There will be a new representative for Battle River-Crowfoot in Ottawa and the hope for the Conservative Party of Canada is their young and passionate candidate will win the day for them.
After 19 years, Kevin Sorenson announced last April that he would not be running again, which forced the party to search for someone new to represent them.
That’s where Damien Kurek comes in.
Kurek, 29, lives in Camrose with his wife and two children, but is very familiar with the constituency both from his time working with the now retired MP and having grown up on the family farm near Consort.
He won the party’s nomination in July after being encouraged to run by numerous individuals.
“After Kevin announced he was retiring, I had more the 300 people reach out to me and telling me they hoped that I would run. They wanted someone who would be their voice at the table and who would defend their principles and values,” he said in an interview.
Politics and government have always been of interest to Kurek, though the direction of his career was at least partially determined by a trip to Ottawa back in 2005.
“I was able to meet (then) Prime Minister Stephen Harper as well as Kevin (Sorenson). I was left wide-eyed, came back and joined up with the Conservatives youth wing,” he said.
“Later, on a suggestion, I was included as part of the local constituency board and continued to work both provincially and federally since then.”
His politicial aspirations didn’t abate when he went to university, where he gained his Bachelor’s degree in political studies and communications, as he got involved in the campus political scene. This helped him earn a job as part of Sorenson’s Ottawa staff while he was Minister of State for Finance.
After that, Kurek went to Saskatchewan and worked about two and half years for then Premier Brad Wall before going back to work for Sorenson in a constituency office role.
“My focus (in the campaign) is to meet all sorts of people around this constituency. From what I’ve heard so far, they want someone that will listen to them and has that passion to ensure the region is represented and will have a voice,” said Kurek about what he’s heard since accepting the nomination.
“The people want someone they can trust and a reason to have hope again.”
He added he’s excited to be talking to people about the issues they face and tired of what he called “wedge issues” that are being used more and more in a rather divisive campaign this time around.
“What I keep hearing from people is, who can they trust to help them get ahead and keep their promises?” Kurek stated.
“Simply because Alberta is the heartland of Conservatives, I will not take this election for granted. I really am working hard and getting into the issues. The people don’t want just a talking head telling them what Ottawa wants them to hear.”
He has also heard many people expressing their frustration about the continuing string of what voters feel are broken promises from the governing Liberals, something he believes denotes a party that has lost its way.
Kurek feels that under the leadership of Andrew Sheer, who recently promised to bring back the sports and arts tax credits for families, the country will be able to move forward once again and grow.