The stage is almost set for the Huron-Bruce riding in the upcoming federal election.

Once the NDP lock in a candidate, every major party will be represented when polls open on Oct. 21.

Only one person is currently seeking the NDP nomination: ecological farmer and environmentalist Tony McQuail. He made the announcement on Canada Day in Goderich.

McQuail, a long-time NDP supporter, has run federally for the party four times, most recently in 2008.

His other political experience includes time spent as assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in Queen’s Park, and as a representative on a number of local government and agricultural organizations. He also served three terms as an elected trustee on the Huron County School Board.

In a news release, McQuail said his priorities will be “electoral reform, a regenerative economy and tax fairness.” He said a succession of federal governments have failed to focus on renewable energy and environmental conservation efforts, worsening the climate change crisis and negatively impacting farmers, small businesses and homeowners.

In a phone interview, McQuail a proportional representation system could work toward solving these problems.

“We need a parliament that represents the Conservatives fairly, the Liberals fairly, the Greens fairly, the NDP fairly, so that everybody’s vote counts … That group can work out what we can agree on,” he said. “The current winner-take-all first past the post system encourages a parliament that fights.”

McQuail’s application has been submitted to the federal NDP, where an extensive vetting process will occur before his nomination can be approved, according to Wilhelmina Laurie, president of the Huron-Bruce NDP.

She said the original plan was to have a candidate by June, but the vetting procedure will push that date back to September — just a month before the election.

The NDP, who attracted 13 per cent of the vote in Huron-Bruce last election, will be looking to unseat incumbent Ben Lobb of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Lobb has been a member of the House of Commons since 2008. After the last federal election, he served as Chair of the Health Standing Committee. He also has a background in the tech industry, and was a board member with the Huron United Way in 2007 and 2008.

In 2015, Lobb grabbed 44.9 per cent of the vote, defeating federal Liberal candidate Allan Thompson, who received 39.7.

Thompson, a journalism professor and former political reporter for the Toronto Star, will also run again this year. The Liberal Party of Canada nominated him in December 2018.

A statement from Thompson’s official campaign website says, “his focus is on creating opportunity and rural economic development.” His other priorities include needs of seniors, access to healthcare and the challenges posed by mental health issues in rural communities.

Thompson saw a surge of support in his 2015 campaign, raising support for the Liberals in Huron-Bruce by 23 percentage points.

After that campaign, Thompson was chosen to lead a Liberal party task force called ProjectRURAL, which examined how the party could better serve rural ridings. He also served with the Huron-Bruce Federal Liberal Association, organizing town halls on climate change, electoral reform and Canada’s international trade deals.

Goderich native Nicholas Wendler will represent the Green Party of Canada.

Wendler was the party’s federal candidate in Kitchener Centre in 2015, and ran in the Huron-Bruce provincial election last year.

Wendler said in a phone interview he was drawn to the Green Party because he shares its deep concern for the environment. Other parties, he said, aren’t addressing a looming climate crisis and other forms of environmental degradation sufficiently. He pointed to the federal government’s single-use plastics ban as a good first step, but wants Canada to take more drastic action to divert waste and recycle.

Wendler also expressed agreement with the Green Party’s support for public healthcare services and the Accessible Canada Act, which removes barriers to accessibility through the creation of enforceable standards. It became law on June 21. Wendler said his own personal experience with a physical disability, which requires him to use a wheelchair, have given him an appreciation for the negative consequences of cuts to healthcare services.

He also holds a master of arts from Wilfrid Laurier University in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy and a BA from the University of Waterloo in Social Development Studies.

For their first political outing, The People’s Party of Canada of Huron-Bruce will be represented by Kevin M. Klerks.

The social media consultant and website content manager ran for Kincardine council in 2005, and has worked in the retail field for 25 years.

In an email, Klerks expressed full support for the current PPC platform.

In line with that platform, Klerks said he wants to see a reduction in the number of immigrants admitted to Canada. Part of this measure would include “prioritizing immigrants according to skill and not family reunification,” as well as Canada’s withdrawal from the United Nations Global Compact for Migration – a non-legally binding agreement that addresses the challenges of migration.

He said he also wants to see changes that would “reduce the burden of expense on firearms owners,” which would mean the reclassification of certain firearms, an increased time period for gun owners to comply with changes in firearms laws, and less frequent renewals for firearm licences.

He also supports eliminating the federal carbon tax, defunding the CBC and creating infrastructure projects. He noted pipelines as an example.

A search of Elections Canada official data showed no other parties are fielding candidates in Huron-Bruce this year. The Liberal, Conservatives, Greens and NDP were the only parties registered in the 2015 election.

The Huron-Bruce riding is made up of several municipalities including Saugeen Shores, Kincardine, South Huron, Brockton, Huron East, Central Huron, Goderich, Bluewater, Huron—Kinloss , South Bruce North Huron, Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Howick and Morris-Turnberry.

It has just under 80,000 registered voters.