Ritz had been Battlefords—Lloydminster's only Member of Parliament, holding the riding since its creation for the 1997 election, first as a Reform Party of Canada MP, then on behalf of the Canadian Alliance and since 2003 as a Conservative.

On August 30, 2017, it was reported that Battlefords—Lloydminster MP Gerry Ritz had asked not to be included in the reshuffled Conservative shadow cabinet.

[3] Former parliamentary staffer Rosemarie Falk defeated[4] Langham Mayor John Hildebrand, small business owner Aron Klassen, Kindersley CAO Bernie Morton, and farmer Richard Nelson to win the Conservative nomination.

[5] Meadow Lake MLA and former Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River MP Jeremy Harrison was rumoured to be a candidate for the Conservative nomination,[6] but did not make his intentions known before the cut-off date to join the race.

[5] Rodeo cowboy and rancher Ken Finlayson's bid for the Conservative nomination[5] was rejected by the party over concern that he was not a "team player".