What would it take to run in the federal election?
That was one of the questions Julie Barker, a mom from Nanton, needed to answer for her son.
"It started with a question from my 10-year-old son, and he had some questions I didn't have all the answers for, so I said, 'Well, let's go to your computer. Let's look up Elections Canada and start looking for some answers."
After looking at the page, which Barker found very easy to navigate, she says her son just asked her point blank if she could be the M.P.
"It was a moment where I could have went two ways. One way is the real easy way and just brush it off, and the other way was 'Well, this is a teachable moment, let's see'. I was surprised to see that there was no charge, no cost to put in your nomination papers. As an Independent candidate, it's much easier than the party system."
After getting her nomination papers signed by a Commission of Oaths, which was Nanton Mayor Jenn Handley, and a few other things looked after, she needed to get 100 signatures of support.
Barker said her son got into it, taking notes and learning the process over three weeks, even wanting to make posters and go door-knocking. The experience has taught her son about public speaking, listening to people, dealing with rejection, accepting different opinions, and time management.
She was 'this close' to handing in her nomination papers, but ran out of time as she only had a few hours to get 100 signatures and hand in her nomination papers on time, which was 2 p.m. on Monday, April 7.
"And then, about 10 minutes to 2, I realized, nope, I'm not going to have enough time to get six more signatures and get these sheets scanned and get the call in to the Electors office. It was a whirlwind, five hours of gathering signatures, but I was actually amazed at how easy the process was. The website was very clear... it was clear enough for a fifth grader. It was a good experience for us all."
While she didn't qualify to run, Barker added that it was a very valuable teachable moment for her son, and she's glad she gave it a shot.
The federal election is on Monday, April 28.