Dave Nickarz says the Green Party of Canada has climbed over the “legitimacy wall” and as such he’s well-positioned to become its first politician to hold a provincial seat in Manitoba.

The 44-year-old small business owner and environmentalist was acclaimed the party’s candidate for Wolseley last week, where last April he came within 384 votes of unseating Rob Altemeyer, who recently stepped down as the New Democratic Party’s caucus chair.

With the next provincial election not expected until 2020, Nickarz will have much more time to prepare than the year and a half he devoted in 2015.

He also believes he’ll have to do less work convincing voters of the party’s legitimacy, with national leader Elizabeth May showing well in the debates and being reelected in 2015. The party has also won provincial seats in British Columbia and Nova Scotia.

“Our policies are attractive, and not to be too negative about it, but the big three parties don’t seem to be winning a lot of converts,” Nickarz said Sunday.

The party fielded 30 candidates in the 2016 provincial election, and increased its popular vote for the fourth straight election with 22,462 votes, representing a 2.62% increase over 2011. Nickarz was one of four to finish second in his riding, while four others finished third in ridings where the big three parties had representation, including party leader James Beddome in Ft. Garry-Riverview.

Nickarz acknowledges there are many factors in play with any election, but he’s feeling confident what turned Wolseley into a contested riding last time around was no fluke.

“Things are changing, and we want to continue to grow. And, of course, most definitely win the next election,” he said.

Kking@postmedia.com