Some new federal parties have been popping up in New Brunswick — but who are they and what do they stand for?

The People's Party of Canada has already garnered attention because of its leader, former Conservative MP Maxime Bernier, and its controversial views on immigration.

But with the 2019 Canadian federal election just around the corner, there are two new parties that are likely a mystery for many New Brunswickers.

Animal Protection Party of Canada

The Animal Protection Party of Canada was established in 2006 but this year is the first time there is a candidate running in New Brunswick.

"I get a lot of people saying to me, 'Well, that's great, you want to help animals but what about the people?'" said Lesley Thomas, the Fredericton candidate for the party.

"Well, violence begets violence and when we live in a society that allows the cruelty to happen to these animals, it's an overflow effect on to our society."

Lesley Thomas is the Fredericton candidate of the Animal Protection Party of Canada. (Submitted by Lesley Thomas)

Thomas is campaigning alongside Brad MacDonald, who is running for the party in the Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe riding.

Thomas has lived in Fredericton for 30 years and lives a vegan lifestyle. She said that's one of the reasons why she decided to run for the Animal Protection Party.

Its platform is dedicated to protecting animal rights, and in the process, combating climate change and introducing preventative health-care measures.

"We need animal rights. We need new laws," she said. "I don't think anyone disagrees with the fact that animals are treated terribly badly here in Canada and that needs to change."

The Animal Protection Party and the Veterans Coalition Party are two of the new parties on some New Brunswick ballots this election. Here's what they support. 2:13

Thomas said one of the first things the party would do is start phasing out animal farming across the country. Last year, 819-million land animals were killed in slaughterhouses in Canada, according to Agriculture Canada.

"We want to help farmers. We want to help them transition into a plant-based agriculture farming and crops," Thomas said. "And it's not going to happen overnight. We're not asking that all farmers shut their doors and we know this is going to be a slow transition."

Veterans Coalition Party of Canada

The Veterans Coalition Party was founded last year and has one candidate in the province, in New Brunswick Southwest.

"We're a party for the working class. We're a party for the forgotten, the ones who have not had a voice — the working class, the ones that they're not consulted by the government on major decisions," said Abe Scott, the New Brunswick Southwest candidate.

Scott lives in Rusagonis, about 20 kilometres south of Fredericton, but is originally from Cape Breton. He drives a truck for a Fredericton paving company.

Abe Scott is running for the Veterans Coalition Party of Canada in the New Brunswick Southwest riding. (Cassidy Chisholm/CBC)

The party's priorities are to eliminate taxes on the Canada Pension Plan and get rid of the carbon tax and GST.

"We want the chance to take the working-class voice to Ottawa and make a difference for everybody," said Scott.

"Reduce taxes overall. Not only put money back in your pockets, but you get to keep the money that's there, because there's so much is given out in taxes."

Climate change plan

Earlier this month, CBC New Brunswick conducted a poll on Facebook asking our readers what issue concerns them the most going into this federal election.

The answer? Climate change.

So we asked the candidates about their party's plan for climate change.

Thomas, with the Animal Protection Party, wants to encourage a plant-based diet and agriculture as a way to reduce emissions.

"In order to tackle climate change correctly and to do it so there's going to be a change, we have to address animal agriculture and none of the other parties are willing to do that," Thomas said.

She said the elimination of animal agriculture would significantly decrease emissions in Canada.

In August of this year, the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report that recommended reducing consumption of meat and dairy as a means of reducing greenhouse gases. But it didn't go so far as to recommend eliminating production altogether.

"Take the animal ethics out of it," she said. "Environmentally, our planet cannot sustain animal agriculture. Not at the rate that it's growing and the rate that these animals are being exploited and produced."

The Veterans Coalition Party is taking a different approach. Despite being opposed to the carbon tax, they have other ideas of how to control climate change.

Scott said the Veterans Coalition Party would axe the carbon tax but work to reduce emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. (Jason Franson/Canadian Press)

"We do understand that we only have one environment and we want to take care of our own environment," Scott said.

Scott said the party wants to reduce emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 by investing in green technology and taxing heavy Canadian emitters.

"If we can invest in technologies that are out there and they're proven, and also make sure that the big emitters actually pay their part for the pollution that they're creating for the greenhouse gases, we can make a difference, but we cannot tax people based on pollution," he said.

Upcoming election

There are eight other federal parties in New Brunswick this election.

The last time a candidate outside the three main parties won a seat in New Brunswick was in 1974. That's when Leonard Jones, the former mayor of Moncton, ran as an independent candidate after being denied the Progressive Conservative nomination because of his stance on official bilingualism.

The upcoming federal election is Oct. 21.