Lloydminster’s Tigra-Lee Campbell is the Green Party candidate in the Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright riding in the Alberta general election of May 29. File photo
The Green Party of Alberta is the party for good in the mind of Tigra-Lee Campbell.
The Lloydminster resident is hooking her election campaign in the Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright riding to the Green’s social justice platform.
She notes the Green Party believes the key to social justice is the equitable distribution of resources to ensure that all have full personal and social development opportunities.
“I decided to run for the Green Party to be a voice and advocate for those that have kind of fallen through the cracks and to raise awareness and to advocate for the need for an increase in the basic necessities of life,” said Campbell.
While the Green Party is known for its environmental advocacy, Campbell says that’s secondary in the current economic time, given the high cost of living.
“Absolutely, there’s an environment portion of my platform, however; I do feel that until we can provide all Albertans with the basic necessities of life, then we can’t even speak to that yet,” she said.
“How is someone who is food insecure or is suffering from a mental illness or a mental crisis supposed to even navigate how to be more environmentally friendly if their basic needs are not being met?”
Campbell sees the provincial election on May 29 as an opportunity to break the two-party system that votes either the United Conservative Party or the New Democratic Party in power.
“We need a change. We know we need a change. We’ve been doing the same thing and it’s just not working, so why not take that chance and invest in Albertans and do something different,” she said.
The Greens promote all types of diversity including racial, linguistic, ethnic, sexual, religious and spiritual within the context of individual responsibility toward all people.
The party’s social conscience fits the work Campbell does with the non-profit Lloydminster and Vermilion for Equity Foundation.
“We provide mutual aid and we try to enhance community support. We’re out twice a week providing hot meals and lunches, water, hygiene products, harm reduction and having conversations to house the most vulnerable,” explained Campbell.
She says a lot of those who they help have homes, but may be on social assistance and not able to make ends meet.
Few may understand the plight of the disadvantaged as well as Campbell, who moved to Lloydminster from Edmonton eight years ago to kick her personal addiction to alcohol and meth.
She is now a mother of three and has been clean and sober for seven years and is not afraid of speaking out for others in the riding.
Campbell says part of recovery is doing service work and giving back to the community.
“I believe I can use my voice to amplify the needs of voices that may be heard, or they get swept under the rug,” she said.
“I have the lived experience to have the understanding about what I’m speaking on and the changes I feel need to be seen.”
Campbell believes crime is the leading issue for voters in the region based on keeping an ear to the ground.
“We have seen, at least for myself, an increase in crime. We hear it all the time in the media. There’s theft, there’s vandalism. I believe it could be prevented,” she said.
Campbell will let her keyboards do the walking in her campaign by posting on social media.
“I plan to pretty much just use my social media platforms and do on-the-ground work in the community and lead by example and doing the work that I do with the non-profit,” she said.
