Held in place with recycled steel and wooden stakes, it takes some elbow grease to get the Green Party's new campaign signs into the ground. But Cariboo-Prince George candidate Richard Jaques sees a greater symbolism in the activity.
"I think I made a comment online that as I was pounding that stake in, it's the last spike in the remnants of the Tory dynasty - it's over, it's finished, we're done with that," Jaques recounted to supporters Saturday while celebrating the opening of the party's local campaign office.
Located downtown at 1385 Third Ave., the small space - which was most recently the storefront for Home Sweet Home - will serve as the local volunteer headquarters for Jaques and his Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies counterpart Elizabeth Biggar for the next three weeks - and hopefully beyond.
"I'm in it to win it. I'm not going anywhere," Jaques said. "I told Chris (Peter, his official agent) this morning after breakfast that I think after Oct. 19 this office will stay open because I believe we'll probably win this riding."
Veteran Green Party candidate Hilary Crowley recounted the gains the party has made in the region since she began putting her name on the ballot. Her first showing for the Green Party earned little more than two per cent of the Prince George-Peace River vote.
That rose to a almost 10.5 per cent of the vote in 2008 before slipping back to almost six per cent in 2011.
"We realize with our current system of voting, we're not going to get a Green Party government in Canada," said Crowley. "We're very thankful the more popular vote that we attract, the more the other parties take notice of us and adopt our platform."
Other parties now talking about climate and environmental issues pulled those points from the Green Party platform they've always stood on, Crowley said.
"We're moving with the times, expanding, but those have been our fundamental issues right from day one," she said.
In addition to reiterating some of his party's stances on issues critical to the region, such as a moratorium on new pipelines, ending post-secondary tuition fees by 2020 and investing funds to help mills process material more safely, Jaques also took the opportunity to fire a few barbs at his Conservative opponent, criticizing Todd Doherty for his absence at the debates already held.
"If you want to be elected, represent," said Jaques. "Listen to all the opinions and be there for people."
According to Doherty's campaign Facebook page, he will be at five forums and debates in Prince George, Vanderhoof, Quesnel and Williams Lake between Oct. 2 and Oct. 15.
Jaques also singled Doherty out for seemingly not reaching out to First Nations communities in his campaign travels.
"He talks about all the bigger centres. There's a lot more population out there that have issues that have to be listened to. He's ignoring that. He'll pay the piper in the end," Jaques said. "On the other side, I plan to be in every one of (those communities)."
