Calvin Neufeld
Green Party of Canada Candidate
Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston
2021
Calvin Neufeld is a Perth-based researcher, activist, educator, husband and father. An avid environmentalist, he is the founder of Evolve Our Prison Farms, campaigning for sustainable and therapeutic agricultural programming in Canadian prisons. Prior to the pandemic, Calvin served as the coordinator of Kingston VegFest, and he is well known for his work as a speaker to schools and community groups throughout Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston.
His experiences as a transgender man have shaped his life and his dedication to making life better. He has learned to balance his traditional Mennonite values of simple living, hard work, pacifism and community service, with his progressive values of celebrating diversity and fighting for human, animal, and climate justice. These are the values that attracted him to the Green Party of Canada.
Calvin’s personal and professional experiences have been diverse. He was born and raised in Montreal and is fluently bilingual. In his younger days, he travelled to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia. Locally, Calvin lived in Kingston, Yarker, Sydenham and Godfrey before settling in Perth twelve years ago.
Calvin studied philosophy at McGill where he met his wife Sharon, a Kindergarten teacher. They have been married for fourteen years and are the proud parents of an eight-year-old son.
Calvin has worked in various roles as an editor, writer, legal researcher, and environmental consultant. He is politically experienced, having spent five years investigating and exposing Canada’s prison farm scandal in collaboration with academics, lawyers, MPs and Senators.
At home, Calvin is a passionate chef, gardener, and music maker. He volunteers playing piano at a local elementary school and a retirement residence, and continues to be a resource to schools, agencies, and individuals in need of support. He is a dedicated changemaker motivated by a politics of truth, integrity, and possibility.
