'Every single time a Green is elected in Canada, and it's happening now, people begin to understand that it's more than the Birkenstocks-with-socks people'

Bonnie North was acclaimed Wednesday night as the Green Party candidate for the Barrie-Innisfil riding in the Oct. 21, 2019 federal election. Raymond Bowe/BarrieToday

1 / 1 Bonnie North was acclaimed Wednesday night as the Green Party candidate for the Barrie-Innisfil riding in the Oct. 21, 2019 federal election. Raymond Bowe/BarrieToday

Bonnie North was acclaimed by Green Party supporters last night as the candidate for Barrie-Innisfil in the next federal election.

A couple dozen people filed into the upstairs lounge at Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery on Dunlop Street, Wednesday night, as members of the electoral district association selected a candidate for the Oct. 21 election.

North said she hopes to tap into momentum gained by Green Party members from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island.

"Every single time a Green is elected in Canada, and it's happening now, people begin to understand that it's more than the Birkenstocks with socks people," she told BarrieToday during an interview outside on Dunlop Street. "They understand that we are serious, that we have mature policies and that we give a damn."

She's relying on what she called "the stealth voter," the person who doesn't put a Green Party sign on their lawn or tells their neighbour who they're voting for, but who casts their ballot for the party.

"I know we have an uphill battle," said North. "Instead of just going door to door, I'm going to have a listening campaign."

North, who has been heavily involved with the provincial and federal branches of the Green Party since 2014, has run provincially in two elections, as well as for federal and municipal posts. She is also deputy leader of the Green Party of Ontario.

"Not only have I gained experience, but we have an incredible team," she said, "and that makes all the difference in the world."

North says she expects a contentious campaign, both locally and across the country.

"This is a change election," North said. "Bad things have been happening lately and a lot of political wrangling going on, which is very ugly. I really feel that Greens are able to offer an alternative... with respect to the nastiness."

She suspects there will be a lot of fear-mongering in the coming months.

"We're going to have parties that are stoking the fear, from things that are just ridiculous, straw-man issues," North said. "Then we'll have people who are afraid of the stokers."

It's time to put an end to the "dirty politics," she said.

"We need to be the hope and I believe that we are," North added. "I'm not just saying that because I'm running as a candidate, I'm saying that because that's why I chose the Greens."

North said the party continues to grow, both in numbers and in philosophy.

"We talk about doing politics differently," she said. "We're not as big as the other parties, we haven't been around as long and we may not have the same amount of money, but what we do have is our incredibly skilled volunteers. The lifeblood of a campaign is the volunteers."

People who are attracted to the party tend to be the younger set, North said, but that's changing.

"They're either just not voting or they're too busy living their lives and surviving, looking for a place to live and getting a job," she said. "Some of them will come our way, but what I'm finding in the past elections ... is Conservatives who are disgusted with some of the things they are seeing within their party. They're saying this is not what they signed up for.

"They're looking at the Greens as being fiscally responsible, but also being socially just, and that's an attractive thing to people."