Hanchet, White seek Green nomination

Federal Conservative candidates have until Friday to come forward

Two contestants will be vying for the Peterborough-Kawartha federal Green party nomination at a virtual meeting early next month.

Chanté White, a recent graduate from Trent University in environmental studies and political science, is one of the contestants.

Guy Hanchet, co-founder and chair of the local environmental activism group For Our Grandchildren, is the other.

The next federal election hasn’t been called yet but could potentially be called some time in the next few weeks.

The Peterborough-Kawartha Green party nomination meeting will be held online, and will be open to the public, at 7 p.m. on Aug. 4.

White, 28, grew up in Toronto and lives in Peterborough. She was born to immigrant parents: her mother is from Guyana and her father is from Jamaica.

White said she “fell in love” with environmental studies in Grade 12 in Toronto when she took her first classes in that area.

Earlier this year White was part of a working group in Peterborough that aims to develop ways to dismantle racial injustice in Canada.

Now she says she’s ready to dive into politics.

“I’m at a place in my life where I can fully commit to making lasting changes in my community,” White said in an interview.

Hanchet, 73, is a retired computer engineer and computer architect who lives in Lakefield.

He was already “slightly involved” in environmental activism when his granddaughter Miriam was born in 2010, but becoming a grandfather prompted his further involvement.

“It reinforced the obligation I felt to make the world a suitable place for her (Miriam) to grow up in,” he said.

Hanchet is originally from Montreal. He and his wife have two grown children living in Ottawa.

Both Hanchet and White are members of the Climate Reality Project, a non-profit founded by former U.S. vice-president Al Gore that trains people in environmental activism.

Other local parties are also lining up candidates.

The Conservatives have had two people come forward to contend for the Peterborough-Kawartha nomination: social media influencer Michelle Ferreri and retired millwright Tom Wigglesworth. Mike Skinner, the party’s candidate for the past two elections, is not running this time.

Any other potential contestants have until 5 p.m. Friday to apply to party headquarters in Ottawa, according to a notice published Wednesday by the riding association.

Although the date and time of the Conservative nomination meeting have yet to be announced, the notice states that party memberships must be purchased by Friday to vote for a candidate.

Meanwhile incumbent Liberal MP Maryam Monsef is seeking a third term and educator Joy Lachica was chosen in April as the New Democratic candidate.

NOTE: More about the Green party’s federal nomination meeting, including the Zoom link, are at tinyurl.com/2yssne6d