Juno News - UCP aims to beat Nenshi this Monday

00:00:00.000 Isaac Lambler here with True North. I'm just about to do an interview with Darby Crouch,

00:00:14.160 UCB candidate in Edmonton of Shafkona, running against NDP leader Naheed Menchie. And as you

00:00:18.060 can see, there's a big event going on behind me because the Premier is actually about to come

00:00:21.660 and door knock with Crouch. So let's jump right into that interview. I was curious what led you

00:00:26.940 to getting involved in politics at all in the first place. Well, I was born and raised in an oil 0.98

00:00:31.800 and gas and agriculture industry. So it's kind of a given from birth that I was going to support

00:00:37.260 the political party that best supports my family and the reason that I've had a roof over my head

00:00:42.760 my whole life. So what really got me into running would be our Premier. I've really been inspired by

00:00:49.880 Premier Daniel Smith's leadership and I could have ran maybe at one point in time, but it was really

00:00:56.240 her what inspired me to get into it. I mean, I started working in politics in 2020 because I

00:01:01.700 grew up around Jason Nixon. So he was my MLA back home because I'm from Rocky Mountain House and

00:01:07.420 he really pushed me into it. And I'm very thankful that he did because I absolutely fell in love with it.

00:01:13.740 So you'd say Premier Smith is more or less your number one role model in politics at least?

00:01:17.960 100%. I think I was at an AGM in the fall and someone came up to me and said, I think that she

00:01:24.260 will be remembered like Ralph Klein was or even better than Ralph Klein. And it was that moment that

00:01:30.140 really struck me with how people view her because that's how I've always felt about our Premier. So

00:01:36.260 yeah, it was definitely her that has been my role model throughout the school. And how has she acted

00:01:42.280 maybe in a mentorship role to you so far? I mean, she is the Premier, so she is quite busy, but she's

00:01:47.900 been very, very encouraging throughout this entire by-election. I know that if I needed something, I

00:01:53.780 could give her a call and we would be, yeah, she would give me advice, but she's been super supportive

00:01:59.000 in encouraging it and really believes in me, which is nice. So I was curious, what have been the biggest

00:02:06.540 tests or challenges so far in your political career? Yeah. So I think the number one thing right

00:02:11.820 now would be probably my age or people assume what my age is. So I'm 27. And I think because I

00:02:19.860 graduated university last year, because I went back to school quite late. So people immediately assume

00:02:24.620 that I'm quite young. That would probably be the number one comment that I have received as far

00:02:29.900 as a challenge, but never once at the doors and our people in the riding, have they ever sparked any

00:02:35.860 concern? Not once? No, no. If anything, they were excited. And I mean, I don't like to talk about

00:02:40.900 myself too much, but I was at a door and I opened the door and I was talking and she had to ask me a

00:02:45.540 bunch of questions. And she's like, you are really wise, like for your age. She's like, 100% had my vote

00:02:52.160 from that point on. She's been one of my biggest supporters. So that would be a challenge, but not

00:02:57.540 so much in the riding. And I'm just curious about these past experiences and challenges. How do you

00:03:03.740 feel they've prepared you for obviously what I assume is your biggest challenge thus far, this

00:03:07.480 upcoming by-election against NDP leader, Naheed Nenshi? I mean, yes, I'm not a career politician and I

00:03:14.580 wasn't a mayor, but I don't think that defines me any less. I was in university and working three to

00:03:21.520 four jobs all throughout university in various different industries. So if anything, if I could

00:03:28.380 take away from that and put it forward is that I'm a very hard worker and resonate with a lot of

00:03:33.580 struggling Albertans because unfortunately I was one for quite a long time and had to work really,

00:03:39.740 really hard just to afford to live essentially. So I, before even university, I had worked in

00:03:46.800 different areas as well. So I've been in insurance companies. I've done various different things in

00:03:52.720 the public sector that I think I can bring forward nonetheless to this. And obviously this

00:03:59.980 upcoming by-election will be extremely challenging. The conservatives haven't held the riding in I think

00:04:06.040 40 years now. So I, I, I'm just curious what aside from winning, if you see any possible successes out

00:04:14.040 of this by-election, if you don't win, what, what, what would you consider as a silver lining maybe?

