Mike Nagy is used to being the underdog. His third federal campaign is run out of an old car rental shop in Guelph, Ont., a riding that has been staunchly Liberal for 15 years. But Nagy has started to attract attention as he rises in the polls and hopes for his first win.
He started the campaign earlier this summer in anticipation of a September by-election -- now cancelled to make way for the general election in October. Polls put him in a solid second behind Liberal Frank Valeriote, with around 20-per-cent support.
So far, it is shaping up to be a vast improvement on his 2006 result, when Nagy finished a distant fourth in the polls. Nonetheless, few would put their money on him to win the Guelph seat.
"If the Greens win, it will be an international statement," he said, before adding, "Not that we're naive about how difficult that will be to do."
Nagy’s family hails from Guelph. He attended McMaster University, while also participating in various environmental organizations. He received his degree in 1983.
Nagy was a business manager in the electronic, aerospace and telecommunications industries during the 1980s and 90s, but was also an environmental activist, with a particular interest in water policy.
In the last several years, he has started an independent business management consulting business, giving him time to travel Canada and give lectures on environmental issues.
The Greens are sitting at between 11 and 13-per-cent support across the country. But Nagy believes Guelph, the city that had the first wet composting facility and uses biodiesel fuel for buses, is a riding especially primed for a Green message.
The party believes the city is already thinking Green, they just need to start voting that way too.