Brian Gray has thrown his hat into mix for the 2015 federal election in the South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding out of concern for his country.
“I was concerned with the fact that our country’s prime minister was supporting a facist Nazi regime in the Ukraine,” said Gray. “He is giving over $600 million dollars of our tax dollars to support them. A lot of people say ‘Oh that can’t be the case’ well it is.”
And Gray said more people are starting to understand.
“I couldn’t accept the fact that our country was supporting a Nazi regime in the Ukraine. The unbelievable financial situation our globe is in too,” added Gray. “I have presented policies that can address those concerns and get us out of this mess.”
Before putting his name forward, Gray was enjoying retirement. He loves gardening, playing golf and barbecuing.
“Other than that I don’t do a heck of a lot,” he laughed.
Gray, 66, was born and raised in Vancouver and has spent the last 14 years in the Okanagan, including 11 in Penticton. His work experience ranges from working in the forest industry, including pulling lumber off the green chain at Gorman Brothers Lumber Ltd. in Westbank back when “it was just held together with bailing wire and chewing gum.”
“Pulling lumber off a green chain in the middle of winter with no canopy on it and it’s snowing at 2 a.m. — it could test your mettle,” he said.
For 20 years he worked for TBC Teletheatre, a betting outlet for horse racing. He did that in Kamloops and helped set up operations in Salmon Arm, Victoria, Duncan, Nanaimo and Kelowna.
“I was looking forward to this summer to try to enjoy my retired life on the limited income I have,” said Gray. “This election has kind of intervened.”
Gray’s election platform is based on research from the Committee for Republic of Canada, which he is a member of, and American political economist Lyndon LaRouche. One of the topics in Gray’s platform is restoring the pillars of banking regulations. In his brochure, it states that Canada’s banks functioned within the framework of regulations known as the “4 Pillars” (aka: Canada’s Glass-Steagall) which served to separate commercial, investment, trusts and insurance banking transactions.
“The policies I’m putting forward have certainly found their impetus from my affiliation with CRC and the LaRouche organization, but they are just common sense,” he said. “I’m not the only person talking about that. Other political organizations are doing that.”
Gray, who can be found every Saturday at the Penticton Farmer’s Market, said he is surprised at the number of people who are in agreement with his policies. They encourage him to keep going.
“To be frank, I know there’s virtually no way I’m ever going to win this thing,” he said. “I’m campaigning to win. I just want to get these policies in the political debate.
More information on Gray’s campaign can be found at www.facebook.com/briangray2015.