John Lennard for YLC President

1.  Harper apparently found the toilet paper.  He apologized for his pooping incident, and Dion accepted his apology.  I say we move on to more important issues.  Like the economy.  Or eating kittens from outer space.  

2.  Don't be fazed by polls.  They go up and down, even until the very last day.  Case in point: New Hampshire.  I travelled down during winter break last year.  After Obama's big Iowa win, he received a huge bounce, and the pollsters said he would win by 10%.   Low and behold, Hillary ended up winning by three points. Lesson learned, friends.  Organization matters.

So a funny thing happened on the way home from school last night...

 I rode a Liberal campaign bus.

 That's right.  I'm walking home from school in the pouring rain, kicking myself for not thinking to bring an umbrella on a cloudy day  (hey, no one said law students were smart!).  I'm also a little pissed off.  It's 5:45.  I'm just leaving campus.  The Quebec campaign kickoff rally in the leader's home riding starts at  6:30. There's no way I can get from downtown to north Montreal in less than an hour (public transportation in Montreal is decent, but exceedingly complicated).  

All of a sudden, the rain slows to a drizzle.  The clouds part, allowing the tender warmth of the sun to shine through.  I look over to my right, and I see...  A big read bus with Stephane Dion's face across the side. 

 

 

 A miracle!  I start running after the bus, which happens to stop at a hotel right beside my apartment.  "Wow," I think to myself, "this just keeps getting better and better."  I look around the parking lot and spot an old friend of mine who works on the leader's tour.  I go up to him and we shake hands.  Trying to be subtle, I ask: "Hey, what's the easiest way to get to the rally tonight?"  He laughs at me: "Trust me, there is no easy way."  He pauses to think for a moment.  "Come with me."

He takes me across the lot to where two other busses are parked.  These ones are white, with the Liberal logo blazoned on either side.  "Media busses," he explains.  

 

 

 

He leads me onto the first one, and tells me to sit right up front, beside an RCMP officer.  One thing I've learned in politics is that when an opportunity presents itself, you shut up and take it.  So there I sat, in the front seat beside a security guard, for the ride up to the rally in Saint-Laurent.  The bus is jovial.  Cameramen joking with one another, quizzing each other on obscure Montreal trivia, complaining about the terrible roads in Quebec ("It's not construction work," I explain, "It's repair work.") I can see Roger Smith from CTV News sitting a few rows behind me, quietly working away on his laptop.  

 

 

We arrive at the rally, and a Young Liberal friend of mine watches me step off the bus.  He shakes his head.  "How did you pull that off?," he asks.  "Long story.  Be glad I'm here."

 It was a great event.  Three hundred Liberals packed the room and cheered on as candidates from across the province joined the leader on stage.  Stephane Dion was officially nominated as the Liberal candidate in Saint-Laurent-Cartierville.  He gave a fantastic speech, urging us never to forget what the stakes are in this election.  

 

 

 

 

He's right.  We have to keep plugging away.  And so I will.  

 

(**apologies for the poor quality of the pictures... Camera phones...**) 

Just watched Harper and Dion's respective news conferences.  I don't have much to say. Pretty boring stuff. 

What's more interesting, for me, is what goes on in the ridings, on the ground.  Case in point: Nickel Belt, where I'll be offering as much assistance as I can to elect Louise Portelance as Member of Parliament.  Granted, living in Montreal means that I'm eight hours away, but trust me: So much can be done remotely with a cell phone and an internet connection.  

Over the past couple of weeks, our biggest challenge was finding a reasonably-affordable, highly-visible and readily-accessible campaign office.  Until yesterday, it was looking pretty bleak, and we began to consider other options (A roving office?  A trailer, perhaps?).  Then last night, in a STUNNING turn of events (sorry, I grew up watching Larry King), I got the good news that we had secured not one, not two, but three campaign offices!  For a riding as ginormous as Nickel Belt (you could fit a few European countries within our boundaries), having a few satellite offices makes sense.  So take that, broken down Winnebago!  We'll be living the high life after all, thank you very much!

