines coast to coast to coast. It’s a beautiful thing.
3) Albertan Independence. A portion of the population yearns for it. I feel that there are some things that can be passed federally to quell the desire. If elected, I will work towards a Northern Alberta time zone which will be called Freedom Time™. Freedom Time™ will be a flexible time zone based off vibes, elk migration patterns and what time the puck drop is for the Edmonton Oilers.

What do you offer that the other candidates don’t?

I’m the only candidate with a comprehensive policy on drive-thru etiquette. While my opponents debate trade policy, carbon taxes and which leader of the Liberals or Conservatives is the most unlikable, I’m focused on the real issue - why are we waiting in rush hour traffic for 45 minutes while the person ahead of us ordered 69 very specific types of Timbits?
This ends with me.
Under my plan, all drive-thrus in northern Alberta will be equipped with federal drive-thru traffic marshals. These are our local heroes in snowpants with bullhorns to keep the line moving while shaming those who order 20 honey crullers at 6:22 AM.
Why have you decided to run?
Political polarization has, unfortunately, reached a fever pitch in Canada. Folks seem incapable of criticizing their own political parties to the point of irrational absurdity. Let’s not forget that political parties only care about your vote and will say what they can to get elected, despite not following through on most promises. Every political party has its problems that deserve to be rightly mocked. Poilievre’s mid-life crisis transformation to get votes, Carney’s inability to come up with an original promise that wasn’t said by the opposition, Bernier’s beachfront bungalow bonanza while being unable to get a full slate of candidates, literally every single PR move Singh has done with the NDP, etc. It’s dire, folks. It’s something I saw back in 2011 when I first ran and it’s a thing that is only getting worse. Just as the jester mocked the king, the Rhino candidate will, duly and befittingly, mock the politicians that continue to pit us against each other to squeeze a single vote out of us.

Shawn McLean, People's Party of Canada

What are your top three local priorities? 

1) Addressing corruption at the highest levels of government and ensuring politicians elected are held accountable. 

2) Bringing back realistic and functional fiscal responsibility and management to give the Canadian people back their wealth, instead of spending their tax dollars on gifts to other countries while driving Canadians to poverty and reliance on government programs. 

3) Economic development free of global influences like the UN, WHO and agreements that restrict us like the Paris Accords.  

What do you offer the other candidates don’t?

As an individual I have a strong drive to ensure our freedoms remain uncompressed. That common-sense policies are used to reinforce communities and families instead of policies of other parties of the past that have sown hate and segregation.

On a party level, the PPC is the only one you can count on to remain consistent on its policies & platform. The others seem to change values each election. I can’t trust that.

Why have you decided to run?

I want my country back. The PPC was the only one that aligned with my values and there wasn’t a candidate to vote for , so I stood up.

Town & Country News received no response from Elliot McDavid (Independent), Maureen Mcleod (Liberal) or Jennifer Villebrun (NDP). 

Canadians will go to the polls on April 28 and Town & Country News has gathered all the information you need to know to vote in this federal election.

The unofficial list of candidates for Grande Prairie includes incumbent Conservative Party of Canada Chris Warkentin, Liberal Party of Canada Maureen Mcleod, New Democratic Party Jennifer Villebrun, People's Party of Canada Shawn McLean, Parti Rhinocéros Party Donovan Eckstrom, and Independent Elliot McDavid. As of press time, the official list of candidates was unavailable.

Prime Minister Mark Carney called an election on March 23: At 36 days, it’s the shortest election period allowed. 

Federal party leaders include incumbent Liberal Mark Carney, Conservative Pierre Poilievre, NDP Jagmeet Singh, and People’s Party Maxime Bernier.

Voter registration

To vote in the upcoming election, voters must register with Elections Canada; if you voted in the last election and have not moved since then, you most likely are registered to vote. You can check if you are registered to vote or update your address at elections.ca or call Elections Canada at 1-800-463-6868.

