Buhse brings advocacy work to politics

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This article was published 26/08/2019 (2554 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jeff Buhse spent his youth working with the Lutheran World Federation, rising up to be a delegate for his church.

He then got invited to take part in the UN Climate Change Conference. From 2011 till 2015, he’s worked in the UN to advocate for solving climate change.

He’s hoping to bring that advocacy work to the people of St. James — Buhse is the Green Party of Manitoba’s candidate in the constituency.

“I had all this knowledge and opportunities. Politics was a good opportunity to share that experience with someone,” Buhse said. “I’m very familiar with how government works,  I’ve been involved with policy making in the past, this isn’t new to me.”

When he’s not running for office, Buhse works with the University of Manitoba, helping students with disabilities get the resources they need for school. He said he was involved with the Accessibility for Manitobans Act, helping create some of the policies that protect disabled Manitobans from discrimination.

Buhse said his two biggest concerns are health care and taxes.

“St. James is an aging riding, it’s an older riding. People are concerned about the cost of living … People are looking for sustainability rather than short sighted policy decisions,” Buhse said. “(The Green Party) has a very strong guaranteed annual income policy, and tax breaks for lower income brackets, that will help with the day to day life of paying for things.”

Buhse is also a strong advocate for free transit.

Buhse lived in St. James for 11 years. His wife still runs a small business in the community.