The candidate for the New Democratic Party of Canada in Lethbridge says he is running in the federal election to continue to champion the community, just at the next level.
Nathan Svoboda has lived in the Lethbridge riding for the past decade and says he has been boots on the ground when it comes to the change he wants to see. Svoboda works as a paramedic with Recovery Alberta but also has volunteered for several non-profits in the region, including Streets Alive and the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen, where he says he’s worked with individuals living with addictions on their journeys. If elected as Lethbridge’s Member of Parliament he plans to bring these experiences with him to advocate for legislation that will make a tangible impact on the community.
“I’ve seen firsthand the challenges our community faces and have taken action to help those in need,” Svoboda says. “I’m not a career politician; I’m someone who understands this community, listens to its people, and takes action.”
He continues saying poverty and homelessness is one of the most pressing challenges those in the community are facing, as they impact not just individuals but families as well. He says the rising cost of living, lack of affordable housing, and barriers to essential services continue to put people into precarious situations and without stable housing, access to healthcare, and economic opportunities it is difficult for many to break the cycle of poverty.
“This crisis not only affects those directly experiencing homelessness but also strains local resources, healthcare, and social services. Addressing these issues requires a comprehensive approach—investing in affordable housing, strengthening social supports, ensuring fair wages, and tackling the root causes of poverty.”
According to Svoboda some of the solutions the party and he would take if voted in to address rising housing costs and increasing homelessness include building more affordable homes faster, creating a fair housing market that prioritizes people over profiteers, along with stopping renovictions and lowering rent costs.
He adds along with housing prices the cost of living has also skyrocketed, a squeeze those in Lethbridge are feeling. Some of the ways he says the NDP plans to address this is by scrapping the GST on essentials, including groceries, restaurant meals, diapers, and kids’ clothes along with phone, internet bills and home heating bills. Other measures he says the NDP plans to take if elected is capping basic grocery prices to make it affordable for families and making more life-saving medications free.
Addressing tariffs and the local impact
According to the NDP candidate, the tariff war between Canada and the Trump administration has sparked a crisis that is being seen not just in Canada but worldwide, and the consequences of that are something Lethbridge can not avoid. Svoboda references the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s ranking of the most impacted cities in Canada where Lethbridge fell into the last spot of the top 10 most impacted municipalities because of the region’s agriculture exports along with steel and aluminum fabrication.
“A fifth of our GDP is exports to the U.S. and so Lethbridge can’t escape the consequences of those tariffs and so my goal in the federal NDP’s plan is to firstly we’re in agreement with other parties where we do need to match those tariffs, we do need to retaliate, show our value and flex that we have resources, we have a workforce, we have a valuable economy. I think especially since this has all happened Canadians have really looked at ourselves and we’re starting to a lot more stand up for the value that we do produce.”
Some of the ways the NDP party and Svoboda plan to address tariffs if elected include the Build Canadian, Buy Canadian plan that bans companies in the U.S. from federal contracts when tariffs are imposed. The plan also includes expanding the EI work-sharing program to reduce business hours and using EI benefits to top up wages rather than businesses cutting jobs completely. They also will look to enhance EI benefits by extending the program to 50 weeks, setting a $450 minimum for the weekly benefit and lowering the qualifying threshold to 360 hours or 12 weeks.
“These measures protect workers, strengthen our economy, and prioritize Canadian jobs. Where other parties have focused simply on industry we are committed to supporting working-class Canadians who create our economic value,” he states.
Being deeply rooted in and advocating for the community
Svoboda says over the years he has heard about Alberta being forgotten by Ottawa and at times has felt it himself, throughout that entire time he says it has been under incumbent Conservative MP Rachel Thomas.
“I think it is a lot less about the party and a lot more about the individual and I don’t want to slander Rachel, [but] I believe she’s done her job to a minimal extent and she’s a person,” he says. “However I do feel I need to recognize that when it comes to Lethbridge we kind of just go where have you been right and so in contrast to myself again I’ve always been a boots-on-the-ground kind of person. I’ve been in Lethbridge, I’ve invested myself here, I raised a family here, I’ve gone to school here, I work and volunteer here. I’m in the community and I will continue to be in the community in or out of politics.”
The NDP candidate adds not only will he advocate for the disenfranchised in the community, but he will advocate for Lethbridge in its entirety and what will be best for the community. He says he has seen people have a lot of anxieties about things including global crisis, the economy, and health care and he would like to see the region together to make the positive changes to address those concerns and shared values.
“I want to be as accessible as possible. I’ll admit I’m not this superstar politician. I don’t have a history of being a member of parliament… I don’t exactly know what the schedule is like although I know through this nomination [process] through this candidacy I’ve wanted to be as available as possible.”
