The New Blue Party of Ontario has put forward Matt Millar of Lambeth as its prospective candidate for Elgin-Middlesex-London in the June 2 provincial election.
Founded in 2020, the party is led by Jim Karahalios, the husband of Belinda Karahalios, former PC MPP for Cambridge.
Millar, a third-generation fruit farmer and small business owner, says the party is all about less government involvement.
Millar ran for Ward 9 councillor in London in the 2018 municipal election, finishing second to incumbent Anna Hopkins.
Although he has conservative values, Millar says joining the Ontario PC Party was not an option.
Millar stresses New Blue Party of Ontario is the only true conservative party.
Millar says it is time to restore transparency and accountability to provincial government.
Frustrated by over-reach by all levels of government during the pandemic, Millar says it is time to return to individual responsibility.
He is not in favour of any COVID mandates, instead individuals should be allowed to assess their own risk.
Millar says the party’s philosophy is “somewhat similar” to the People’s Party of Canada which ran candidates in the last federal election.
He says the way seniors have been treated during the pandemic “is deplorable.”
One of the planks in the party’s platform addresses the future of wind turbines in Ontario.
Personally, Millar would rather rely on nuclear power to meet the province’s energy requirements.
With one seat already at Queen’s Park, Millar says the June 2 vote is an opportunity to elect a true opposition at the Legislature.
The New Blue Party of Ontario, in a release, says it is a viable option for voters with its strong leadership and a solid foundation built by a grassroots effort of like-minded Ontarians like Matt Millar.