It will be a four-party race in Nipissing–Timiskaming as the local Green Party riding association was unable to file the requisite paperwork by the deadline to field a candidate in the Sept. 20 federal election.
Local Green Party CEO Preston Smith tells BayToday, "Dropping the writ in the middle of a pandemic made things infinitely more complicated. We simply couldn't get enough signatures in the time required."
According to Elections Canada, at least 21 days before the election, potential candidates must submit the names, addresses, and signatures of at least 100 electors who are qualified to vote in the electoral district where they intend to run and who consent to their candidacy. That deadline passed Tuesday afternoon.
It was thought Alex Gomm, who ran in the 2019 election under the Green banner might again serve as the party's candidate but he is working abroad and would not have been present to campaign. Gomm finished fourth out of five candidates with 6.52 per cent of the vote in 2019.
Gomm says he was the nominee as far back as the spring but his relocation for work led to him potentially assuming a role as a paper candidate.
"I agreed to help out as I feel it is important for voters to be able to vote for the party they feel most represents their views," says Gomm, in correspondence with BayToday from China.
"None of us thought that the Liberals would be so careless as to call an election in the midst of a pandemic," he says. "We were hoping they would be reasonable and wait until more stable times. After all, the last election was only two years ago."
"We'll definitely be fielding a candidate in the next election," advises Smith. "And, as our communities become safer, we will be having more events in the near future to increase our visibility."
The four official candidates in Nipissing–Timiskaming are Gregory J. Galante of the People's Party of Canada, Scott Robertson of the New Democratic Party, Anthony Rota of the Liberal Party of Canada, and Steven Trahan of the Conservative Party of Canada.
