'I’m a very energetic and passionate person, and I love to sink my heart into everything that I do,' says 22-year-old Tottenham resident As part of our Canada Votes election coverage, BradfordToday plans to profile each of the candidates in the New Tecumseth-Gwillimbury riding. Here’s our look at Mike Hanrahan, the Liberal Party of Canada hopeful: The local Liberal Party of Canada candidate is hoping to take on the cost-of-living crisis while also boosting youth engagement. As Prime Minister, Liberal leader Mark Carney called an early federal election on March 23. Since then, candidates have been lining up to offer their visions for the newly redrawn riding of New Tecumseth-Gwillimbury before voters go to the polls on April 28 — about five months ahead of schedule. With a background in environmental science and economics, Mike Hanrahan feels well-suited to help tackle the issues relevant to the riding, including agriculture and affordability. “With my background and my degrees, I feel like I would do well in representing the voices of our constituents in Parliament,” he said, adding he’s particularly interested in working with local farmers as much of his research focused on crop resiliency and improving soil conditions to boost yields without pesticides or fertilizers. At 22, the Tottenham resident has been living in the area for about 15 years, majored in government at Dartmouth College where he was a varsity athlete, has already worked in environmental science for international non-profits, and is also the founder of a sustainable start-up company providing alternative protein sources. “I’m a very energetic and passionate person, and I love to sink my heart into everything that I do,” he said. Hanrahan explained he was initially drawn to the Liberal party after reading Carney’s works and vision for economics that emphasizes fairness, solidarity and sustainability while treating people as people. “I’m very excited about the possibility of being able to work within an administration that has those values at its core,” he said. Based on conversations he’s had while knocking on “thousands” of doors, Hanrahan heard the cost of living is the most important issue in the riding, and in addition to the party’s other initiatives, he’d like to be an advocate for New Tecumseth-Gwillimbury to benefit from some of the $10 billion the party has proposed to invest in building affordable housing. That's not only to help bring down the cost of home ownership, but to invest in companies building prefabricated homes — something he thinks could be done right here. On top of that, Hanrahan said the party also has plans to expand federal dental care and maintain pharmacare plans that help save residents as much as $800 and $1,700 a year, respectively, on top of the $10-a-day child-care program. He’d also like to see Canada combat economic woes from U.S. tariff threats and international trade uncertainty by boosting inter-provincial trade, making it easier for workers trained in one province to work in another and by encouraging companies operating in Canada to make better use of domestic resources. “Affordability is something that I’m incredibly passionate about,” he said. As a younger candidate, Hanrahan also places an importance on youth involvement in politics and would like to address the general political apathy he sees among young people by amplifying their voices at the federal level. For more information about the Liberal campaign, visit the party’s website.