Freqently Asked Questions

From the Campaign Trail, Frequently Asked Questions

Is a vote for the Green Party a waste of my vote?

No! This is our number one question, so I will give it the full attention it deserves here are the ways your vote counts:

1. Strategic Voting rarely works! In the vast majority of situations, strategic voting doesn't accomplish its intended purpose. This is because people don't really know what's going on in their riding, because they lack accurate local polling data.

2. We are giving this campaign everything we've got, but if we don't win, your vote still sends a message to the successful candidate who becomes MP. For re-election for themselves or their party, they need to be mindful of what voters are voting for and consider in the future how they will meet those voters needs. When you vote of the status quo, you will keep getting status quo, that's why we have the same concerns about the same two parties every election cycle.

3. Your vote is a vote towards our parties future. If we don't win, votes are the fuel that get us to the next election, they keep the spirit of our die hard base and volunteers alive. If no one voted for the Green party, because everyone bought into the fears propagated to funnel us into a Liberal or Conservative vote the Green Party wouldn't exist. Your vote counts towards the Green Party if you want to see us as an option in the future, and every vote we don't get from the people we know want to support us brings us closer and closer to a two party binary system.

For more on this watch this video One-On-One with Green Party Co-leaders

4. A Green Vote is a vote for a change of the Political paradigm, a move from standard short-sighted and self-serving politics to policies of cooperation for the common good in this generation and for generations to come. The truth is, regardless of the party you vote for today, the long-term pain of your vote will will be felt the most in three or four election cycles from now, and there will be no going back in time to fix it. A vote for the Green Party is the only credible vote for proportional voting, a prerequisite to preserving a functional democracy and avoiding a broken two-party political system like the one that characterizes the United States.

5. A vote for the Green Party is the only vote that acknowledges that public policy must consider the biosphere and the impacts to come, and in a manner that is fiscally responsible and leaves no one behind in terms of affordability. Consider for example farming operations, that have to conduct business abroad and across the province and even across the country because their are too many restrictions that prevent them from serving their immediate communities. I think we can all agree a model which lets our farmers focus on local markets would be most environmentally sound and fiscally responsible.

6. Because we are running a yard-sign free campaign your vote for me makes a direct impact in changing our reliance on yard-sign campaigning. Yard-signs don't impact voting results, but they are wasteful, expensive, and often not reusable. In addition to the environmental impact, they lead to divisive politics that are reflective of the political climate of the United States.

What can you do for the farmers of BSOM ?

Farmers are good stewards of their land, and should be considered vital in successfully navigating the tariff war. First off, we need to start listening to the struggles and needs of farmers and engage with farmers. I am seeking to advocate for the farming community, but not without their vital input. I don't know what is best for farmers, but I do know, they know how to take care of their land, to ensure they can continue farming off of it for years to come. I know they know how to run their businesses efficiently and reduce costly waste, and so I trust they also know what barriers are preventing them from having more energy and cost efficient operations.

For example, if a farmer has to transport their livestock across the province to an abattoir, they are spending money on transportation which could be raising the cost of their product locally. This is bad for business and bad for the environment, and the type of situation I want to be informed of so we can come up with common sense solutions that work for farmers and benefit the environment.

As I said I am not a farmer, but I trust farmers know what would be best for farming operations, and their land. If elected, one of my first tasks would be to meet with the farmers of Springwater and Oro-Medonte to understand how I can best serve them as their MP.

What are the economic impacts of climate change?

Climate Change is a well-known environmental problem that is also having increased and far-reaching economic impacts. In 2021 the Parlimentary Budget Officer estimated that climate-related weather extremes such as ice-storms, forest fires, melting permafrost and droughts have reduced Canada's GDP by approximatley .08% equating to a loss of $20 to $25 Billion. Things are projected to get worse unless strong measures are both climate-positive in mitigation and adaptation.

It's easy to look at that number and not really understand how it impacts you on an individual basis. But consider how, we are seeing climate change hit us when it comes to insurance premiums as insurers are adjusting their projections for frequency and severity of climate related disasters. When insurance rises for homeowners, it is also rising for our farmers and small business operators, increasing the cost of food, and local products. It is making it harder for us to be self-reliant and shop locally. In Ontario Insurance premiums have risen over the past decade by about 64%, which is significantly outpacing an inflation rate of 17% over the same time period.

Why do we need to Fix our Voting System?

Let me start by answering that question with a question.

The First Past the Post (FPTP) Voting System was first used in 1867 the year Canada became a nation. At this time Canada had a two party system and it worked well to represent the majority of voters. Canada's political landscape has changed, and while there are still two main parties, there are 3 other smaller parties with House of Commons representation. I am hard pressed to think of other ways, we still operate the way we did in 1867.

Even if you like one of the two main parties, we need reform to keep governments from losing confidence and having to call an election.

Canada is due for electoral reform, and the Green Party supports proportional representation, because it means every vote truly counts. Most modern democracies use some sort of proportional representation where political representation equates to its level of support.

I'm sick of all the taxes! how is the Green Party different from 'tax and spend' Liberals?

I'm sick of taxes too! The Green Party's plan puts the most money back into people's pockets by increasing the allowable personal income amount to $40 000 from $16 000. That means the first $40 000 you make would be tax free under the Green Parties program. That means you will see more on your paycheck, be able to spend more in our economy and live a more comfortable life.

I know, that sounds great! Too good to be true? No. Because what most Canadians don't realize (by no fault of their own) Canada's largest corporations used to pay 28% corporate tax. Both the Liberal and Conservative Government have successively reduced the corporate tax, it was last cut to 15% by Harper's government (Almost in half of what it once was). At the same time, those businesses have seen record profits. The Green Party proposes bringing that corporate tax back up to 21%. And we are not talking about small or even medium size businesses we are talking about the multi-million-and billion dollar entities. These corporations can afford it, it is still less than what they once paid, and this is the true reason Canadians are struggling right now, and yes it is at the hands of both the previous Liberal and Conservative governments.

And no you won't lose your jobs and we won't lose our businesses. It would be more costly for businesses to move, and more risky with the current unpredictability of tariffs, and remember what we mentioned earlier, we would raise the personal income amount to $40 000.00 tax free, which means there will be economic stimulus. Businesses benefit from this plan as much as you do!

So why aren't the other parties offering this? Good question, you should go ask them!