Greens have ‘very, very good chance’ at winning Guelph seat: Elizabeth May

Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May likes her party’s chances in Guelph.

May was scheduled to attend a rally in the Royal City on Monday night with local candidate Steve Dyck at his campaign office.

READ MORE: Green Party unveils election platform pegged on addressing climate emergency

She spoke with Global News while en route and said Dyck, the president of a solar panel company, is the right man for the job.

“Steve is someone who is so deeply committed to Guelph, but he’s a green energy guy, he an entrepreneur, he understands the file, he knows what needs to be done and he’s very dedicated to his community,” May said.

She said the Guelph nomination is one of the most “hotly contested” she has ever seen in the Green Party.

“The reason it’s hotly contested is that we have a very, very good chance of winning the seat,” she said.

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Dyck is looking to unseat Liberal incumbent Lloyd Longfield, who is seeking a second term as Guelph’s Member of Parliament. He’s also up against the NDP’s Aisha Jahangir and Ashish Sachan with the Conservative Party.

READ MORE: Guelph federal candidates discuss their plans to tackle food insecurity

The federal Greens are hoping to replicate what provincial party leader Mike Schreiner did in June 2018 by turning the Guelph seat green and becoming the first member in the party’s history to be elected MPP.

May said there are benefits to have Green representatives at both the provincial and federal levels. Her own riding is represented by Green Party member Adam Olsen in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

“We work together because he’s the MLA, I’m the MP, and we make ourselves very accessible to the constituents, and they just find it so great to have both levels of government listening to them,” May said.

WATCH: Elizabeth May launches platform, budget coming ‘within a week’

0:54 Federal Election 2019: Elizabeth May launches platform, budget coming ‘within a week’

Her visit came just hours after releasing her party’s platform for the 2019 federal election.

READ MORE: Maxime Bernier invited to take part in federal election leaders’ debates

May is the second federal party leader to visit Guelph after Maxime Bernier was here in July to support People’s Party candidate Mark Paralovos.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has not made a visit to Guelph but was in the Region of Waterloo on Monday morning.