PARRY SOUND — Health care and engaging with younger voters were on the minds of those at a Sunday afternoon Green party event, and of course, the environment.

With the federal election called last week, the provincial Green party leader’s tour stop on Sept. 15 in Parry Sound-Muskoka was focused more nationally and he was joined by the Parry Sound-Muskoka Green MP candidate who kicked off his series of election speeches.

With a similar event planned for that night at Huntsville’s Active Living Centre, the day’s itinerary began in Parry Sound where the 40 seats set out at the Museum on Tower Hill were occupied by a group of people fitting more with the boomers than the millennial generation, with a few in the age group between.

After provincial leader Mike Schreiner and federal candidate Gord Miller spoke to the history of and urgency of taking action to stop the climate crisis and ending American-style politics, those in the audience had a chance to ask what was on top of their minds as well.

Here are excerpts of the comments, questions and answers from those exchanges.

Q) “The Parliament of Canada did vote (June 17) that there is a climate crisis. Is that a precedence in which to follow?”

A) Gord Miller: “It’s an important gesture … however, where’s the package? Where’s the action associated with it? Where’s the joint party agreements?”

Q) “Just in making your party a little more popular, more of an emphasis of seniors and health their issue (may help).” How will the party address senior concerns?

A) Mike Schreiner: “First of all … refining the funding formulas for rural hospitals in particular has to change …. In terms of seniors, one of the challenges we face in Ontario is hallway medicine and one of the biggest contributor to hallway medicine is the lack of long-term care bed and alternative level of care for seniors … Right now there are no minimum standard (of level of care in seniors homes), so again, I’ll work across party lines, put forward by an NDP member, to prove a minimum of four-hours of care in long-term care facilities.”

Q) “I would like to know what the Green party is doing to attract more women into the party.”