Paige Desmond
Local Green Party candidate Russ Aegard isn’t in it for the money or the prestige—the motivation behind his run for MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River doesn’t have much to do with self-interest at all.
“One of the reasons I want to be MP is for my daughter, actually,” he admitted matter-of-factly.
Aegard wants to preserve the Earth so that his daughter—and everyone else’s children—have a future. “My job is to make sure that everything here” is still here in 50 years, he remarked.
“I do not want my daughter to inherit a world so badly-damaged that it may be too late for it to recover,” states a post on Aegard’s Facebook website. “For the first time in [Canada’s] history, our children are going to have shorter lifespans than their parents.”
Noting children didn’t have so many chronic health concerns, such as asthma and allergies, in the past, Aegard said the environment and its future inhabitants must be a focus of politicians.
“We’re gonna have healthy kids,” he pledged.
Aegard holds BAs in psychology and education from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, and has been teaching for the Lakehead District School Board for the past seven years. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he lives on a small hobby farm and has a Labrador retriever kennel at his property in South Gillies.
With a self-described interest in health, education, health education, and human rights, Aegard stressed the importance of politicians accepting that climate change is a real issue.
“We need leadership in our province which is first of all going to acknowledge climate change,” he stressed. “This is something that’s really dangerous to us.”
A need for leadership on environmental issues, and the desire to preserve a healthy Earth for his daughter, are Aegard’s main motivations despite his initial association with the NDP. Five years ago, Aegard said he was an NDP supporter and helped out with party campaigns.
But with an avid interest in the environment, he decided to check out a local Green Party meeting.
“Of course, the Green Party is number-one when it comes to environmental issues,” and he made the change.
Aegard said he brings several strengths to the job—and isn’t afraid to admit to his weaknesses, either. Although admitting he needs to brush up on his economics, he said his perseverance definitely will be an asset to the position of MP.
“I’m a very dedicated person, I’m not gonna just say OK and that’s it,” Aegard said of his unwillingness to back down on complicated issues.
Saying he will lobby other MPs to make sure important issues get addressed, Aegard pledged to “try to do the best I can.”
Since his background also contains some counselling experience, Aegard added constituents can expect a candidate prepared to hear their concerns.
“People tell me I’m a good listener,” he remarked. “It’s about being part of a community. I’ve been part of the community.”
It’s also about “letting people know that it’s not all about me,” he stressed. “I want to be that voice for people who feel like they don’t have a voice.”
Aegard said many groups feel disenfranchised by the political smoke show—and he understands where they’re coming from.
“They feel like the government is patronizing them,” he remarked, referring to those living in poverty and the aboriginal population. So he hopes to represent the people.
Often times there can be discrepancies between what a party’s official policies or goals are and what is best for a local constituency. Although party members are expected to support national platforms and ideals, Aegard said he would be willing to back up his constituents in an instance where what’s best for the community contradicts the party line.
He cited the section of the Trans-Canada Highway in Thunder Bay as a prime example. A major focus of the Green Party is investment in rail systems, as opposed to further developing highway networks across the country.
But Aegard said the Thunder Bay section of the Trans-Canada desperately needs to be changed to a divided highway. Citing his own experiences of scares with transport trucks, he would be willing to oppose the party line in the interest of his constituents.
“It’s more of a health-related issue,” he said, warning the current state of the highway is dangerous. “It saves money in future health dollars [by preventing accidents].
“I would stand up for the region on issues like that,” he vowed.
And for those MPs and other political figures who do not understand these types of issues, and other issues in the north, Aegard said he will do what it takes to make them understand.
“Hey, this is our region, this is our concern,” he remarked. “They don’t understand those issues.”
Even if it means lobbying to get other MPs up north to see what kind of region it really is, Aegard said he will make it happen in his commitment to make Northern Ontario’s voice heard in Ottawa.
At the same time, Aegard said he’s prepared to face the skepticism some people have of politicians’ promises. Noting politicians’ reputations have been tarnished, “How do you expect people to trust us?” he wondered.
But, bottom line from Aegard: “I’m gonna work as hard as I can for you.”
