Gerald Soroka is saying his goodbyes to his Yellowhead constituents.

Yellowhead’s representative in Canada’s House of Commons was not selected to represent the riding in the upcoming federal election. As such, on Monday, Soroka sent out a news release thanking his constituents for the opportunity to serve.

“My goal has always been to ensure the voices of Yellowhead were heard loud and clear in Ottawa,” Soroka said. “I remain deeply grateful for the incredible privilege of serving you.”

Soroka’s political career began as a municipal councillor with Yellowhead County. He then served as mayor of the west-central Alberta municipal district (pop 10,000). Soroka comes from a long line of farmers and has occupied key posts in Alberta’s forage (crop-growing for livestock) industry, according to his website. 

Soroka entered federal politics when he won the Conservative nomination for Yellowhead to replace the retiring incumbent, Jim Eglinski, on October 14, 2018. He ran in the 2019 Canadian federal election and was re-elected in 2021.

In June, Yellowhead Conservatives selected Carstairs-based chartered accountant William Stevenson over Soroka to run in 2025. The nomination challenge was a result of the latest electoral remapping process; Conservative party executives had decreed that if population changes to a riding exceed 25 percent, an open contest must be triggered.

Last year, Yellowhead’s electoral boundaries were redrawn to include Banff and Canmore to the south, and Rocky Mountain House, Sundre and Carstairs to the east. Yellowhead now also includes Crossfield, Edson, Hinton, Rocky Mountain House, Sundre, Caroline, the MD of Bighorn, Clearwater County and portions of the MD of Greenview, Rocky View County and Yellowhead County.

Yellowhead is one of the largest federal ridings in the province.

“I would say it’s probably one of the most diverse ridings in the province, if not the country,” Stevenson said earlier this month.

Soroka thanked his family for their support and offered a special thank you to his Alberta and Ottawa-based office teams. He said being Yellowhead’s MP has been an incredible experience.

“Representing the riding has been an extraordinary honour and privilege,” Soroka said.

Under the fixed-date provisions of the Canada Elections Act, the 2025 federal election would be held on October 20, but may be called earlier if the governor general dissolves parliament on the recommendation of the prime minister, either for a snap election or after the government loses a vote on a supply bill or a specific motion of no confidence.

While the Liberals have yet to name a Yellowhead candidate, the federal NDP has nominated Canmore-based scientist and small business owner Avni Soma to run against Stevenson when the writ is dropped. Soma said she understands the odds are against progressive candidates in Yellowhead, but has also said younger voters are looking for a shift in the hierarchy.

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com