The Courier is pleased to present profiles of candidates in the upcoming federal election.
The Liberal Party of Canada nominated a late-comer as a candidate to run in Skeena-Bulkley Valley in hopes of gaining a seat in the riding.
Kyle Warwick, 22, is a fourth-year Political Science student at the University of British Columbia and lives in Vancouver. He is not from the riding, but says he has travelled through it while working in the Yukon for Logan Resources, a company that studies the feasibility of potential mining projects. He says that he won’t pretend that he’s well versed in the issues facing the riding, but he is ready to listen to what voters have to say.
“I’m going to be very receptive to the concerns of people who are from the area. One thing I’m absolutely not going to say is ‘I know what’s best,’ or anything like that, I’m going to hear what people have to say,” says Warwick.
Warwick believes that people should vote for him over the incumbent, Nathan Cullen, because he represents an opportunity to vote for Michael Ignatieff’s platform, which he says is resonating with Canadian’s across the country.
“As we’ve seen, the Conservatives’ lead in the polls has shrunk from 15 per cent to six per cent in only a week. There’s a Liberal momentum, and I think voting for me is the only real way to make sure these policies come into place.”
This is not Warwick’s first time in politics, he has been actively involved in student politics at his university, having just won an election less than a week ago to be the chief AMS representative for the UBC Arts Undergraduate Society.
Warwick has been the Liberal candidate for only a short period and has not yet acquainted himself with issues such as the Enbridge Pipeline or the Northwest Transmission Line. He says as a student and life-long Liberal, he is very in favour of the Liberal’s Learning Passport, which promises every high school student who goes on to university or college a tax-free $1,000; $1,500 for low income students.
“One thing that is crucial for jobs these days . . . is to increase access to education beyond the secondary level. I think in the long to medium term, the education passport will definitely help to achieve that.”
Warwick says he will be touring the riding and talking to voters in the different communities sometime after April 20.