Beyond the Politics: Marc Reinarz, Green Party candidate, North Okanagan-Shuswap riding

Beyond the Politics takes an up-close and personal look at the five North Okanagan-Shuswap candidates running in the federal election, October 21.

The purpose of these stories by respected local journalist Josh Winquist is to present the candidate, not party platforms or policies.

Thank you to all the candidates for participating.

The profiles will be published in alphabetical order with one each day from Oct. 7-11.

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Profile on Mel Arnold, Conservative (Oct.7)

Profile of Kyle Delfing, People’s Party of Canada (Oct. 8)

Profile of Cindy Derkaz, Liberal (Oct. 9)

Profile of Marc Reinarz, Green Party (Oct. 10)

Profile of Harwinder Sandhu, New Democratic Party (Oct.11)

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It is fair to say that Marc Reinarz’s life story is varied and multifaceted. That is to say, he has not lived a conventional life.

If anything, the life of the 64-year-old federal Green Party candidate can best be described as extraordinary.

Of Dutch descent, Reinarz was born in Luxembourg into a large family; he is the second youngest of 10 children.

His family lived in a large 12-bedroom lake house, which, as Reinarz recalls from stories, was actually converted into a home from an old mill.

He was four when the family moved from Luxembourg and only remembers their time there through pictures and stories.

However, one particular story he enjoys, is of the time his grandfather came to visit.

“My grandfather came fishing, but he didn’t like taking the fish off the hook. So, he would go upstairs to the bathroom; he leaned out the window with his fishing rod and lowered his hook to the water.

He would holler at my dad when he caught a fish and reeled it up to the kitchen window. My dad had to pull it in and take the fish off the hook.”

The story brings a smile to his face.

“It is frowned upon now with the population issue in the world, but it was a nice thing to have a large family.”

Reinarz’s father worked as a director-general in the European Economic Community (EEC). The organization eventually became the European Union.

Reinarz grew up in a home where it was not uncommon to have high-ranking, influential politicians and dignitaries around—people like his father’s good friend, Sicco Mansholt.

Mansholt was president of the EEC for a time in the 1970s.

He was also an uncle of Reinarz’s eventual wife, Sietje. Her father too was a director-general with the EEC, and a friend to his father.

Reinarz lived, studied and worked all over the world. He speaks four languages: English, French, Dutch and German.

His formal education was in private schools in Europe, but as a young man, he moved to Canada, where he would eventually study avionics engineering in Calgary at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, better known as S.A.I.T.

During those days he worked as a bus driver to pay the bills, a time he still recalls with great fondness, for its stress-free qualities.

“I look back at the other jobs I had—they were nice but a lot of sleepless nights when you are up working on a big deal and then I thought back to my bus driving days when I came home, had dinner, watched TV, or did my sports. Nothing to worry about,” he says.

After graduating from S.A.I.T, Reinarz moved to Holland and built a respected career in international trade where he worked for some of the largest companies on the planet. One was electronics conglomerate, Philips Industrial.

Reinarz worked territories in Eastern Europe and Russia before eventually heading up Philips’ Middle Eastern industrial electric-acoustic division; conducting business deals with Saudi Arabian royalty

He has since retired from international trade.

The end of his career came when he began working for another company. He tells the story of how when in Russia; he had to cancel a deal with a government agent.

Afterwards, he received a phone call in his hotel room and it was suggested that he disappear by the back door because he didn’t know who might be waiting at the front door.

“Not that there was somebody, but the risk there was too high. If they don’t like you, you might disappear,” he says, letting out one of his large boisterous laughs.

While serious about politics, Reinarz doesn’t hide his sense of humour.

He is also a passionate and avid sailor, something he learned from his father as a young boy during family vacations in Brienz, Switzerland.

One of his proudest accomplishments was setting a speed record in his catamaran. He reached up to 51 km/h on Okanagan Lake.

Now his latest passion is passing along the knowledge and teaching the next generation of young sailors through the North Okanagan Sailing Association, which he runs in the summer months.

