Cardston—Siksika

Stretching from the foothills south of Calgary to the Montana border, Cardston—Siksika is one of Alberta's most geographically and culturally diverse ridings. Its territory includes all of Vulcan County, portions of Lethbridge County and the Municipal District of Taber, Cardston County, and the Treaty 7 reserves of the Kainai (Blood Tribe) and Siksika First Nations, two of Canada's largest reserves by land area. The economy blends irrigated agriculture around Vauxhall and Picture Butte, dryland ranching on the southern plains, and the institutional presence of the town of Cardston, a historic centre of Alberta's Latter-day Saint community. Incumbent MLA Joseph Schow, first elected in 2019, sought re-election after serving as government House Leader under Premier Smith.

Candidates

Joseph Schow (United Conservative)* — A fifth-generation southern Albertan from Cardston, Schow holds a Bachelor of Arts in Russian from Dalhousie University and a master's degree in political management from George Washington University. Before his 2019 election, he worked in advertising and ran a small business. He served as deputy whip before being appointed government House Leader in October 2022. At six feet nine inches, he is the tallest member of the Alberta legislature and played college basketball.

Colleen Quintal (NDP) — Quintal is a staff representative with CUPE in Lethbridge and president of the NDP constituency association in Lethbridge-East. She has resided in Lethbridge since 2006. She was among the last NDP candidates nominated before the writ was dropped in May 2023.

Angela Tabak (Independent) — Tabak ran as an independent candidate in Cardston—Siksika.

Terry Wolsey (Take It Back) — Wolsey ran as the Take It Back candidate in Cardston—Siksika.

Pär Wantenaar (Social Movement) — Wantenaar ran as the Social Movement candidate in Cardston—Siksika.

Local Issues

Conditions on the Kainai and Siksika reserves continued to be a central concern in the riding. Access to healthcare, mental health services, clean water infrastructure, and adequate housing on reserve remained pressing challenges. The pandemic hit Indigenous communities disproportionately, with overcrowded housing complicating isolation measures and limited on-reserve health facilities straining to cope with COVID-19 cases. Youth mental health and substance abuse were persistent issues that candidates acknowledged at forums.

The riding's agricultural economy faced significant volatility between elections. The 2021 drought was especially severe on the southern plains, devastating hay crops and forcing ranchers to sell cattle they could no longer afford to feed. Irrigated agriculture around Vauxhall and Taber fared better thanks to water allocations, but the drought renewed debate about expanding irrigation infrastructure in southern Alberta.

The Alberta Sovereignty Act, championed by Premier Smith and supported by Schow as House Leader, was a topic of both support and controversy in the riding. While many conservative voters in Cardston County and Vulcan County supported the assertion of provincial authority against perceived federal overreach, others questioned whether the legislation's confrontational approach would benefit rural communities that depend on federal transfer payments and programming.