He wrote in support of the Kyoto Accord and against government subsidies for oil companies, while also calling for lower gas prices for consumers (Calgary Herald, 23 December 2001).
He has twice campaigned federally for the Canadian Action Party, and has sought election at the municipal level.
[3] He is a Personal Support Worker and former restaurant manager in Hamilton, and was twenty-four years old at the time of the election.
Ackerman was born on the Wagerville-5th Depot road between Tamworth and Parham, small communities in the Frontenac section of the riding.
He taught at the University of Manitoba, and later worked in the tourism, hotel and restaurant business in Nova Scotia before returning to eastern Ontario to build a retirement cottage.
Bens was born in Cold Lake, Alberta, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Ottawa.
He has a strong background in the labour movement, and has worked as an organizer for the Newspaper Guild and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, as well as small local unions.