Ontario Green party supporters had the chance to query provincial Green leader Mike Schreiner at two events in Kingston on Sunday.

Schreiner appeared alongside the Green party candidate for Kingston and the Islands, Robert Kiley, at a lunch and then a town hall meeting later in the afternoon.

Schreiner and Kiley fielded questions from a few dozen attentive audience members at the town hall, and they zoned in on the favourable campaign climate that could prove to be a prime opportunity for Ontario Greens.

Disenchanted Liberal and Conservative supporters could be just open enough to receiving a message from the Green party, Schreiner believes.

“One of the reasons I am so excited to be in Kingston is I think Robert can win this election,” Schreiner said. “Elected Greens across the country, particularly in British Columbia, P.E.I. and New Brunswick, have shown that they can deliver real change to take on the status quo. It’s clear that people are tired of the Liberals and want change, but to elect an extremist like the Conservatives have brought in as their leader is something that people don’t want, either.”

While audience members cautioned against taking the Conservative base for granted and writing off Doug Ford as a competitor, Schreiner expressed that he doesn’t believe Ontarians want that kind of leadership in power.

“We do not want Trump-style politics in Ontario,” he said.

Schreiner also hopes that disaffected Liberals in Kingston will give Kiley a chance.

Kiley, who works in marketing in Kingston, first ran in 2011 as a provincial Green candidate for the Kingston region and has increased local support in each subsequent election.

“We’re very excited about our chances, not only because the other three leaders are not drawing attention but because of the vision that we have,” Kiley said. “We’re promoting honesty and integrity and good public policy. We’re talking about helping small businesses, people and the planet, and doing those things together, which is really exciting. People are resonating with that.”

Kiley said that in his time talking to Kingstonians in recent months, there has been a sense that people are hungry for change.

“I’m a history teacher by training, so I like to remind people to look back in the last generation at Queen’s Park,” he said. “The Liberals, the Conservatives and the NDP have all had majority governments and they have all left us with tremendous debt socially, economically, environmentally and democratically. Only the Green party represents true change.”

Schreiner believes there is a lot of anger directed at the current Liberal government over many issues, including the gas plant scandal and general mismanagement. He wants Green party supporters to assist with convincing undecided voters not to default to the Conservative candidate due to anger with the Liberals.

“There is a third option, and that’s the Green party,” Schreiner said. “Replacing one establishment party with another establishment party is going to change nothing.”

Schreiner is not expecting to become the next premier of Ontario. He would like to see a minority government elected, with the provincial Greens gaining one to three new seats to help hold Queen’s Park to account.

Kiley pointed out that in ridings where Green candidates have been elected, voter turnout has gone up dramatically.

“As Mike likes to say, and as I like to say, when you vote with your head and your heart, and when you encourage people to get behind something that they believe in and come out, not only do you elect Greens and elect better government because of it, but you can actually help democracy at large,” Kiley said.

Schreiner encouraged Kingstonians to vote their conscience, not strategically.

“For my children’s future, we have to stop voting out of fear,” he said. “We are never going to get the government that we want if we don’t vote for the government we want. If we always vote against the government we don’t want, we are always going to get a government we don’t want.

“We have to fight against fear-based politics. The only wasted vote is the vote we don’t believe in.”

mbalogh@postmedia.com