In less than one week Canadians will head to the polls and vote in a new government.

Millions have already cast ballots at advance polls, but some remain undecided.

Discover Airdrie will be doing profiles on the candidates running in Banff-Airdrie. They are in order that responses were received from the candidates.

While there are several issues in this election, we wanted to know what issue matters the most to the candidates so we asked them one question and have included their self-written response.

Today we hear from the final candidate for the Banff-Airdrie riding, Liberal Party candidate Gwyneth Midgley.

Biography:

Gwyneth Midgley is a strong advocate for education, the environment and good public policy. She has been a respected community leader in southern Alberta for over 20 years. Gwyneth is running in this election because Banff-Airdrie needs a voice in Parliament that supports a strong sustainable economy, while at the same time protecting the environment.

Growing up on a farm in Wales, Gwyneth developed a strong work ethic, a passion for learning, a love of the outdoors and a commitment to conservation. She has a Masters Degree (M.A.) in Geography from the University of Cambridge and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (P.G.C.E.) from Westminster College, Oxford. After graduating from university, Gwyneth worked for the Ministry of Defence in London. She married, emigrated to Canada in the early 1990s, and is the mother of four children. Her varied experiences gave her a deeper understanding of the challenges facing people from all backgrounds and walks of life.

Gwyneth is making a difference in her community as a dedicated supporter, volunteer and board member in numerous organizations. She is currently the Executive Director of the Alberta Liberal Party. She will continue to work hard to bring forward policies that address environmental concerns, economic uncertainties, and challenging social issues facing our country today.

 

What do you believe is the most important issue in this election and how do you plan to address it?

The environment is the most important issue in this election. We must fight climate change and biodiversity loss. Climate change is real and it is here, and it will affect us all. In Alberta over the past decade, we have seen more frequent catastrophic events, including the 2013 flood in the Bow Valley, the Fort McMurray and Waterton wildfires, and more frequent and severe hailstorms and tornadoes.  These are natural disasters linked to climate change which not only affect us immediately but also in the cleanup costs which we all have to pay for through increased insurance and through our taxes. Young people are marching and demanding action, and we should be too. We absolutely cannot afford to go back to the Harper years when the Conservatives did nothing about climate change. They muzzled scientists and failed to face the reality that the planet is at risk.

The Liberal government has a plan to fight Climate Change. It means we will have to act decisively and with clear and defined goals. We will achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This means a combination of reducing our carbon emissions and offsetting the rest by actions which remove carbon from the atmosphere, such as planting trees and preserving wetlands and grasslands which are natural carbon sinks. Liberals are going to make it easier for people to have more energy-efficient homes and buy zero-emission vehicles and they will continue to invest in public transit. A re-elected Liberal government has committed to protecting more of Canada's natural legacy. We will work with scientists and indigenous people to protect 25% of Canada's land and 25% of Canada's oceans by 2025 and 30% by 2030, and we will ban single-use plastics by 2021.  

The Liberals have the boldest and most workable Climate Plan of all the Parties. They know that we have to protect our environment while at the same time balancing the economic and social needs of Banff-Airdrie and the whole country. That is why they are committed to getting the TransMountain Pipeline Expansion built, and at the same time using every dollar earned from the pipeline to invest in clean technologies and create more jobs in the industries of the future. We can be environmentally responsible and economically progressive. We don't have to choose between them. Only the Liberal Party of Canada has a plan for both the environment and the economy and will make life more affordable for all the residents of Banff-Airdrie. 

To read more about the Liberal Party's platform, click HERE.

Other Candidates:

Meet the candidates: Anne Wilson - NDP

Meet the candidates: Austin Mullins - Green Party

Meet the candidates: Blake Richards – Conservative Party of Canada

Meet the candidates: Nadine Wellwood - People's Party of Canada

Comments? Questions? Story ideas? Email us at news@discoverairdrie.com