With papers already submitted, Ann McCormack has formally signaled her intent to run in the Lakeland riding, for the People’s Party of Canada.
The long-time pharmacist worked in Vermilion, where she met her husband of 20 years and together they have two children on a family farm in the Clandonald area.
McCormack says serving in a public capacity is a good lifestyle. She shares her party’s concern about freedoms being eroded and delved into children having to mask up as school resumes.
“There’s so many parents with kids and we are all trying to navigate our way with getting kids to school. On the Alberta side, the school boards are saying you’ve got to put a mask on your kids, and the other schools for post secondary are saying we want you to be fully vaccinated. These are issues that parents really do have concerns and it all boils down back to freedom.”
McCormack is concerned about Canada’s level of taxation and fears this will go up. She says PPC leader Maxime Bernier has based the party on the pillars of freedom, responsibility, respect and fairness. When it comes to the Lakeland area, she wants to see people get back to work.
“Our Lakeland region needs hope as well, for prosperity and jobs. I look at some of these little towns like Derwent, Clandonald, Elk Point; these places used to have robust little businesses and they may never come back in the same way, but they definitely have good people with strong characters and with lots of skills that maybe aren’t being used in the workforce.”
On rural crime, McCormack feels there has to be stronger deterrents for people who break laws.
“The laws we have right now; the perception of them from a farm-wife in Clandonald, is that perpetrators go to jail and then come back out. Trials can take years in some cases. Justice delayed is justice denied. I would like to see that sped up. I would like to see the punishment for crimes be an actual deterrent to other crimes.”
McCormack brings the PPC philosophy to the First Nations debate. She questions the Federal Budget dollars spent on Indigenous affairs.
“Twenty-one billion dollars for Indigenous affairs. Where’s that money going? There’s got to be some accountability for that. Indigenous people on Reserves don’t have property rights. Are you kidding? This is 2021. How come you can’t own something?”
There are 16 topics in the PPC platform and McCormack hopes that they will resonate with people to gain support.
In the Lakeland riding, McCormack faces incumbent Conservative Shannon Stubbs, John Turvey from the Liberals, Fred Sirett from the Maverick Party and Desiree Bissonnette of the NDP.