Field of candidates set in Guelph for 2019 federal election

Guelph’s field of candidates representing parties that currently have a seat in the House of Commons has been set for the 2019 federal election.

Liberal incumbent MP Lloyd Longfield, who announced his re-election bid in November 2018, is up against at least four other candidates.

READ MORE: Only 32% of Canadians think Trudeau deserves re-election as Tories hold lead, Ipsos poll says

Longfield was first elected as Guelph’s member of Parliament in 2015 and was previously the president of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce.

Steve Dyck, who won the Green Party nomination in April, is hoping to ride the “green wave” after Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner was elected in Guelph during the 2018 provincial election. Dyck is the founder and president of Guelph Solar and has run for the Green Party in two provincial elections.

The Conservative Party and its Guelph members selected Ashish Sachan as their candidate during a meeting on June 7. Sachan is the chief science officer at a green technology company and has lived in Guelph for six years.

READ MORE: Bat found at Guelph home tests positive for rabies, public health says

Mark Paralovos is the candidate for the newly created People’s Party of Canada. It was founded by Maxime Bernier after he lost the Conservative leadership election to Andrew Scheer in 2017.

Rounding out the cast is Aisha Jahangir, who won the NDP nomination on Saturday. The registered nurse cited pharmacare as a top priority, noting her “front-row seat” to the gaps in Canada’s health care system.

Longfield received 49 per cent of the vote during the 2015 federal election, which also featured candidates from the Libertarian Party of Canada, Marijuana Party and Communist Party of Canada.

READ MORE: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh unveils platform ahead of 2019 federal election

It’s unclear if any other candidates will be running in Guelph.

The 43rd Canadian general election is scheduled to take place on Oct. 21.