00:04:18.040 I think the biggest thing, and again, I'm going to go back to at the doors last night, a lady had said

00:04:23.920 to me that this is the strongest they've ever seen a conservative in this riding and someone that

00:04:29.960 they're excited to vote for. So that to me alone is a win, knowing that for once our conservative

00:04:36.960 movement was super strong, people heard us. And I've just been dedicated to getting out and talking

00:04:41.960 to these people, holding events. And, and that to me is a win. If we increase the vote percentage,

00:04:47.960 it's a win. And ultimately it's going to be up to Edmonton-Stratona to decide, but we are really hopeful

00:04:53.960 we're going to win. Were there any other notable, uh, recurring themes you saw when going door to door,

00:04:59.000 uh, among the residents? I think that they just really want strong representation. They have felt

00:05:03.880 that they haven't been heard in a long time. I've had people say to me like, look, I, they don't have

00:05:08.360 to judge me based on how I voted in the past elections. I just want them to stand up for me,

00:05:13.240 regardless of my voting choice. So just strong representation. And my fear for them is if,

00:05:19.240 then she were to win, it's, it's a safe seat for him. If that's all it is, it's not a,

00:05:25.720 he's not there to represent the people. He's hardly been in the riding himself. Volunteers have been out.

00:05:30.040 So that would be my fear for them. And I hope that they realize that when they do go to the polls.

00:05:35.320 And I'm curious going door to door, have you met any residents that say were former supporters of

00:05:40.440 Rachel Notley and they just, for some reason or one reason or another are struggling to support the NDP

00:05:45.240 under its current leadership and Naheed Nenshi specifically? Yeah, I would say more so because

00:05:49.480 of Nenshi. They are very well aware of what his track record is in Calgary and they're offended

00:05:55.000 with how someone has spoken about Edmonton. He's, you know, no secret. He's has stated publicly that

00:06:01.800 he's not a huge fan of Edmonton. Calgary has his home and he chose not to run in Calgary. And I think

00:06:08.120 it's because he knew that his track record there isn't the best. So he came to what he thinks is the

00:06:12.840 safest seat. And it's either offending to people and they just know that that's not the right

00:06:18.840 representation that they want. Yeah, I've seen some of your videos highlighting past quotes from Nenshi,

00:06:23.720 him saying himself that he more or less despises Edmonton, as I'm sure many Calgarians feel,

00:06:29.320 especially with the hockey rivalry, which unfortunately... Which is fair, but if you despise it that much,

00:06:34.440 why are you coming here to represent people of Edmonton? Yeah, I know. So just going a bit deeper into that,

00:06:40.120 do you think the NDP as a whole are taking Edmonton Strathcona for granted, maybe?

00:06:44.520 I believe so. Yeah, I think that and what people have said to me is they really loved Rachel Motley

00:06:50.120 at the start, but by the end, it was more so a political gain and they weren't being heard as

00:06:55.000 much from her. And again, I think that's that's a fear that they should have going into this next

00:06:59.720 by-election when it comes to Mr. Nenshi as well. And obviously, you've talked about Premier

00:07:04.040 Smith being a big mentor. I'm wondering if what you've heard from people at the doors about

00:07:09.080 her leadership as a whole and maybe in her recent dealings with Ottawa and all the news we've seen

00:07:13.480 her involved in. It's been nothing but positive reactions for her, especially our strong Conservatives

00:07:19.720 in the riding. They have the utmost respect and admiration for her and have think that she's been

00:07:25.320 the best leader that we've seen in a really long time. So that makes me proud to run under this

00:07:29.720 government and run alongside her in this by-election. So yeah, I haven't heard any negative comments.

00:07:36.120 People are very, very happy with their leadership right now.

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00:08:08.520 So have you felt it somewhat advantageous then running under the Conservative banner as there

00:08:16.520 are reigning government in Alberta? Yeah, I think so. I mean, what I've said to people too is this

00:08:21.560 government is going to be in power until the next election, so we have another two years. So if you

00:08:27.240 vote for an in-chief, then that's someone sitting in opposition. Whereas if you vote for me, there's someone

00:08:32.360 that's actually going to thread that needle and put things forward that you have been wanting for years

00:08:36.840 and years. So I've been trying to say that to people, and we're seeing a strong movement, really

00:08:43.160 strong movement, actually. I'm curious, have you had any direct interactions or debates with Nenshi?

