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Deptuck will represent Greens

The Green Party of Canada has turned to a familiar face to be their candidate in the Souris-Moose Mountain constituency for the upcoming federal election.

The Green Party of Canada has turned to a familiar face to be their candidate in the Souris-Moose Mountain constituency for the upcoming federal election. 

Bob Deptuck, a Rocanville resident who is currently employed as a safety facilitator with the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan at their Rocanville mine, was announced as the party’s candidate late last week. He joins Estevan

chiropractor Dr. Robert Kitchen (Conservative Party) and Weyburn union leader Vicky O’Dell (New Democratic Party) in the race to replace Ed Komarnicki as the riding’s member of parliament (MP).  

Deptuck ran for the Greens for the first time in 2008, and finished fourth with 1,643 votes. He ran again in 2011, and also finished fourth, but saw his support drop to 898 votes. 

“My beliefs are still very strongly aligned with the Green Party, and I feel that representation for the people in this area who share those beliefs is needed,” Deptuck told the Mercury.

The Green Party now has an electoral district association, he said, so he will have a few people working with him to prepare for the election. And he expects it should help him get more people involved. 

Deptuck recognizes he’s a long shot in the election, since Souris-Moose Mountain is a strong Conservative riding, and there are battles developing between the Tories, the NDP and the Liberals in many ridings across Canada. 

But he’ll advance his beliefs on the economy and the environment.

“We’re in a very precarious position economically,” said Deptuck. “If we’re going to be successful, we’ll need a good, diversified economy, which includes not only resource industries but also green industries. 

“We need to really consider the switch from an oil-based economy to a very diversified and a more green economy, so our eggs aren’t all in one basket called oil.” 

The Green Party is concerned with the health of the environment. 

He pointed to stories on the consequences of hydraulic fracturing and resource extraction. He added that companies and individuals should be held responsible for any damage they cause to the land and the environment. 

Deptuck expects the Green Party will continue to gain support in this election. Leader Elizabeth May won her Vancouver Island seat in the last federal election, and there were two sitting Green Party MPs when the election was called. 

More than five per cent of voters chose the Greens in the 2011 federal election, and Deptuck wants to see more Green MPs in Ottawa. 

Deptuck said he didn’t have much of a chance to talk to constituents before the campaign, since Prime Minister Stephen Harper dropped the election writ early, and created an 11-week campaign. 

Deptuck noted Harper’s decision will cost taxpayers millions of dollars. 

 

The federal election will be on October 19.