When locals head to the polls on Oct. 19, they'll vote in a freshly-drawn riding – the entirely new Cloverdale-Langley City. The major parties have announced their candidates in the electoral district. With no incumbent, voters here will make history when they elect the riding's first-ever MP to represent them in the House of Commons.

The various candidates have opened campaign offices and the candidates themselves are in full campaign-mode, knocking on doors and inviting the public out to small meet and greets.

Voters in Cloverdale-Langley City will have at least one opportunity to watch their federal election candidates in action at an all candidates meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 7 (7-9 p.m.) at Kwantlen Polytechnic University's Langley campus auditorium.

It's presented by the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce, Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce, and the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board.

For more information on how to vote, visit Elections Canada at elections.ca.

Meet the candidates:

Cloverdale-Langley City takes in Cloverdale, Langley City and a sliver of Langley Township.

So far, candidates from four parties are each hoping to win the first-ever seat here as MP: Conservative Dean Drysdale, who won the electoral district's nomination last fall, Liberal John Aldag, who stepped forward early in the new year, followed by the Green Party’s Scott Anderson and NDP candidate Rebecca Smith.

Scott Anderson (Green Party)

Anderson, a construction manager with Bosa Construction, is a long-time Surrey resident. His family calls Cloverdale home, according to his profile on the Green Party of Canada website.

Anderson has been interested in environmental issues since he was a teenager.

He kicked off his election campaign in July, spending Canada Day on a parade float to roam through Clayton Heights. He handed out pamphlets to voters and candy to kids.

Anderson said he’s been to every event in the Cloverdale-Langley City riding and he added that he’s made a “big impact.”

John Aldag (Liberal)

Aldag has lived in six provinces and two territories because of his 31-year career with Parks Canada. He has lived in the Fraser Valley for the past nine years.

He has worked with Tourism Langley.

For the past several years, Aldag has been manager of the Fort Langley National Historic Site.

He also served as president of Flip City Gymnastics and as head of the Fort Langley BIA.

On June 21, Aldag ran and walked all the way around the new riding, using the longest day of the year to complete the approximately 50-km journey.

Aldag, who lives in Langley Township, said he and his team have reached close to 25,000 residents while out door-knocking this summer.

He added that he has been attending community events, local chamber of commerce meetings and neighbourhood association meetings.

Dean Drysdale (Conservative)

According to Drysdale’s website, he has always been interested in politics. He joined the Conservative Party as a teenager and worked on numerous campaigns and served in the Prime Minister’s Office in the 1980s.

He also served on Langley Township council for two consecutive terms from 1996 to 2002. He has lived in Langley since 1975.

Drysdale is a business man and a Kwantlen Polytechnic instructor. He has become a frequent presence at the Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce events since winning his party’s nomination in the new riding.

Rebecca Smith (NDP)

The NDP’s Smith is the owner of Valshiva Consulting, which works with corporate and non-profit clients.

She is also former executive director of the B.C. Psychological Association and a founder and past president of BullyFree BC.

Smith is also holding coffee meetings every Saturday leading up to the election. The meetings take place in local coffee shops throughout the electoral district.

The meetings are meant to discuss what’s important to the people living in the riding.

Since May, Smith said she has been attending all the community events that she can.

Smith has lived in Cloverdale since 2010, but she grew up in Langley.

– Lauren Collins and Jennifer Lang, with files Black Press

Follow the Cloverdale Reporter on Twitter and Facebook. View our print edition online.