UNBC student Mackenzie Kerr says its time for the north to have a young MLA with fresh ideas in the legislature.
Kerr is is the B.C. Green Party candidate in the Prince George-Valemount riding. It's the second election campaign for the 23-year-old forestry student. Kerr ran for the federal Green Party in 2019, earning 9.1 per cent of the vote in the Cariboo-Prince George riding.
"I commend (incumbent MLA Shirley Bond) on all of her incredible work. (But) I think this riding is ready for a candidate who has new ideas and is professional enough to bring it to the legislature," Kerr said. "I believe we need young people in the legislature... to make sure young people and the future are being considered."
It's important to have elected representatives with a variety of backgrounds and life experiences, she said.
"Despite my age, I have a wide variety of life experiences. I've worked in a pulp mill, on a non-profit farm and customer service," Kerr said. "I'm a renter, I'm a student, and I'm worried about the future."
Kerr said her focus as an MLA would be on promoting sustainable forestry and local agriculture initiatives, as well as promoting the transition to new, more sustainable economy.
"Local agriculture is something I'm very passionate about, having grown up on a farm and from my involvement in 4-H," she said. "The opportunities are endless right now. We need the political will to move us in the right direction, and not just stick with the status quo."
The Green Party does politics differently, she said. There is no party whip, so Green MLAs are always free to vote for what is best for their communities.
The party's platform and policies are based on science and expert advice, not ideology, she said.
"I am extremely impressed by the B.C. Greens," she said. "The Green Party has done a great job of holding the NDP accountable. They made every bill better, that they supported."
A lot of people have fallen through the cracks during the province's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. The Green Party has put its focus on identifying those people and is looking at how to help them – things like looking at increasing wages for underpaid workers in the healthcare sector and moving to a fully-public model for long-term care to ensure people can access good care regardless of their income, she said.
Many people have found themselves isolated and lacking connection because of the pandemic.
"I think we need to come up with creative solutions to connect again," she said.
The pandemic also means this election campaign won't look like previous campaigns, Kerr said. Her team won't be doing door-to-door canvassing this year, and instead will be focused on phone canvassing and connecting with voters through social media.
Kerr said she plans to hold some small, outdoor campaign events as well, but will be looking at creative ways to reach out and connect with the people of Prince George-Valemount.
"There is only 23 days left. I don't have a lot of time to reach out to voters," she said. "But I'm going to reach out to as many people in Prince George-Valemount as I can, and I hope to earn their vote."
In addition to incumbent Liberal MLA Shirley Bond, Kerr is running against NDP candidate Laura Parent and Libertarian candidate Sean Robson.
