Kimmie Hovan, the People’s Party of Canada candidate for Lethbridge Alberta, proudly places a campaign sign along the boulevard on 28 Street North on Sept. 9, 2021.
Get your pencils sharpened, election time is just a week away. Every federal election there are always at least one or two candidates promising to offer an alternative to the main parties. These two voices from both sides of the political spectrum are hoping to represent Lethbridge in Ottawa this fall.
Kim Siever, who is running as an independent candidate, moved here from Vancouver 23 years ago and has had a desire to be in politics for the last 20 years. “I felt like I wanted to give back to the community,” says Siever.
Back then he ran for city council and did relatively well, considering 34 other people were running and he was relatively unknown. He did not win a seat, but did receive just under 1,000 votes.
Siever realized that to win an election you must have a recognizable name, so he volunteered for over two dozen organizations and boards, to get his name out there.
When the municipal election was called, Siever thought it would be a good opportunity to get back into politics, but realized with Mayor Spearman stepping down there was probably going to be several candidates running.
With rumors of a federal election coming, Siever applied to be an NDP candidate in June, since he thought they had the best chance of beating the Conservative party.
By August he was told he was not a good fit for the NDP party because he was, “too prolific and too provocative online,” said Siever.
Kimberley Dawn Hovan chose to join the People’s Party of Canada party because of their main platform of Freedom, Responsibility, Respect, and Fairness.
She was born and raised in Lethbridge and spent most of her life supporting the NDP government, as she felt they most represented her interests.
Hovan is the owner of a small cleaning business. She had never felt the need to run for office before, but recently, felt she needed to get involved since in her mind, average voices were not being heard by the federal government.
“It was time to take a step and be a voice,” said Hovan adding, “something I’ve really respected within the PPC is being able to have my own voice, as long as I respect other people’s voices.”
Siever said there are both advantages and disadvantages of running as an independent. “My representation, my loyalty is strictly with the residents of the Lethbridge riding.”
He delights in the fact that he can vote on any issue, whatever it is, in the best interest of Lethbridge voters. “There is no requirement for me to follow any party line.” added Siever.
However, with that freedom also comes a lack of party infrastructure if he wants to bring forward any programs. He cannot table any bills that require an increase of taxes. So, because of that limit he cannot make campaign promises like other parties can, explains Siever.
Hovan strongly feels as governments get more powerful, they want more control and the PPC offer, “a chance for accountability for those who are in power.”
The PPC was started by Maxime Bernier, a once popular PC Cabinet Minister over Industry and Foreign Affairs for the Stephen Harper government because, according to the PPC website, “the Conservative Party of Canada was too intellectually and morally corrupt to reform, having abandoned conservative principles long ago.”
Hovan was drawn to the fact that the PPC is a grass roots party.
“We’re real people, we’re not born and bred politicians, we live everyday life and we see it from the ground and we want to make a change,” said Hovan.
Siever is running on a platform of solidarity.
“I have solidarity with workers, solidarity with the marginalized and solidarity with the environment.”
He feels all three of these areas should be supported by the government. Workers are, in his words, the backbone of the economy. They are the ones producing goods and supporting the economy through their spending power.
He feels all people should be treated fairly whatever their circumstances. He supports “tuition-free education and complete student loan forgiveness” and that cutting funding to those institutions does them a disservice.
“We should all support one another as a community to make sure we can all find success in our lives, whatever that’s going to look like.”
Hovan’s main concern is wanting to see her children thrive in an, “amazing country, a free country and people to speak their truths and not be denied their freedoms.”
Surprisingly both candidates fundamentally seem to want similar things for their constituents: for everyone’s voice to be heard and everyone in Lethbridge represented in Ottawa.
“There doesn’t need to be so much division and so much hatred between people… whether it be religion or race or colour or gender,” says Hovan.
Hovan seemed to echo Siever’s sentiments by stating, “people are people, why can’t we work together in order to make a better community?”
