She may be young, but Abigail Douglass says her age won’t stop her from advocating and speaking for the people of the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake riding.
Douglass, 23, is running for MLA with the Alberta Party in the upcoming by-election in Innisfail-Sylvan Lake.
She has chosen to run with the the Alberta Party because she says it is the best fit for her, calling to the party’s policy of realistic planning and fiscal responsibility.
Douglass said she volunteered with Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel leadership race, and became more and more involved from there, saying it was the “right fit.”
Though young, she sees the value of standing up for the people in the riding.
“I can’t stand on the sidelines anymore and do nothing,” Douglass said in a recent phone interview. “The position has been vacant for too long already and left us without a voice in Edmonton.”
While in university, where she studied at King’s University in Edmonton, Douglass said she found the power and importance of advocacy, which she hopes to bring to Innisfail-Sylvan Lake.
As president of the student association at the university, Douglass said she represented 100,000 students from across Alberta in the school’s bid to become a university.
“I not only had to listen and speak to the students to find out what they wanted, but I also had to work closely with many MLAs to see it done,” she said.
She said part of being an MLA is being able to see the bigger picture and to advocate on behalf of her constituents.
Through her campaign, Douglass has heard from the residents in the riding that there are two large areas of concern; rural crime and health care.
Knowing what is important to her constituents will help Douglass raise her voice in legislature and speak for her riding, she said.
“We need someone talking about in and representing us in legislature, not ignoring us.”
Douglass says she will send a message by listening and working with other representatives.
She says the problems in the riding are not isolated, and are reflected in my others.
“We need to fight for it, to talk and work with other MLAs to get the work done,” said Douglass.
She says her heart is in public service and wants to work for the people in the Innisfail-Sylvan Lake riding to “get stuff done.”
“We need to be loud enough, we need to send a message,” she said.
“My youth is a cause of worry for some, but I will listen and fight for you.”