The Green Party has put forward a candidate's name for the federal election, but it won't be putting on much of a campaign.

Philippe LeBlond, the owner of a local bicycle repair shop, will again run as the party's candidate in the 2006 election.

He was the Yukon's first-ever Green Party candidate in the June 2004 election, garnering 563 votes.

However, this time around, LeBlond isn't even going to be in the territory to run a campaign.

He will be heading to New Zealand next week for a seven-week vacation and won't be returning to the Yukon until into early February, well after the Jan. 23 polling date.

At a meeting last night, no one showed up beyond the party's organizers and only LeBlond was willing to put forward his name.

'I'm giving people a choice,' he said regarding what he hopes to achieve by running a non-campaign while overseas.

He added that despite his absence, he hopes the Greens will still manage to win a 'reasonable' number of the votes.

'There are people who like to vote Green,' said LeBlond.

There is no campaign team to go to Yukoners' doors on LeBlond's behalf.

He also said with preparing to move, packing for his trip and tying up loose ends in his repair shop, he doesn't expect to present any sort of platform or key issues to Yukoners prior to his departure.

However, LeBlond said he felt obliged to put his name forth, because he had indicated he would run again after his defeat in the 2004 election.

'It's important to be there and present yourself,' he said.

Lack of interest in this election isn't just contained to the Green Party, LeBlond added.

'I don't see much interest in the election from any of the parties,' he said.

If someone volunteers to run for the Greens, he added, he'd be prepared to step aside.

The Conservatives have yet to nominate a candidate. They are scheduled to do so on Dec. 17.

The Marijuana Party and Christian Heritage Party, which ran candidates in the last election, have not yet made any candidates public.

Liberal incumbent Larry Bagnell has been on the campaign trail since the non-confidence vote in the House of Commons on Nov. 28. The NDP acclaimed Pam Boyde last Sunday to represent it in the territory, as it did in the 2004 election.

LeBlond said he suspects the timing of the election and the issues being presented by their leaders are part of the reason for a lack of interest.

LeBlond is the son of French Canadian parents and was born and raised in Vancouver.

After graduating from a B.C.I.T. mechanical technology program, he decided to come up to the Yukon in 1992, having grown tired of Vancouver and its increasing problems with pollution.

After arriving in Whitehorse, he had trouble finding work in his field and became a bike mechanic.

Drawing on his experience from his post-secondary school days when he ran a mobile bike repair business, LeBlond set up a similar venture in 1994, travelling around the Yukon repairing bicycles.

However, he is now predominantly based in Whitehorse, out of a bus on Fourth Avenue.