THUNDER BAY – Bruce Hyer has proven he’s a man of his principles, a rarity among politicians these days.
Elected to the House of Commons in 2008 as a member of the NDP, he took a stand, along with Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty, and voted against a gun registry bill to the consternation of party officials, who stripped him of his critic’s role, barred him from speaking in the legislature and ultimately led him to first sit as an independent and then join the Green Party.
Hyer, now 73, was ousted in the 2015 federal election, seeking to retain his seat in Thunder Bay-Superior North, but is back again in the 2019 race, promising to hold the government accountable if he’s elected.
Voting Green is the smartest thing the electorate can do this time around, Hyer said.
“We are probably headed for a Liberal minority government,” Hyer said. “But we need one where one or both Green MPs in Thunder Bay go to Ottawa to keep (Justin) Trudeau more honest and keep him on track.”
Hyer, not surprisingly, pointed to climate change as the key issue facing voters this fall.
He said the Conservatives have no plan for the environment, while the Liberals and NDP platforms just don’t go far enough.
The Greens have the best answer, he said.
“They’re half serious,” Hyer said of the other parties. “The Conservatives aren’t serious at all obviously, but they’re not going to get elected in Thunder Bay ... The Greens have the only climate-change plan that’s going to get us where we need to go and show leadership to Canada.
“The NDP and Liberal party are about half-way on that. Are we just going to do a token effort, or are we going to get serious about this? We really believe it will not only help save our planet, but along the way, by fostering clean technology and green technology here in Canada, we will create about a million jobs and export those technologies to other places.
Regional economic development in Ontario’s Northwest and fairness and economic development for First Nations are two other issues Hyer wants to pursue in Ottawa.
He also wants to revisit electoral reform.
“You may recall that Mr. Trudeau promised about 2,000 times to change our electoral system and then later he said he was fibbing,” Hyer said.
“I hope to hold Justin Trudeau’s feet to the fire on all of those issues.”
Hyer, who immigrated to Canada in 1951 from the United States, has spent his career in the wilderness, as a guide and bush pilot, operating the successful Wabakimi Canoe Outfitters.
He pointed to his success in his two terms in office as the No. 1 reason he should be elected again.
“I introduced more legislation than all the previous members of this riding for 150 years combined. It included creating the natural marine conservation area, the only climate-change bill to pass the House of Commons – killed by (Stephen) Harper, unfortunately, and I unlocked your cell phone.”
TBNewswatch.com has profiled all 11 candidates running for office in Thunder Bay-Superior North and Thunder Bay-Rainy River. All the profiles can be found in our election section, Canada Votes.
