Banff-Airdrie NDP candidate Anne Wilson doesn't believe the Conservatives should be taking the votes of Albertans for granted in the coming federal election.

"There is a very healthy progressive vote in this EDA and I think Blake Richards should get prepared to have some critical thinking applied to him and his style," says Wilson, who officially announced her candidacy earlier today.

Wilson, who has worked as a lawyer for the past 13 years, and is currently serving as a vice-president for the provincial NDP, said she is looking forward to comparing platforms with the other candidates in the riding and debating them about the challenges of regular, working people.

The long-time NDPer believes federal leader Jagmeet Singh has matured as a leader and is exceeding expectations.

"He is pretty plain-spoken about this. We are the only party that can actually help regular Albertans. We're not catering to the super-rich, we're not catering to large corporations. We actually want to help regular people and that's affordability issues, medicare issues and then I definitely think that after four years of a progressive government, Albertans are expecting significant action on climate change. We're the only party that provides that."

She's been involved in many campaigns over the years and was campaign chair in the successful election of Cam Westhead in 2015. She has run for the NDP in Wild Rose three times, recruited executive members and candidates for Wild Rose and Macleod (now Foothills), fundraised and she has door-knocked in every election, provincial and federal, since 1993.

"We believe in door knocking. The New Democrats invented that so that's what we're going to do. That's the best way to meet people."

"They get to say whatever is on their mind right away and that's what we really want to hear--what do they think. We don't necessarily need to tell them what we think because we always have a leaflet."

She believes the Conservatives take Alberta for granted and so do the Liberals.

"They think It's a very right-wing province and that it's very conservative but I think that's not so true anymore. I do people really want to hear that there's a different choice to be made."

She has a full team of volunteers in Cochrane assisting with her campaign here, including NDP constituency association president Andy Marshall.

“The Banff-Airdrie constituency, including Cochrane, is lucky to have someone as experienced and committed as Anne,” states Marshall in a news release. “She has an amazing record of standing up for the needs of ordinary folk.”

A major vision in the NDP platform is on plans to implement comprehensive new health services for Canadians, including a national pharmacare program. It is pushing plans for a job-rich clean economy while helping Canada meet its targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It supports the development of 500,000 units of affordable housing, reducing interest payments for student loans leading to the eventual elimination of student fees for post-secondary education. The NDP wants to provide $1 billion toward more accessible childcare, and placing a cap on cell phone fees.

The party wants Indigenous communities to have safe housing, clean water, high-quality education and full access to health care. It also supports a future where racism, discrimination and homophobia have no place in public discourse.

Also known to be running in Banff-Airdrie are incumbent Conservative Blake Richards, PPC Nadine Wellwood, the Green Party's Austin Mullins and Liberal Gwyneth Midgley.