Arthur resident Wayne Baker has entered the race to represent the federal riding of Perth–Wellington as a candidate for the People's Party of Canada.
Baker, who is trained as a tool and die maker, operates a small machine shop in Arthur.
The current campaign is his second time running for political office. In 2018 he made an unsuccessful bid for a seat on Wellington County Council.
Asked what inspired him to put name forward this time, Baker joked it was "a moment of insanity," before explaining he felt led by God.
"The whole thing has been incredibly serendipitous for me, I feel that the Lord has had his hand on my shoulder, pushing me and guiding me through this thing," he said.
In terms of key issues, Baker said most of the things he'd like to see changed in Perth–Wellington fall under the jurisdiction of provincial or municipal governments. However, freedom of speech is one of Baker's top concerns as a federal candidate.
"I think that's the largest most important concern any federal candidate can address," he said. "Without freedom of speech, we don't have a free county and democracy to live in."
Cutting government spending and reigning in debt is another priority, along with smaller government.
"We need to learn to be more self-sufficient and more independent as individuals," he said. "We need to take pride in our work and stop parasitizing our economy."
The federal election is set for Sept. 20.
