Gary Law said the colour purple on his campaign signage says it all.
Borrowing political ideals from a broad spectrum of parties rather than being tied down to a single ideology is a true indication of being an independent, said the candidate for Richmond-Centre.
"I have he red of the (BC) Liberals, blue of the (BC) Conservatives, and mix in a little of the NDP's orange. And that gives me the colour purple. Plus, I like purple," said the affable Law who is taking a leave from his job as a Burnaby RCMP officer to run in the May 14 provincial election.
On a more serious political note, Law said he has a solution for low voter turnout in the riding of Richmond-Centre, judged to be second worst in the 2009 provincial election. Law said better communication with the constituents - most of whom do not speak English as a first language at home - would be the first step.
"Especially with people from mainland China, they didn't have the freedom to vote," said Law. "That's their mentality. They think that even though they are in Canada, what's going to change if I vote?"
To help try and counter that, Law said he got his campaign machine moving early, starting in January with brochures that catered to both Chinese and English-speaking voters. Increased candidate recognition should also play better at the polls for new Canadians hesitant to exercise their franchise.
"I do believe this time voting rates will be better, based on the fact we have seven candidates in Richmond-Centre, and six are Chinese-Canadians," Law said.
In the realm of transportation, Law said he believes the current public transit system is performing well, "But what it is lacking is accountability." To achieve that, Law said the decision-making process on public transit should be returned to local mayors rather than the TransLink board.
