Zaretski relishing the competition

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This article was published 01/09/2015 (3785 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The sound of the idea of becoming the next Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface-Saint Vital is music to Glenn Zaretski’s ears.

The 61-year-old St. Boniface resident is the Green Party of Canada’s candidate in the upcoming federal election, which will be held on Oct. 19.

The musician, entrepreneur and activist will be running against François Catellier (Con) and Dan Vandal (Lib). The riding has been held by Shelly Glover (Con) since 2008. Glover is not seeking re-election.

Noting that party policy, in almost all cases, aligns with his own beliefs, the longtime political volunteer said he was inspired to take a run at the riding after Green Party Leader Elizabeth May spoke in Winnipeg two years ago.

”She set a fire under me,” Zaretski said.

“I believe in the philosophy that all life is interconnected and we have a responsibility to keep the world protected. Environmental issues should be of primary concern at this time.”

“One of the great things about the Green Party is that you don’t have toe the party line completely. I’m not totally in sync with party policies, but that being said, I’m really pretty much in line,” he added.

When asked about election platforms, Zaretski said his party would seek to abolish Bill C-51.

“It’s infringing on human rights and we’d want to take it apart right away,” he said.
Zaretski, who owns and operates a murder mystery dinner theatre, has been a touring musician across Canada and the U.S. for many years, although he hasn’t been on the road for a while. He is currently working on a new album, which he hopes to release on vinyl.

“Vinyl is the way to go again,” Zaretski said.

The guitarist said the sum total of his political volunteerism will enhance his run at federal office.

“I’ve done a lot with just about every political party and got to know about all the different aspects of the process. When I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, I played music when (former U.S. President) Jimmy Carter came to Winnipeg and I was one of the musicians on the worksite,” Zaretski said.

And though he’s running against local political heavyweight and former St. Boniface city councillor Dan Vandal, Zaretski is relishing the competition.

“Dan is well-known and lives close to me. He’s a good guy to have because we need good candidates from all political parties in this election,” Zaretski said.

“You can’t play hockey with one team and you want to have a challenge. The better the candidates, the better.

“Check us out and see what we’ve got to offer. And get out and vote,” he added,

To learn more, visit http://www.greenparty.ca/en/riding/2013-46009