 So for anyone passing through Northern Ontario over the next few weeks, drop by and lend Louise a hand!

 

Valley East Office

(next to the Pizza Hut)

4544 Highway 69N, unit #3

Val Therese, Ontario, P3P 1P9

 

Rayside Balfour Office

Place Bonaventure

4764-10A, R.R. 15

Chelmsford, Ontario, P0M 1L0

 

West Nipissing Office

173 King Street

Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, P2B 1R6

 

 

 

A policy that should be at the forefront of our efforts, as Young Liberals, to push for real, measurable, progressive change.  Unfortunately, it isn't.  Yet.

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WHEREAS women make up 52% of the population in Canada within every regional, ethnic, and linguistic sub-community, yet represent only 21% of the House of Commons; 

 

WHEREAS Canada ranks 50th in the world for women’s representation in a national legislature, and is in the bottom three of the 10 most economically-developed countries in the world;

 

WHEREAS no political party has yet run a gender-equitable slate of candidates despite a myriad of commitments, quotas, policies or well-wishes;

 

WHEREAS the Government already extends a per-vote reimbursement for political parties to motivate electoral performance;

 

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Liberal Party of Canada advocate for Elections Canada to reimburse political parties $3.50 per vote cast for successful female candidates.

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Liberal Party of Canada advocate for Elections Canada to reimburse political parties $2.50 per vote cast for unsuccessful female candidates.

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT Elections Canada abandon this policy when the proportion of women in Parliament reaches at least 50%.

 

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I've just returned to Montreal after nearly a week back home in Sudbury, where I was helping my good friend and local candidate Louise Portelance.  She's a wonderfully dedicated woman who will make an excellent Member of Parliament.  

Like so many of our candidates, Louise understands what's at stake in this next election.  Good paying jobs, quality public health care, sound fiscal management, progressive social policies, a sustainable economy... She gets it, and she's willing to fight for it.  She's knocking on doors, making calls, shaking hands, speaking with constituents, raising money.  She gets it, and she's ready.

The question we as Liberals have to ask ourselves is: Are we ready?  Candidates can't win this next election alone.  They need our help, as activists and partisans -- but most of all, as organizers.  

The key to winning this next election is to have a rock-solid organization in ridings everywhere.  Canvassers, phone bankers, event organizes, data inputers, sign crews... The jobs may seem simple, but these people are the heart and soul of any campaign.  They keep the organization moving forward, reaching out to voters, achieving targets, and winning.

Young Liberals, with our boundless energy and fervent commitment to the cause, can be the best organizers in the party if we really wanted to be.  So let's turn in those summer sandals for a good pair of running shoes, and give'er!   A Liberal victory in October depends on it.

 

I spent yesterday evening canvassing in the Leaside area. 

 A few notes:

1. Leaside voters are refreshingly polite.  Not quite Stepford Wive-ish, but polite, nonetheless. Some people may be put off by a smile and a cheery attitude, but I've come to accept that some people are just plain nice.  Like a bowl of granola.  With vanilla yogourt.
2. Despite the fact that Leaside is the childhood home of the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, PC, MP, I did not witness any parents shaking hands with their seven year old sons.  Leaside voters may be a bit formal, but they're not robots.
3. Rob Oliphant will win this election because he works hard, boasts a solid resume, has an impressive grasp of local issues, surrounds himself with a brilliant campaign team, and understands the need to bring everyone together.  He's as comfortable in Leaside as he is in Thorncliffe Park, which, in my experience, is a rare quality.
4. Rob's office is, as he puts it, "creative."  A little different from what you're probably used to, but definitely workable.  Stop by at 33 Laird Ave (corner of Laird and Millwood).  If you take the 88 bus from St. Clair Station, you'll get dropped off right near the office.
5. The Bagel House, on Bayview just north of Millwood, is amazing.  Their bagels remind me of the Faimount or St-Viateur varieties in Montreal, sans the cool shop name (I mean, come on.. "The Bagel House"??)

