Liberal candidate Kirczenow running again for Provencher ticket

Trevor Kirczenow is hoping third time’s the charm as he runs in the federal election for Provencher.

“I’m feeling optimistic,” he said with a smile.

Kirczenow is a father of two and lives with his husband outside of Dugald where they’ve made their family home for the past 12 years. The classically trained violinist often works for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and owns a small farm where he raises Ojibway horses, turkeys, goats, and chickens.

The Surrey, British Columbia native has published papers on transgender parents, lactation, and chest feeding. He has also done work in health care research specifically around equity and inclusion and transgendered people receiving reproductive health care. He has worked with all three parties in the province to deliver coverage for diabetes patients who need continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps.

Kirczenow has a bachelor of political science honours degree from the University of British Columbia. He ran in the previous two federal elections for the Liberal Party in Provencher, coming in second both times.

Under his married last name of MacDonald, Kirczenow has written for The Guardian, The Advocate, the Huffington Post, Out Magazine and This Magazine.

Kirczenow said people should vote for him and the Liberal Party because “we need to protect our country and we need to protect our democracy right now and the Liberal Party is in the best position to do that.”

“I think that Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party have been sounding far too much like Donald Trump and Elon Musk. And I don’t see how they’re going to defend our country when they sound so much like someone who is threatening to take it over.”

The Liberal Party sees former economist and current Prime Minister Mark Carney as the answer to combat Donald Trump and his tariffs.

“I think Canada needs to be very thoughtful and careful in our response. We need to respond to the U.S. threats, but it’s important that we respond in a way that doesn’t hurt ourselves. We need somebody like Marc Carney who understands economics and can guide us thoughtfully through this type of crisis,” said Kirczenow.

While the carbon tax on consumers has been axed, Kirczenow still believes that something should be done to combat climate change. He believes that an inability to deal with climate change could hinder Canada’s trade with other nations, especially in Europe.

“I think sometimes the Conservatives will say that one could either do what is good for business or you can protect the environment, but that’s a false choice. It’s not either or, it is possible for us to protect the environment in a way that is good for business.”

When it comes to affordability, Kirczenow pointed to the Liberal plan of investing $5 billion into a new Trade Diversification Corridor Fund, which will build the infrastructure needed to “diversify trade, open up internal trade between provinces, create good jobs, and drive economic growth. Mark Carney, with his connections and experience as an economist, having worked both inside and outside Canada at the highest levels, is the right person to lead this effort.”

When it comes to affordable housing, Kirczenow noted the Liberal Party’s strategy to build affordable housing wherein the federal government acts as the developer to build affordable housing at scale.

“The plan will also provide $25 billion in financing to innovative prefabricated home builders, with a focus on efficiency and sustainability. About $10 billion in low-cost financing and capital will be provided to Canadian home builders,” he said.

“When I drive around Provencher, I do see many new builds, but a lot of them seem to be large, single family homes. I think that this new plan will help us to increase the number of higher density units, which will be more affordable for first-time home buyers and young people starting out.”

Kirczenow also believes that social programs like Pharmacare and the Canada Dental Plan would be in jeopardy should the Conservatives win.

“Yes, I mean we just got Pharmacare and dental care and the Conservatives they voted against those things.”

Kirczenow is concerned with the rhetoric of Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party, which he sees as having similarities to the rhetoric used by Donald Trump and Elon Musk. He believes it’s important to protect Canada’s diversity.

“I don’t like the direction the U.S. is going. It’s very scary to me and I don’t want to see that come to Canada.”

“The Liberal Party is the party of human rights in Canada. We are the party that brought the Canadian Charter for Human Rights and Freedoms. Every candidate in the Liberal Party agrees to support those rights. That’s something we agree to when we become a candidate. We are very much on the same page and I think minority rights are very important.”