Daughter of late Conservative MP running for Liberals in Calgary East

Bill Graveland · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 13, 2025 2:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Visitors to the Liberal run bureau successful Calgary East are greeted by a smiling representation of 1 of the longest-serving Conservative MPs.

And adjacent to it is an ornate greenish vase of blown solid that contains immoderate of the ashes of Deepak Obhrai.

The vase, the representation and the Liberal run bureau each beryllium to Obhrai's daughter, Priti Obhrai-Martin.

The 50-year-old, who grew up moving campaigns for the Tory blue, present acknowledges that portion she has crossed implicit to tally successful Liberal red, she remains successful harmony with the ideals she learned connected her dad's knee.

"My dad's virtually here, due to the fact that I was guided to bash this by him," Obhrai-Martin said successful an interview. "I get Conservatives rather often connected my Facebook leafage telling maine that he's disappointed.

"[To that] I say, `You don't cognize my Dad.'

"He evolved with the times. You can't person the aforesaid policies, you can't person the aforesaid ideologies that worked 20, 30 oregon 40 years ago."

Deepak Obhrai was a longtime Calgary MP, serving with the Reform Party, Canadian Alliance and Conservative Party earlier his decease from crab successful 2019.

He was archetypal elected successful 1997 and, astatine the clip of his decease astatine the property of 69, was the longest continuously serving Conservative MP. He ran for the 2017 Conservative Party leadership, but was defeated successful the archetypal circular of voting.

Priti Obhrai-Martin was acclaimed the Liberal campaigner for the riding successful the existent national election. Election time is April 28.

Obhrai-Martin was schooled successful authorities connected the Conservative side. She worked connected each of her father's predetermination campaigns and was his run manager during the enactment race. Her husband, Robin Martin, unsuccessfully sought the Wildrose Party information successful the provincial riding of Calgary Greenway successful 2016.

She mostly stepped distant from authorities aft her dad's death, but says she grew funny erstwhile Mark Carney joined the Liberal enactment race, yet winning the contention to regenerate Justin Trudeau arsenic premier minister.

Obhrai-Martin said her begetter spoke highly of Carney for his handling of the economical situation successful 2008 and 2009, erstwhile a tempest of factors — peculiarly a illness successful U.S. lodging prices — coalesced to trigger a monolithic economical planetary downturn.

"[Deepak] said we were bully lone due to the fact that our Canadian banking strategy is acceptable up properly, and connected apical of that we had an fantabulous squad to navigate ... and 1 of those connected the squad was Mark Carney," Obhrai-Martin said.

"I had my dad's endorsement from 2009 and erstwhile [Carney] announced [his enactment bid], I paid attention."

She besides credits a milestone day travel to Tanzania past year, climbing Mount Meru adjacent her birthplace of Arusha.

"It's similar 4,555 meters supra oversea level, which is crazy. I was truly scared," she said.

"The fearfulness of nonaccomplishment didn't matter. The infinitesimal I fto spell of fearfulness that was my spark."

Obhrai-Martin is 1 of a crowded tract of 7 candidates successful the redrawn constituency, including Conservative Jasraj Hallan, who won the riding erstwhile it was named Calgary Forest Lawn successful 2019.

Jennifer Geha was confirmed arsenic the NDP campaigner and Harry Dhillon is representing the People's Party of Canada. Carey Rutherford is the Green Party of Canada candidate. Also connected the ballot: Garry Dirk from the Christian Heritage Party and Jonathan Trautman from the Communist Party of Canada.

Mount Royal University governmental subject prof Lori Williams says Obhrai-Martin is simply a chaotic paper successful the accepted Conservative stronghold constituency.

"The polls aren't saying [the constituency] is successful play astatine this stage, but she's got these heavy credentials, her dada was Reform/Alliance/Conservative and her hubby ran for the Wildrose information successful 2016," Williams said.

"She's got truly bully Conservative bona fides and she's got sanction recognition, and truthful I'm wondering."

Obhrai-Martin said she does person 1 regret astir her determination to spell from bluish to red.

"The radical wrong that enactment who I've grown up with, that I've loved and respected. I cognize I'm disappointing them, but I person to bash what's right," she said.

"I cognize the mentation of my dada that believed successful advancement is conscionable tickled implicit the moon."