When he is not on the water, he is on the farm.

Reinarz and his wife of 40 years purchased a small farm in Spallumcheen in 2004, where they have Andalusian horses and sell hay to other local farmers.

Despite a long list of accomplishments, interests and experiences, it is actually quite difficult to get Reinarz to talk about himself. He will often deflect from personal questions, instead choosing to discuss or pursue other topics he considers more interesting.

“That is true,” he says with a laugh. “It has a downside too because it keeps me awake at night. I have to read a non-political, non-technical book to switch off my mind, but at 2 a.m. I wake up and my mind is spinning. I try to not wake up my wife.”

Reinarz says he tries not to focus on what has already been discovered; he instead looks to what is new and to things he doesn’t know.

It shows his passion and willingness to learn.

“There is more to life than what you see,” he says. “You have to trust the science.”

Despite being around politics his whole life, in some way, shape or form, this is Reinarz’s first foray into politics himself.

Reinarz was approached by the Green Party, due to his pro-position on proportional representation that surfaced at a PR gathering last year.

“I was reluctant in the beginning as I thought this is a very conservative riding and it is an uphill battle,” Reinarz says. “If I don’t make it, I’ll get a message out in the end.”

That message, Reinarz feels, is that Canada can be doing a whole lot of things better on the international stage; from better management of natural resources to introducing innovative ways to deal with climate change.

Reinarz is humble and generous, both traits passed down from his father.

Of all the people in his life, there is no denying that his father was his biggest influencer.

“I often talk with my finger, like pointing a finger up in the sky. That was a habit my father had. My wife will sometimes say, ‘Marc, hide your finger.’ Five minutes later I am talking like this,” as he points a finger in the air and laughs. “You take after the example you see and I always respected my father, highly.”

Despite coming from a family of great means and privilege, Reinarz’s father taught him and his siblings that one’s lot in life often comes down to luck.

“That was his attitude, and he hammered that into us, and it is a healthy attitude,” Reinarz says.

Reinarz’s parents have both passed away; he has also lost two siblings to cancer.

“You get educated by your siblings more than by your parents,” he says of growing up in a big family. “It made it easier for my mother.”

Reinarz holds on to the lessons learned growing up in a large family and uses them to guide his life.

In December, Reinarz will donate one of his kidneys to the sister-in-law of his best friend and old college roommate—proving his sense of family extends far beyond his remaining siblings.

There are so many layers to Reinarz that trying to provide a brief history of his life is challenging.

Inevitably, something will be left out.

However, it would be remiss if his relationship with his wife Sietje, was not highlighted.

The pair have been friends since they were both young.

Reinarz remembers Sietje coming around to play with his sister.

“I remember her, but she doesn’t remember me much from that time,” he says.

“Probably because I had older brothers who could drive,” he recalls while letting out a big laugh.

The two families eventually moved apart, Reinarz’s family to Canada, Sietje’s family to Luxembourg.

Years later, Sietje would come to visit his sister.

“She says she remembers me from then. Then I had a car,” he says with a smile.

The couple dated long-distance for four years before they got married.

Reinarz was studying in Calgary, Sietje was studying medicine in Leiden, in Holland.

He jokes their marriage was arranged but in truth, the couple has been friends for the majority of their lives.

“She keeps me grounded,” he says.

There is a picture on the Green Party’s official Facebook Page of Reinarz and Sietje from this year’s IPE.

Sietje is wearing an old Green Party shirt and Marc is wearing a new one; arms around each other, both are smiling.

The caption with the post reads: “Our shirts do clash, not these individuals who are close to 40 years together.”

“She is my best friend,” he says.

Reinarz says Sietje is his biggest supporter but admits her tone has changed since he first announced he was going to run for the Green Party.

“Now she starts to worry. Initially, she said jokingly, “go ahead, you are not going to win anyway. Now she says, if I win, she’s going to lose me.

She will never lose me.”

Voters across Canada head to the polls October 21.