Peace River—Westlock

Peace River—Westlock is one of Canada's largest federal ridings by area, covering more than 105,000 square kilometres of north-central Alberta—slightly larger than Iceland. The riding stretches from Westlock and Barrhead, roughly an hour northwest of Edmonton, to communities near the 60th parallel at Alberta's northern boundary. It encompasses the towns of Peace River, High Prairie, Slave Lake, Whitecourt, Valleyview, Swan Hills, Fairview, Grimshaw, and Barrhead, among dozens of smaller communities. Roughly 23 percent of the riding's residents identify as Indigenous, with Cree as the most commonly spoken Indigenous language.

Candidates

Arnold Viersen (Conservative) is the incumbent, first elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021. Born in Barrhead and raised in the rural community of Neerlandia, Viersen trained as a journeyman auto mechanic at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and later earned a business degree from the University of the Fraser Valley. Before entering politics, he worked as an auto service technician. In Parliament, he served on the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs and the Subcommittee on International Human Rights.

Luke Markowski (Liberal) is a third-year political science student at the University of Alberta, born in St. Albert. He entered the race under the Liberal banner after the party's leadership change, and was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate.

Darrell Teske (Independent) is a 63-year-old retired physics and science teacher who spent most of his career at R.F. Staples school in Westlock. He grew up on a mixed farm near Manola and also operates a construction company. Describing himself as a fiscal conservative, Teske entered the race as an independent in part because the Conservative nomination did not involve a competitive meeting.

Landen Tischer (NDP) is a 34-year-old Barrhead farmer who was acclaimed as the NDP candidate. He previously ran in the 2023 provincial election for the Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock seat and was motivated to enter federal politics by the NDP's pharmacare platform following his mother's cancer diagnosis.

About the Riding

Peace River—Westlock sits on the boreal plains of northern Alberta, a vast landscape of mixed forest, muskeg, and farmland. The terrain is relatively flat, with most precipitation blocked by the Rocky Mountains to the west, creating a dry continental climate. Communities in the riding's northern reaches—Fort Vermilion, High Level, and La Crête—experience extreme seasonal variation, with long summer days and equally long winter nights.

The riding's economy rests on forestry, agriculture, and oil and gas. Whitecourt and Swan Hills depend heavily on the forest industry, while conventional oil and gas production provides employment across the riding. Agriculture—grain, canola, and cattle—is the backbone of the southern communities around Barrhead, Westlock, and Fairview. The Peace River region's fertile farmland, fed by the Peace River system, supports some of the northernmost commercial agriculture in Canada.

In 2025, rural service delivery dominated the riding's political conversation. Healthcare access—physician recruitment, emergency services, and hospital closures—was the most pressing issue in a riding where residents often drive hours to reach medical facilities. Indigenous communities within the riding raised concerns about housing, clean water, and economic opportunity. The US trade dispute created anxiety among farmers dependent on cross-border grain and canola exports, while forestry workers faced their own market uncertainties. Rural crime, broadband connectivity, and the maintenance of transportation infrastructure across a riding of enormous distances were persistent concerns.