00:08:51.720 Or kind of just, has he even talked to you at all? Well, when I was still working in the building

00:08:58.600 as a press secretary, because I'm going to leave right now, obviously. And he came up to me not long

00:09:04.360 after I had won the nomination and became the candidate and introduced himself. And he's like, I'm

00:09:10.040 not sure how this is going to go if there's a debate. And I said, well, I'll call one if you want

00:09:13.480 a debate. He said to me, he doesn't think he would have time. So I don't know if there's one plan for

00:09:19.640 the future, especially with how close we are getting to it. But he hasn't really responded to me. I

00:09:24.840 have called him out on social media, and there's been nothing. Yeah. And just for our listeners

00:09:31.320 and potential voters, I guess, what's something they might not know about you just by watching

00:09:36.120 your videos, following your campaign that you really feel they should know? Yeah, I mean,

00:09:40.840 that's a great question. It's not often I have to talk about myself so much. But I just think that

00:09:47.240 if you want someone that is dedicated to being a strong leader, then that would be me. I've come from

00:09:54.440 various leadership roles. I've been a part of nonprofits and volunteers, worked with homeless

00:10:00.280 organizations as well. So I have a lot of experience other than being and I'm not a career

00:10:05.720 politician. I think that having someone that has real experience out in different fields is important.

00:10:12.440 I actually broadcasted at rodeos for three years, all throughout university. So my summers were filled

00:10:18.920 with doing rodeo events. I have done a lot of things in my life before falling in love with politics.

00:10:25.560 But yeah, I just hope that they see how dedicated we are to Edmonton Stratacona and how I will be a

00:10:33.240 strong voice for them and the rest is up to them. And we've touched briefly on some of the overarching

00:10:39.160 themes and issues, but I'm curious if there's anything you've heard consistently at the doors that might not

00:10:44.360 make the headlines, but it really is something that's resonating with residents that you feel should

00:10:48.440 be highlighted. Yeah, I think the number one thing that I ran on that I've noticed that every single

00:10:55.160 person believes in as well as public safety, as a young female, I don't feel comfortable walking at

00:11:01.960 night especially. So that would be something and I've said this to them and they completely agree on it. And

00:11:08.760 a lot of the older residents as well, like they they're very vulnerable people too when it comes

00:11:13.480 to certain areas of Edmonton, especially in Edmonton Stratacona. So that would be something

00:11:18.120 I would really, really fight for and something that we're all in agreeance on is public safety,

00:11:23.080 as well as improving our health care. And that's why this government has funded more into health care

00:11:28.760 than they ever have. So yeah, a lot of people are very happy with currently what we're doing and love to

00:11:34.840 see what this government is doing going forward, especially within budget 2025. And just taking it

00:11:40.280 a step further than next week's by-election, I'm curious what what you see your future political career

00:11:47.480 amounting to. So I mean, if I win on Monday or if the results come out in our favor, then I mean,

00:11:55.000 I'll just be strong representation and a voice that hasn't been heard in a long time, I think in Edmonton Stratacona.

00:12:01.240 So I think I'll be coming down from a high on Monday if we come out with a win. But again,

00:12:09.400 it's up to the residents and I'm excited to see what happens. Yeah. And is there anything I

00:12:13.800 haven't asked or covered that you'd like to say? No, I don't think so. I think you've covered a lot.

00:12:18.120 So I thank you. I thank you for doing this. No, thank you for having me. One last thing.

00:12:22.680 And this is a tough one. I hate to put you on the spot, but I'm just curious personally,

00:12:27.000 what do you think your chances are of winning on Monday there? I don't want to get ahead of myself,

00:12:33.480 but I do think that they are much higher and they have been in previous years. So

00:12:38.520 if we increase the vote percentage, it's a win. If we win, then I think we might go down in history

00:12:44.040 in Edmonton Stratacona. So I would agree. Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure.

00:12:47.800 Thank you. I appreciate it.

00:12:48.600 So that was my interview with Darby Crouch, who will be running in the upcoming by-election

00:12:52.440 against NDP leader Naheed Nenshi on Monday. Yeah. Sorry for the commotion during the interview,

00:12:57.640 as Alberta Premier Daniel Smith was about to arrive to visit Crouch and UCP candidate for

00:13:03.720 Edmonton Ellerslie, Naresh Bardwaj, with whom Crouch shares an office. The third by-election is in Olds

00:13:09.720 Didsbury Three Hills, where Cam Davies, leader of the Republican Party of Alberta, will face off

00:13:15.560 against UCP candidate Tara Sawyer, along with NDP and Wildrose candidates. True North will be

00:13:21.880 live on the ground reporting in Olds on Monday with videos and articles throughout the day.

00:13:26.360 So make sure you stay tuned for that. As for Edmonton Strathcona, the riding hasn't gone

00:13:31.400 conservative since 1982, but Crouch gave the impression that this time she feels there's a

00:13:37.880 real shot. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. My name's Isaac Lamer. It's been a great pleasure

00:13:43.080 bringing you this special episode of the Alberta Roundup. Thank you. God bless you and have a great weekend.

00:13:51.880 Thank you.

00:14:00.360 you

Juno News - June 21, 2025

UCP aims to beat Nenshi this Monday

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