Aron Klassen is looking to get the Conservative Party of Canada’s nomination for the Battlefords-Lloydminster seat in the House of Commons. MP Gerry Ritz, who has held the seat for the past 20 years, announced his retirement late last month.
Klassen, a father of three, has lived in the area for the past 20 years and has owned a small business in Lloydminster for the past 12.
“The challenges that impact Canadians as a whole and certainly the people of Battlefords-Lloydminster impact me directly. I’ve been politically active for many years and I’m well aware of the situation and the policies on both sides,” says Klassen.
The candidate is looking to follow in the footsteps of MP Gerry Ritz. Who he says has served the community well.
“It would be a new challenge for me. After a settling in period, I really intend to champion the needs of the people in the area, to support their families, to support their businesses, to support their farms. [To] make sure they have a voice and are taken care of.”
Klassen says he “can’t sit by any longer” in regards to the tax reform proposed by the Liberal government. The reform has been criticized by Conservatives because it prevents small business owners from income sprinkling, or paying family members in a lower tax bracket dividends from their income to alleviate tax burdens.
“As a small business owner in the community, they’re certainly going to impact me negatively, they’re going to impact other small business owners, they’ll impact farmers and ultimately they’ll impact families.”
Klassen adds, “we need someone to speak out strongly against these reforms on behalf of the people of Battlefords-Lloydminster, as well as to support our local industries, be they small business, agriculture or oil.”
Gerry Ritz’s last day is set for October 2. A by-election has not yet been called for the seat. The Prime Minister has up to six months following the Speaker receiving written notice that a member is resigning to name a date for the election.