LIBERTARIAN LATE STARTER

Canmore businesswoman Krista Zoobkoff filed her nomination papers
with just hours to spare to run in the federal election as the
Libertarian Party's candidate.

The 29-year-old owner of Hempire got a very late start in the
campaign, other candidates were nominated by their parties up to
eight months ago and have been fundraising and recruiting volunteers
since then.

But Zoobkoff said she was inspired to join the race after news that
two NDP candidates in BC had resigned after videos surfaced of them
smoking marijuana.

One of Zoobkoff's main issues is the end of the "Prohibition" of marijuana.

She said one in five Canadians uses cannabis.

"It's just insane that we're going to take one fifth of the
population and crack down on them."

Zoobkoff, who owns three Hempire stores in Banff, Canmore and
Cochrane, is an admitted pot smoker.

"I have (smoked)," said the candidate, who was raised a Dukabhor. "I
probably will smoke marijuana again. I'm not as big a user as some
people are, and I think marijuana isn't for everyone. But for those
that do use it, they shouldn't be seen as criminals," she said.

While the legalization of marijuana is a top issue for the first-time
candidate, she said the Libertarian Party stands for far more.

"Libertarianism is really big on limited government," she said. "It
wants limited taxes and a lot more freedom for the people."

Parties with far less controversial platforms have had a difficult
time making gains in Wild Rose. The Liberals, NDP and Green Party
have all struggled to take even a fraction of the voting percentage
grabbed by Myron Thompson during his 15 years as MP.

Zoobkoff has no illusions about her chances.

"I don't expect to win, I hope I win, but I don't expect to," she
said. "Basically for me, I want to force these issues. I want to
bring these issues into the spotlight."

Zoobkoff is unsure if she will attend any of the all-candidate
meetings in the Bow Valley that are to take place in the next few
weeks. She does want to bring forward the issue of legalizing
marijuana as a campaign platform.

"I think we can make our streets a lot safer if we decide to legalize
it," Zoobkoff said. "I think it's an issue that most parties want to
steer away from, but we've got a good take on it."