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Danny Hozack has thrown his hat into the ring as a candidate for the new Wildrose Loyalty Coalition Party in the Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright riding.
The Streamstown Alberta resident, who just turned 70, is playing catchup with other candidates in the provincial election on May 29.
“We just got the party formed on the last Friday in April. I’m starting to put up signs,” said Hozack on Friday.
“We’re going to be doing some videos and sending out a brochure to everybody in the constituency.”
Hozack says the party, led by the first Wildrose Party leader Paul Hinman, intends to mount a fairly vigorous campaign over the next couple of weeks.
He says Premier Danielle Smith, who succeeded Hinman as Wildrose leader, ran on Wildrose policies for the leadership of the United Conservative Party.
“We think we need somebody out to the right of her to ensure she stays on Wildrose policies,” said Hozack.
“We think we are going to offer Albertans a good choice.”
He says the party’s coalition of folks, who have conservative values, are bent on bringing good government back to Alberta.
The Wildrose Coalition believes Alberta is in a broken, dysfunctional, toxic relationship with Ottawa and seeks autonomy and independence.
Hozack says former UCP Premier Jason Kenney campaigned for two years about doing something regarding equalization, but in the end, did nothing about it.
“He used it two or three times as a clever way to get elected, but he never did anything about it,” he said.
“We’re actually trying to put forward a group of people who’ve given a lot thought to not only getting elected but also a lot of thought to good governance.”
Hozack thinks he and the party can resonate with voters by talking about the party’s recall accountability pledge for MLAs who don’t perform as intended.
“Our main theme is going to be, if you can’t fire them, don’t hire them. People get elected and they are totally unaccountable for the next four years,” he explained.
“Our recall is 50 per cent plus one of the people who vote in the election. Recall is an amazing way of people accountable.”
Hozack is a small cattle and grain farmer in the County of Vermilion River who was elected to Alberta Beef Producers in the 80s.
He represented the Wildrose Party in 2012 and 2015 but didn’t get elected.
Hozack said he sooner not be the candidate for the Wildrose Coalition, but says most of the younger members on the board are up to their eyeballs running businesses or farming.
“No one wanted to step forward. I thought it was important that we had that option in Lloydminster, so I put my name in,” he said.
“We’ll make our case to the voters and see if they’d like someone who’s spent quite a bit of time thinking about how to govern.”
Running in elections is also part of Hozack’s DNA as an individual who knows the value of exercising their democratic right to vote.
“When some people say they are not interested in politics, I always say my grampa wasn’t interested in war either, but he still went twice, so we can have a better life,” said Hozack.
“I’ve sort of had a heart for community service. I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about good governance.”
