The riding of Fort McMurray-Cold Lake officially has its NDP candidate ahead of next week’s Federal election.

Vice President of the United Food and Commercial Workers 401 Matt Gilks has officially thrown his hat into the ring.

Gilks joins incumbent David Yurdiga, Liberal candidate Maggie Farrington, the PPC’s Matthew Barrett and Green Party’s Brian Deheer on the ballot.

He tells Mix News if elected – his priority would be to put workers first.

“Corporations are taking these multi-million dollar, sometimes multi-billion dollar tax cuts and they are making the wealthy wealthier and they’re stocking their off-shore bank accounts when that money should be going to workers, healthcare, education, things that are important to the normal everyday person.”

While Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has been vocally unsupportive of more pipelines – Gilks says they will ensure industry workers are taken care of.

“If we must transition from the resources we use now to renewable resources, workers will be looked after. There will be no more subsidies for the oil companies so, that money will go into re-training and making Canada a leader in renewable resources.”

In 2015, the NDP came in third in the Federal election.

Gilks – who’s hoping to improve on that finish – says this riding holds a special place in his heart.

“I spend a lot of time in the city, my parents, brother and family live here. I kind of have a soft spot for Fort McMurray and that’s why I chose to run in this riding.”

Voters head to the ballot box next Monday.