A local educator is hoping to fill the void he sees in the political scene.
Matt Shaw has joined the race of those vying to be the Liberal Party's nominee for the Cariboo-Prince George seat in this fall's federal election.
"I'm, like a lot of Canadians, very cynical about politics and politicians. I look at the political landscape and I don't see anything that I like," said Shaw. "So this prompted me to want to get in and change that."
Current Conservative MP Dick Harris is retiring after more than two decades of representing the area in Ottawa.
A 26-year resident of Prince George, Shaw grew up on a farm near Vanderhoof. He graduated from Nechako Valley secondary school and worked at Plateau Sawmill before attending Simon Fraser University and coming to Prince George with wife Joanne Shaw - principal at College Heights elementary school. Matt and Joanne have one teenage son.
Shaw has spent his career in adult education, also working as a counsellor and author.
He said he's grateful for the opportunities afforded him by the region and is "completely and utterly committed to promoting the interests of this riding."
Though he said no political party is perfect, Shaw said he's aligning himself with the Liberals because he believes they best reflect traditional Canadian values - namely support for the middle class as well as a rejection of what he sees as the current government's fear-mongering tactics.
"The government is trying to promote a lot of fear, creating boogeymen to create this feeling that people need the government to keep them safe," Shaw said.
"And I think that really contradicts what Canada has always been about."
Shaw joins The Exploration Place CEO Tracy Calogheros, who announced her candidacy for the Cariboo-Prince George Liberal nod last week.
"The winds of change are really blowing it seems and I think we need some sort of populist candidate who has the interests of the riding at heart," Shaw said.
