Red Deer residents will head to the polls Oct. 14.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the start of a federal election.

Earl Dreeshen is the Red Deer Conservative candidate for the first time. He said he sees a need for an election because the opposition has forced the prime minister’s hand.

“There has been some important legislation that has been held up for many months and if we have another year in this deadlock than it is just going to be a serious strain on our economy,” Dreeshen said.

“So I think a new mandate is needed to get Parliament back on track.”

But others questioned the election call.

Red Deer Liberal candidate Garfield Marks said he doesn’t think an election is necessary right now and he’d rather see politicians concentrate on working together. He said the reason the election was called is because Prime Minister Stephen Harper feels he can win a majority in Quebec.

“Harper is breaking his own law for convenience,” Marks said. Originally, the Conservatives had slated a fixed election date of October 2009 for the next federal election before the prime minister dissolved Parliament Sunday.

There isn’t yet an NDP candidate in place for the Red Deer riding. But NDP organizer Jeff Sloychuk spoke to the issue, wondering about the timing of the election.

“I like a lot of other observers are questioning the wisdom of calling (the election) when we have legislation on the books to be having it this time next year,” Sloychuk said.

“It’s a little distressing to me that Harper is ignoring his own legislation, but at the same time we’re ready for an election and we don’t agree with how Harper has been running things.”

The NDP has a nomination meeting set for Sunday. So far, Stuart Somerville — a teacher and farmer who lives east of Elnora — has thrown his hat in the ring. Others have until Friday to come forward.

The federal Green Party has plans to put a candidate in place this week for the Red Deer riding, with a nomination meeting set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the County Office.

The Red Deer federal riding includes the City of Red Deer, County of Red Deer, Innisfail and Sylvan Lake.

It has been held by Bob Mills for the past five elections, with him running for the Reform, Canadian Alliance and finally the Conservative Party.

Mills recently announced he would be retiring as a Member of Parliament.

Mills said he’ll help in whatever way he can with the election, but won’t be following as closely as he did in the past.

“I’ve always had the philosophy of when you finish something you don’t look back, you look forward,” Mills said.

He hasn’t figured out his next move, but he’ll be cleaning out his office and apartment in Ottawa starting Sunday. He said until the end of the election his local office will be open for constituents and he won’t decide his future until after the election is finished.

In 2006, Mills beat his next closest competitor NDP candidate Kelly Bickford by getting close to 76 per cent of the vote — compared to Bickford’s nearly 10 per cent. In the 2004, Mills had close to 75 per cent of the vote, compared to around 12 per cent for Liberal candidate Luke Kurata and close to eight per cent for NDP candidate Jeff Sloychuk.

Since the late 1960s some form of conservative candidate has held the seat locally. Before that, except on one occasion, the seat was held almost exclusively by the Social Credit Party throughout much of the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

It’s the first federal election Dreeshen has run in, although he has helped with others’ campaigns in the past.

The retired teacher and farmer, who lives near Pine Lake, said he thinks the environment is always front and centre in a campaign and the new gasification plant has gotten many people excited. The Conservative candidate said people have come to him in the agriculture and transportation sectors who are concerned about the Liberal carbon tax and he thinks it will also be an issue. Dreeshen, 55, said he also sees supporting the troops and veterans as important.

It isn’t the first time Marks has thrown his hat in the ring. He has run for the Green Party in the past, as well as for city hall and the provincial Liberals.

Now as the Liberal candidate, he said two of the big issues of this election will be the leadership question and the economy.

“When I go knocking on people’s doors they talk to me about the environment, but they don’t vote for the environment. They vote for the economy,” said Marks, age 50. The field supervisor for Canadian Sub-Surface said he hopes his record of being an outspoken advocate of people between the elections will help during the election.

Sloychuk, who is an organizer rather than a candidate this time around, said the NDP will focus on the economy, the environment and health care. He said there are still doctor and nurse shortages in Alberta and wait times are too long. He said the NDP is against the Liberals’ carbon tax idea and will also look at the Conservative’s dismantling of the Canadian Wheat Board during the election.

Contact Stacy O’Brien at sobrien@reddeeradvocate.com