 

I've never understood why people in politics are so fascinated with "kissing babies."  Sure, kids are cute, and for the eager politician anxious to establish his "softer side" bona fides, they make for a good photo op.  But beyond that, they're relatively useless, at least when it comes to campaigns.   Seriously, who wants a screaming toddler running around the office when you're working the phones?

 

Little old ladies, on the other hand, are political gold.  Their cuteness quotient may not be as high as a baby's, but their practical value soars through the stratosphere.  Whenever I attend an event, I scan the room for the teeniest, tiniest old lady, and immediately rush over to meet her.  Sometimes, I hit the jackpot and run into a group of them.   It's easy to make conversation because they always find young people so charming.  They'll ask me anything: Where I go to school, why I'm involved in politics, when I plan on getting married. They'll also tell me stories ("back in 1957, I had lunch with Mike Pearson...") and talk about their families ("you look just like my son, only darker...").  I listen carefully, with a big ol' smile on my face.

 

The key to winning in any campaign is to build a solid volunteer base, and senior women are a good place to start.  In addition to being kick-ass campaigners (nobody says "no" on the phone to a little old lady), they tend to fill that oh-so-important role of "office mom," making sure everything is in order and (more importantly) everyone is well fed.  I'll be honest, I'm not a fast-food fan; I'll take a home-cooked meal over a cheese pizza any day.  Little old ladies get it, and they deliver in spades.   Sandwiches, stews, pasta salads, cole slaw, even pot roasts... You name it, they'll make it, and more often than not, it'll be good for you.

 

But it's not just about casseroles and butter tarts.  It's also about votes.  This past Saturday, I was in Westmount-Ville-Marie working on the Marc Garneau by-election with a few friends.  For a while, I stood outside the office handing out flyers to pedestrians, reminding them to vote on September 8th.  Dorothy walked up with her husband Max.  Dorothy is 87 years old; Max is 91.  They're both life-long Liberal voters in Montreal.  Unfortunately, Dorothy figured they wouldn't be able to vote for Marc this time, because the polling location is too far from their home, and Max has trouble getting around.  I asked her if she considered voting by special ballot.  She had never heard of it.  With glee, I ran downstairs to the computers, printed off a couple of special ballot request forms, and went over the information with both of them.  They'll now be voting for Marc Garneau.  Even better still, I think I convinced Dorothy to come by the office and make some calls on Marc's behalf.  A vote and a volunteer - job well done, I'd say!

 

Moral of the story: Won't somebody please think of the little old ladies? They cook, they campaign and they vote.  What more can you want in politics?

It's Madonna's 50th birthday!!

Please understand that for a guy "like me" this moment is beyond wondrous. A celebration is in order, and I've been thinking of ways to pay tribute to the greatest human being since...well, the first Madonna.

I have no hair, so I can't go blond. I have no hips, so a Givenchy outfit won't do. What's left? That's right, folks: a "best of" CD with all the classics! Boring, yes, but don't cry for me, Argentina. A CD will be useful on the car ride down to Montreal (or as I like to call it, la isla bonita), where a few friends and I will be lending a hand to Roxane Stanners and Marc Garneau, our two local candidates in the upcoming byelections. I'll admit, I'm hung up on both of them. They're two terrific individuals who, like a prayer, have graced our party with a new energy and a real sense of purpose. They'll both make great additions to the House of Commons.

I also thought I'd use this momentous occasion to get back into the blogging groove. People with long memories will remember that I used to be a blogger. I'll admit, it's been a while, and I'm no longer as good at this stuff as I used to be. I blame law school. First year took the (very) little writing talent I had, shoved it into a blender, and turned it into a "Baby Gerber"-like mush of nothingness. But running for President of the Young Liberals of Canada gives me the chance to express myself again. I'm glad, because I've been speechless for far too long and, quite frankly, I've got a lot to say.

So what to expect on this blog? A bit of vision, maybe. Some policy, when I feel like it. A rundown of my day, from time to time. But most of all: Me, and what I'm thinking, here and now. Straightforward, candid, unfiltered (yes, that word is definitely overused...). Just me. And some Madonna.

And with that, my friends, this papa is done preaching. Forget about saving the world...I've only got four minutes to pack my bag!