With proposed new federal electoral boundaries potentially breaking up his riding, Wild Rose MP Blake Richards isn't yet sure where he would run on the next federal ballot.
“Until I see the final boundaries, I wouldn't be making any decisions on where I would run next election,” said Richards.
The Electoral Boundaries Commission for Alberta has suggested eliminating the Wild Rose riding and replacing it with smaller electoral districts including the proposed Red Deer-Mountain View riding, which would include Olds.
Richards grew up in Olds and has a farm here but now calls Airdrie home.
Under the proposed new boundaries, Airdrie would end up in a new riding called Banff-Airdrie.
Richards said it will be a “difficult decision no matter what” to choose which riding he would run in, should the boundary changes take effect.
“I've got the two home bases and certainly over the years as a member of Parliament you really feel at home in all the communities,” he said. “Wherever I end up running in the next election, there will be some sadness to lose whatever communities that I'm representing now that I'll no longer have that opportunity to represent.”
The commission submitted its report on the new ridings to the House of Commons in December following public hearings on the changes throughout the province.
MPs have until early March to submit objections on the new riding proposals to a parliamentary committee, but Richards said he has nothing to submit.
“I don't look to get involved from a political perspective on that.”
Final approval on the proposed changes won't come until September and the earliest a general election could be called where the new boundaries would take effect is April, 2014.
The next federal election is planned for the fall of 2015.
"Until I see the final boundaries, I wouldn't be making any decisions on where I would run next election."Blake Richards. Wild Rose MP
