BarrieToday is running profiles, in alphabetical order, on each of the five candidates in the Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte riding. For more campaign coverage, visit our election page.
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Marty Lancaster, the Green Party's candidate in Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte, doesn't hesitate when asked what he hears about most on the campaign trail.
“Obviously, it is climate change and affordability,” said Lancaster. “Either you have comfort in your life and you can afford to think about climate change or you’re trying to find your next meal.”
Speaking about climate change, Lancaster says he knows exactly how his party is going to handle the issue should they get elected on Oct. 21.
“We’re going to stop giving billions of dollars to the oil companies and start incentivizing all of the green industries that need it,” he told BarrieToday. “Anything that is not fossil fuels gets a green light. It's that simple.”
This is his second run at the seat in the BSOM riding. He was the Green candidate in the 2015 election, finishing fourth behind eventual Conservative winner Alex Nuttall, as well as the Liberal Party and NDP, respectively.
As a teacher at Bear Creek Secondary school, Lancaster says he's always thinking about the students and how to help them when they are done high school.
“We want to fully fund post-secondary education, as that is going to help people get into those career paths,” Lancaster said. “We will also have transition plans for all the oil workers into the new economy.”
Lancaster admits that an affordable liveable wage is not in the Green Party platform right now, because they have to figure out the cost of it first.
“We do want to do a guaranteed liveable wage, basically a dividend cheque,” he said. “Every Canadian gets their dividend cheque once a month.
"I think it would solve all poverty and all the issues with the ODSP and feeling like you’re labelled disabled or the old-age security where people have to ask for supplements, because they can’t afford to survive," Lancaster added.
Lancaster believes that a financially stress-free people will add to the economy going out on a limb with entrepreneurial jobs.
“If you had that money, you could get your rent and your food, but you could take chances,” he said. “You could start a business and you could fail and you’re still okay. You could take six months off to take care of your grandmother, and you’re still okay. You don’t lose your mortgage every time you lose a job. It is a safety net we need to implement.
Lancaster's campaign office is located at 15 Collier St. For more information, click here.
The federal election is Oct. 21.
