Chestermere-Strathmore has a new MLA

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Chantelle de Jonge has been victorious in her campaign to claim the Chestermere-Strathmore seat in the Alberta Legislature. 

After the votes had been tallied from all 19 of the reporting polls throughout Chestermere-Strathmore, de Jonge claimed 70.6 per cent of the votes. This totaled 14,589 out of 20,674 votes cast.

The NDP candidate, Raj Jessel, who was de Jonge’s greatest opponent, saw 26.7 per cent of the total votes in the riding. 

“We worked hard, we got our steps in, there was a lot of door-knocking, and I am proud of what we accomplished (Monday) night. I think all of the support we received throughout the campaign shows itself in the outcome,” said de Jonge. “The very first thing we are going to do is pass Bill 1, which will be the Taxpayer Protection Amendment Act, so that will ensure that no government in Alberta can increase personal taxes or taxes on job creators without approval from Alberta first through referendum.”

The other three candidates running in the riding, consisting of Kerry Lambert, Terry Nicholls, and Jed Laboucane, claimed less than three per cent of the total riding votes between them.

De Jonge joins a UCP majority government, claiming 49 seats in the Alberta Legislature. The party overall lost 14 seats throughout the course of the election, though maintained 52.59 per cent of the majority vote across the province. 

Her professional history is largely in dentistry, completing a trades diploma in dental assisting, as well as serving as the chair of an education conference for fellow dental assistants. She  also boasts a bachelor’s degree in economics and philosophy.

In a mock election which was held amidst schools across the riding, and the province, de Jonge was also successful among the younger population in Chestermere-Strathmore. 

The victory among the local youth, however, was much less dramatic, leading 43.74 per cent over Raj Jessel, who had 37.99 per cent of the mock vote.