The next provincial election is a long way off, but parties continue to build their rosters of candidates.
For the B.C. Green Party, that means going young in the Saanich South riding as the party named Ned Taylor as its candidate.
Taylor is used to politics, having been elected to Saanich councillor at the age of 19 – the youngest person to ever serve on Saanich council – serving one term before not running again in 2022.
“I’m honoured to be the B.C. Green candidate for Saanich South. It’s where I grew up, and I have dedicated my career to the wellbeing of my community here,” said Taylor. “I left high school knowing that it was my generation that had to step up to the plate. We need bold action against climate change and housing that people can afford. We need a government who follows through with their campaign promises and works collaboratively to put people before politics. Young people should feel safe in this province and hopeful about their future, but it’s difficult in the current political landscape.”
Taylor has served on external boards, including the Royal and Mcpherson Theatres Society and the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness.
Taylor plans to campaign for more housing options for young people and to work to fight climate change.
“Many people my age have accepted that they are unlikely to ever own a home, and every year we face increasingly dangerous threats to our environment and communities from climate change. I’m disappointed in the current leadership in this province; we could be doing so much more to protect and strengthen our future. The BC NDP continues to contradict themselves when it comes to our most pressing issues; they promise climate action while approving new LNG plants, and they funnel money into a failing healthcare system without applying metrics to see if that money leads to improvements. BC has so much potential, but it’s depressing to see younger generations consistently let down and faced with increasing problems as soon as we leave school.”
READ MORE: Youngest Saanich councillor urges other youth to run in upcoming municipal election