Elections Canada will then send you a voter registration card to bring to the polls. 

The voter registration card will also have all the information about where you will need to go vote on the advance polling days or election day.

When you go to vote, you must provide proof of your identity and address. A piece of government-issued identification, such as a driver's license, is generally used, but elections.ca has a list of acceptable documents. 

Where to Vote

Ahead of election day, you can vote at any Elections Canada office before April 22. The Grande Prairie office is at 10070 117 Ave. (WSP Building).

Advance polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on April 18, 19, 20, and 21 with locations indicated on voter registration cards or online at elections.ca.

Elections Canada will also be on Canadian campuses between April 13-16 so students can vote if they are in school in a riding different than their home address. 

All advance poll locations have not been released as of press time, but Elections Canada said they will be available before April 18. To find an advanced polling location near you and current candidate information, visit elections.ca.

The halls of St. Paul’s United Church will be quieter on Tuesday nights now. 

After more than 100 years of operating in the city, the Canadian Girls in Training (CGIT) group will disband at the end of the month. 

“It is a grieving process, especially having been involved with it for as long as I have,” said Brenda Stouffer, 68, who’s been involved with CGIT for 61 years. 

“I've never thought of my life not having this in it.”

Stouffer and Valerie Jenner have led the local Grande Prairie CGIT groups for nearly 50 years. 

The Grande Prairie CGIT group is one of the last groups of an organization that was once just as well-known as Girl Guides or Boy Scouts. 

Their uniform - the middy – is a white blouse with a blue sailor collar, and it hasn’t changed much since its inception. 

The once-iconic uniform was known to all and can be found in historical photos across the country. 

Look no further than Grande Prairie, where photos include settlers such as the Forbes at the first CGIT camp at Bear Lake in 1923 or a group of girls marching down 100 Ave. in 1945 for the victory parade concluding the end of the Second World War. 

The Grande Prairie CGIT group is now the last active group in Alberta; a group in Regina will officially be the last in Canada. Splinter groups have been inspired elsewhere, such as a group in Winnipeg and as far away as Nigeria. 

CGIT has been active in Grande Prairie since about 1920 but initially started in 1915 in Ontario.

The group started as an alternative to Girl Guides, which was thought to be too British, American, and authoritarian. A Christian church-based program for girls in grades seven to 12 was started. 

CGIT spread across Canada; by 1933, it was in 1,100 communities with over 40,000 members, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. 

“There was a CGIT group in every little community,” said Stouffer.

Local groups existed in Grande Prairie, Clairmont, Sexsmith, Wembley, Beaverlodge, and Dawson Creek, to name a few.

The history of the group's operations in the Grande Prairie region is well-documented, as the group has photos with the participants' names that go back to 1920.

“It was the thing to do,” said Jenner. 

“You grew up going to Sunday school, and you would see the CGIT girls taking part in service or something, and everybody was antsy to be old enough to go to CGIT.”

After the Second World War, CGIT membership declined across the country.

Long-time leaders

In Grande Prairie, volunteers kept the group alive for years, with Stouffer and Jenner being a significant driving force.

Stouffer’s CGIT journey began as a Messenger (Grades 1-3 before CGIT), and she continued in the program as an Explorer (Grades 4-6) and then as a CGIT girl. 

In 1969, when Stouffer was in CGIT, there were 74 girls, with two leaders for each grade group.

“In those days, there wasn't a lot to do,” recalls Stouffer. “You either were taking dance class, my sister took Highland dance, you were taking music lessons, or you were going to CGIT.”

She took a break after graduating from CGIT in 1974; in that short break, she got a job and a husband. By 1976, she returned as a leader with her first group of girls. 

A year later, she was joined by Jenner, who would go on to become a long-time leader.

The duo are still leaders today. 

“She (Jenner) came in blind and grabbed a bunch of Grade Seven girls and took them through six years of CGIT and stuck around and became involved at a provincial level … she just jumped in with both feet, and it became part of her world,” said Stouffer. 

