EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a series of six federal election candidate profiles, appearing daily in alphabetical order.
Tara Jeffrey
Brian Everaert can feel the momentum growing.
“It’s overwhelming, to be quite honest,” said the second-time People’s Party of Canada federal election candidate for Sarnia-Lambton.
“Just the amount of support, the amount of sign requests we’ve had from people — sometimes 20, 40, even 60 calls in a day.”
By last week, the Wallaceburg native and his campaign team had already placed 400 yard signs across the riding, he said.
“It’s ballooning… the PPC has finally been recognized by people as the best option.”
Everaert, who earned nearly 1,600 votes in the 2019 federal election, said he’s poised for an upset this time around.
“This is a totally different election than I’ve ever experienced. When I ran for PPC in 2019 we were only 18 months old; I think we were unfairly treated,” said Everaert.
“I think, with the pandemic, people got a taste of what can happen when their freedom gets threatened, and I think they want to ensure that doesn’t go down the road any further.
“I’m quite confident that the people of Sarnia-Lambton are going to elect me for their MP. They know I can speak up and speak freely in the House of Commons.”
Everaert is a graduate of both Fanshawe and St. Clair colleges, as an Industrial millwright mechanic and Journeyman Ironworker respectively. He is a member of the Iron Workers Local 700, and currently working as a senior safety advisor at Nova’s new AST2 polyethylene facility in St. Clair Township.
His lifelong interest in politics inspired a 2018 provincial run for the Trillium Party and a mayoral bid in St. Clair Township.
“You can ask anybody that’s known me my whole life — politics has been the number one thing on my radar; it’s in my blood,” said Everaert, an avid outdoorsman who owns a hobby farm in Wilkesport.
“I can’t explain it. I’ve always been drawn to politics and very interested in how the country runs, making sure that we keep our freedoms and democracy healthy and running.”
Everaert said he’s spent time with party leader Maxime Bernier at a number of Freedom Rallies across the province, and said the PPC’s platform reads like it was ‘written for our riding.’
“[Bernier] knows we have a unique riding, with our oil and gas industry. He knows what we’re up against with the climate alarmism and everything here.
“We don’t want a carbon tax, we don’t want the Paris accord…we believe in protecting the environment but we don’t believe in the climate alarmism.
“We are all about equality and being Canadian; we don’t believe in any special interest group — giving them extra or less,” he added.
“I’m looking forward to this. I think I’ve got a good chance,” Everaert said. “We have a purple wave in the city and in the riding, and we’re only getting started.”