Jamie Hoskins, a 31-year-old employment counsellor in Chilliwack, has announced his bid for election as the Green Party candidate in the Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon riding.
Hoskins said in a news release that "with our economic stability uncertain, and an election on the near horizon" now is the time to stand as a candidate and share his passion for a "green future and to bring residents of the riding together in one voice."
"I'm stepping up on behalf of the 40+ per cent of voters who were discouraged from getting involved and voting in the last election," he said. "Those young people, working people, and seniors, who are tired of the partisan games and have given up on raising their political voices."
Hoskins and NDP candidate Gwen O'Mahony are the only confirmed candidates so far in the riding. Conservative Party members will select a candidate Monday, following MP Chuck Strahl's decision not to seek re-election.
Political parties are getting candidates lined up for a possible election call when the Conservative government tables a budget on March 22.
Hoskins said his decision to run is a result of his experience as an employment counsellor working with families affected by the "economic crisis."
"You can only see so many people worried about losing their homes and providing for their children before you need to face your fears, answer the moral call, and do something about it," he said in the news release.
Hoskins said he has a "passion for community-building" and will take his election campaign to the social media, iPhones, coffee-shop discussions and "hang-outs of the disenfranchised."
"No way of connecting is off the table," he said.
Hoskins is a former CEO of the Green Party's riding association in Chilliwack-Fraser