Jenner has served as the Alberta CGIT Association president since 2006.

“I didn't know anything about CGIT other than my older sister. I think she had been at CGIT for a couple of years with her friends, so that's all I knew about it,” said Jenner. 

The duo would then take on different roles in the leadership of CGIT provincially and nationally. 

Jenner recalls that when she began leading CGIT girls in Grande Prairie, there was a decline in groups across the country, and she has seen groups dissolve and disband across Canada.

Stouffer has run the Explorers group locally for the past 25 years, which has led to girls continuing into CGIT with Jenner as their leader. 

She said the younger girls in her Explorers group are excited to come and have an evening with friends. 

Jenner explained that Explorers and CGIT are on the same night, so girls get used to having plans on Tuesdays, and the groups interact to ensure they are not intimidated to move on to CGIT.

They believe that helped keep CGIT alive in the city.

Resources that were once shared through a national organization, which disbanded many years ago, no longer exist and have left group leaders to do research and find their own supports. 

“It was a lot easier to do things when somebody up higher was feeding you all the resources,” said Stouffer.

Even though only two groups are active, the annual meeting still draws previous leaders from across Canada.

“They don't even have groups anymore, and their (provincial) associations have dissolved, but they still want to be part of what's going on,” said Jenner.

Every Christmas, the current CGIT girls and many alumni gather for the Vesper Service.

Singing, acting, and public speaking are all part of the service; they are then joined by the Alumni for the candle-lighting experience. 

About 50 CGIT girls attend and participate in the service in Grande Prairie every year.

Although CGIT is ending, Stouffer hopes the annual Vesper Service will continue here.

Service to the community

“Many of the girls that have gone through the program have been people who have been very active in the community,” said Stouffer.

CGIT girls vow to "cherish health, seek truth, know God, serve others and thus, with help, become the girl God would have me be.”

Jenner said the programming is based on that vow. 

To cherish health, the girls will do activities such as swimming and camping; to seek truth, the girls are taught how to research topics, first aid, and the dangers of bullying; to know God, girls are taught about the meaning of Christian holidays and will hear stories from the Bible.

The girls also do outreach; the current group recently visited Wild Rose Manor to do Easter crafts with the residents and sing a few “silly songs”. 

Additionally, they gathered food for the food bank and then got a tour of how the local food bank works.
Jenner said many of the girls didn’t realize the severity of food insecurity in the community.

The group also fundraises for international projects. 

Guidelines to life

Stouffer and Jenner have had the privilege of seeing their daughters and granddaughters graduate from the program. 

After nearly 50 years, the duo has decided it is time to stop, noting that they can graduate a majority of their girls currently in the program.

“I was hoping to go 50 years … and once I'm there and I'm with the girls, I love it, I love my teenagers,” said Jenner. 

She said the room went quiet when they announced the closure to the current CGIT group.

“One girl was Brenda's granddaughter, and she said, ‘Thank you for doing this, this long, for us.’”

The duo described how much they love leading the girls and expressed their love of being with all of them. 

“What I enjoyed about CGIT was I got to sing and learn new songs,” said Jenner. 

“I enjoyed building programs around current situations in the news and keeping the girls up to date on the world around them. 

“I really enjoyed all the fun and silly times … weekend camps, sleepovers in the church, tobogganing, crafts galore, and being with that age group kept me in the know of what was going on in their world.”

“It's been rewarding, and it's been fun, and we certainly often have girls comment on what a difference we made for them,” said Stouffer. “That's rewarding to know that you did something right.” 

“It's been very difficult to think about not having that; it's a life-changing event for me,” she said.

“It's just been a labour of love for a lot of years.”

Still, the message of CGIT will live on in its graduates to cherish health, seek truth, know God, and serve others.

“Follow those four guidelines in life; you've got it covered.”