EDITOR'S NOTE: First in a series of Cumberland Colchester Musquodoboit Valley candidate profiles we are running this week and next. Tomorrow, watch for Conservative candidate Scott Armstrong.
AMHERST - Voters are ready for change and they're willing to look at an alternative to the traditional political choices, says Green Party candidate Jason Blanch.
This is the second time Blanch has run for the Green Party in Cumberland Colchester Musquodoboit Valley, with the first being the 2009 byelection to replace retiring MP Bill Casey. Blanch is back this time hoping to build support for the Green Party in a riding that has always voted Conservative or Liberal.
"I'm getting lots of support on the doorstep from people who are saying they want a change," said Blanch as he walked along Hill Street in Amherst. "They are also saying they want someone to look after the future of our planet so we leave a better place for our children and future generations."
Blanch, 40, has spent more than a decade advocating for environmental change from his Amherst home while he has also spent time in West Africa, Central America and British Columbia.
"I'm hearing people like Elizabeth May and they are liking what the Green Party has to offer," said Blanch. "We are getting stronger and we're building something here that's a credible alternative to how people traditionally vote."
While doing the door-to-door canvass, Blanch came across a number of Liberal and Conservative signs but he also heard dissatisfaction with the present government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Several homeowners who Blanch spoke to said they are not fans of the Conservative government and resentment toward how Harper treated the former MP still rings true in the area.
"I'm hearing a lot of that in all parts of the riding," he said. "I think the mood for change is there, that's what I'm hearing at the door."
dcole@amherstdaily.com
