Sudbury Greens select Bill Crumplin as candidate for 2019 federal election

It's being called the Green Surge. But how will it play out in northern Ontario?

The Green Party is making some big strides in Canadian Politics lately, adding one more Member of Parliament — Paul Manly — this week during a federal byelection in British Columbia.

The Greens also form the official opposition in Prince Edward Island's Legislature, as well as the balance of power in British Columbia's minority government.

And as the federal election approaches, the party is hoping to make a breakthrough here in northern Ontario.

Bonnie North, deputy leader for the Green Party of Ontario, was in Sudbury as the riding association selected Bill Crumplin as its candidate for October's election.

Crumplin, a professor at Laurentian University, ran in Sudbury's 2018 municipal election, placing 7th out of 11 candidates.

North said recent wins by the Greens has prompted potential candidates to express their interest in representing the party.

"Applicants are coming out of the woodwork literally, coming to the Greens and saying you know what? It's time." North said.

She said the party is beginning to appeal to a wider segment of the electorate.

"One of the things that is important to people is that they're beginning to understand first of all that the Greens are not a one issue party," North said. "And that we care about a holistic slate of issues."

"So the environment for sure but also things like a basic income and alleviating and eliminating poverty, dealing with the opioid crisis that we have going on in Ontario."

North added that Greens are positioning themselves as a viable option to the other three "status quo" political parties, especially when it comes to the green economy.

"One of the reasons why the oil and gas sector jobs and resource jobs are dying off isn't necessarily because of environmental movements against them," she said. "It's because of artificial intelligence and A.I. taking over jobs in these kinds of industries."

Part of the Green Party's platform, she said, is to ensure people have access to training in these areas and also access to a universal basic income that people can fall back on.