Canadians expect to go to the polls in the near future to elect their Members of Parliament. This special forum gives candidates of the Lethbridge constituency an opportunity to meet their candidates, ask questions and debate the issues at stake.
Rick Casson, 56, is running for the Conservative Party of Canada. Rick is a farmer with a background in management at the University of Lethbridge. He has served on Picture Butte town council, as a councilor and then mayor, before being elected to Parliament for the Reform Party in 1997. In 2000 Rick was re-elected and has served in the House of Commons as critic for agriculture, environment, international trade and veteran affairs.
Ken Nicol, 59, is running for the federal Liberal Party. Ken is a farmer with a doctoral degree in economics. He left a position as associate professor in agricultural management at the University of Lethbridge to run for the Alberta Liberal Party in 1993. He won and has represented the provincial Lethbridge East constituency since. He was re-elected in 1997 and again in 2001. Ken served as Deputy Leader and then Leader of the Opposition in the Alberta Legislature. In January 2004 he made the decision to leave provincial politics for the federal arena.
Melanee Thomas, 22, is running for the New Democratic Party. Melanee was born and raised on a farm near Granum, Alberta. She graduated with great distinction from the University of Lethbridge in 2003 with a BA in political science. She served as the Students’ Union President in 2002-2003 and as the first Executive Director of the Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS). In 2003, Melanee received a Young Women of Distinction award from the YWCA for Lethbridge and region. She has been accepted to the Master’s Program at the University of Calgary.