Waege throws hat in federal race

By Gillian Slade
Southern Alberta Newspapers
The NDP has a candidate in the federal byelection.
Bev Waege of Medicine Hat will run, a spokesperson for the federal NDP party told the News on Tuesday.
“It’s kind of exciting,” said Waege. “I’m excited to take on the role and hopefully I can be peoples’ change in Ottawa.”
The major issues Waege would like to see addressed in this campaign includes gender equality, equal pay for equal work and value for women, she said.
Waege is not new to the political arena. She was the NDP candidate in the 2015 provincial election running against Wildrose incumbent for Cypress-Medicine Hat, Drew Barnes.
On election night in May 2015 she said she was not surprised to lose to Barnes. She was able to celebrate NDP Bob Wanner’s victory in Medicine Hat and of course the NDP winning provincially. At the time she spoke of her role as helping to make history in Alberta.
While absent from forums and comments in media stories during the 2015 campaign, Waege said she did some door-knocking in areas like Schuler, Hilda, Foremost and Burdett.
Waege will continue her full-time job during the campaign and says she will participate in debates and forums depending on her work schedule.
In Cypress-Medicine Hat, no NDP candidate had captured more than six per cent of the vote until the 2015 election when Waege earned 20.7 per cent, falling about 100 votes shy of second place, which went to the Conservative Party candidate Bob Olsen. Waege placed a close third and spent just $289 on her campaign, according to Elections Canada information.