Craig Nobbs has been getting more than his share of laughs at all-candidates meetings.

It鈥檚 not because the 91原创 candidate for the Pirate Party happens to have a sense of humour, which he does, it鈥檚 because he insists on being honest.

If the issue Nobbs is asked to address is one of the many he鈥檚 spent long hours researching, he will have a detailed answer.

But if it鈥檚 something he鈥檚 not familiar with, he will admit it.

鈥淚 got nothing,鈥� he鈥檒l say, and promise to research the matter as soon as he can.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 like to wing it,鈥� he adds.

Audiences have tended to applaud as much as they laugh.

The 30-year-old married father of three, a businessman who works in information technology, says he learned the value of honesty working for his dad, a builder who preferred to promptly admit problems so they could be quickly fixed.

Given a few hours advance warning, he says he can gather enough information on an unfamiliar topic to make an informed comment.

During the current campaign that attention to detail has added hours to the time Nobbs spends time fielding email messages.

He is reluctant to use a form letter.

鈥淚 like to take the time to respond to people individually.鈥�

It would be a mistake to consider either Nobbs or his colourfully-named party as simply comic relief.

Both are quite serious about their core issues.

The Pirate Party of Canada is modeled on the identically named Swedish party that concentrates on issues of copyright reform, privacy, net neutrality and open government.

Pirate candidates have considerable leeway compared to other parties where people have to toe the party line, Nobbs says.

Asked to list the top three national issues, he places government reform at the top.

鈥淚f it [parliament] was a company it would fail.鈥�

He thinks a minority government is a good thing because it has to listen to the concerns of more people than a majority government, where 鈥測ou might as well throw away the votes of everyone else [who didn鈥檛 vote for the winning party].鈥�

Number two is protecting privacy in a time where companies routinely harvest personal information from cell phones, website visits and other sources.

Number three is net neutrality, forbidding web service companies from forcing some users to accept slower download speeds.

His top three local issues are B.C. wide concerns, starting with federal moves to protect the quality of education, a provincial responsibility.

He advocates freezing teachers鈥� salaries so more more teachers are hired and classroom size is reduced.

He wants measures to help the forest industry and believes health care should remain non-profit but not exclusively government-run.

鈥淲e need to get rid of old laws and regulations that don鈥檛 work,鈥� he says.

This is Nobbs鈥� second time running for public office.

He ran unsuccessfully for 91原创 Township council in 1999 as a member of the B.C. Youth Coalition, seeking better facilities for young people.

For a more detailed look at Nobb鈥檚 position on the issues as well as the policies of the Pirate party visit .