THUNDER BAY – Canadians are tired of political bickering between the major parties, and are ready for a change, says Green Party candidate Amanda Moddejonge.
She promises her party would bring a more cooperative approach to Ottawa, keeping the focus on major issues like climate change, justice for Indigenous communities, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s Moddejonge’s third run for the Greens – she placed fourth with 4.5 per cent of the vote in Thunder Bay-Rainy River in 2019, and ran provincially in Thunder Bay-Superior North in 2018.
She’s realistic about the chances of electoral success, but believes the party could grow its current caucus of two Members of Parliament (a third Green MP departed for the Liberals earlier this year).
Even if a vote for the Green Party doesn’t directly result in representation in Ottawa, Moddejonge argued the party’s popularity has consistently pushed the other parties to take issues seriously they otherwise might ignore, like medical marijuana, climate change, and electoral reform.
"I would say we win it pretty much every time, because all of the issues we put forward that are really important, they're always the issues that are most important to Canadians,” she said. “Those are the things we actually end up, even with [two] seats, getting a lot of government action with."
Between the Green party’s bona fides on climate change and a background in emergency management, Moddejonge said her campaign is well placed to address the issues that are top of mind for voters.
"I know from talking to people climate change is still the forefront of all of their agendas,” she said. “They do want to see a better response to the COVID pandemic... and with that they want a more concerted effort between the federal and provincial levels."
Moddejonge has minimized in-person campaigning during an election she says shouldn't have been called in the first place due to COVID-19 risks. She has also eschewed lawn signs, saying they’re an unnecessary source of plastic pollution.
She sees those as examples of how the Greens do politics differently, bringing a less partisan and more cooperative approach that she believes would drive progress on major challenges.
"It shouldn't be about the colour of the shirt that you wear, it should be about your actual ideals, how you manage to get things done, and what your focus is on Canadian people,” she said. “When you stop focusing on Canadian people and start focusing on politicians having little squabbles here and there, you've lost the plot."
Moddejonge has focused much of her energy during the campaign instead on championing calls for support for those seeking to leave Afghanistan as the Taliban took control of the country following the U.S. military departure.
A former member of the Canadian military, she has criticized the Trudeau government for Canada’s response to the situation in Afghanistan, saying it should have acted sooner to help Canadian allies leave the country.
Moddejonge has highlighted Green policies such as the guaranteed livable income and increased funding for renewable energy and retraining on the campaign trail, as well as her concerns over nuclear waste being stored in the region.