EDMONTON— Grande Prairie-Wapiti UCP constituency association president Karen Peters has been disqualified from the riding's nomination race, ending her push to defeat incumbent MLA Ron Wiebe. Peters announced her disqualification in a Facebook post on Wednesday, but did not offer context as to why it happened, instead saying that she will tell her story "when the time is right." The Western Standard has reached out to Peters and the UCP for further details. .In her post, Peters said she feels hurt, but not for herself. "It is for the people of Grande Prairie–Wapiti who were told they would have a choice," wrote Peters. "For every person who bought a membership, volunteered, made a phone call, knocked on a door, or simply believed they would be able to cast their own ballot for the person they wanted to represent them."Peters said her disqualification leaves Wiebe without a challenger and takes away constituents' ability to vote on who will represent them. "That should concern every one of us," Peters wrote. "Whether you supported me or not. Democracy isn't about ensuring your candidate wins. Democracy is about ensuring the people get to choose." The Western Standard has asked the UCP to confirm the number of candidates in the nomination race. .While individuals may feel hurt, Peters said her disqualification does not end her quest to restore trust and ensure that elected officials serve their constituents. "There are difficult questions that need to be asked and answers that the grassroots deserve," Peters wrote. "There is hurt. There is anger and there will need to be healing. But we cannot allow that hurt to divide us.""We must walk this road together. It is a battle for democracy, a battle for the grassroots, a battle for our party, and above all, a battle for the right of ordinary people to have a voice.""No political leader is greater than the people they serve. No party establishment can outnumber the grassroots when ordinary people decide to stand together."
