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From
where I sit in Vancouver, I have
to say that the recent federal election
was amazing from one singular point
of view: rarely have there been
as many truly excellent candidates
to choose from.
Unless
you’re considered a “star
candidate” – which means
you have already a positive public
profile – it’s usually
hard for ordinary candidates to
become known in a federal election
contents. So much plays on the national
campaign, the leaders of the parties,
and the day-to-day spin that is
really driven by national media.
This
is too bad, because in this federal
election campaign, there were truly
some excellent people who offered
their names up as candidates. Some
of them were successful, and others
weren’t. So, despite the low
voter turnout, and the fact that
the overall picture changed only
slightly, it’s important to
recognize the significant contribution
many of these people made –
and how lucky we are to have them
work selflessly for so long.
Rising
Stars
As a federal Conservative supporter,
I was obviously very pleased with
the way things played out in BC.
Our party gained five new MPs in
BC, including two very hard-working,
bright and dedicated men in John
Weston in West Vancouver-Sunshine
Coast-Sea-to-Sky and Andrew
Saxton in North
Vancouver who will give more urban
representation in the Harper government.
This is good for everyone in Vancouver
and in their ridings, and not just
for Conservatives. You can bet that
urban infrastructure issues will
have a strong voice from these two,
who both have worked virtually non-stop
since 2006 to win their nominations,
get out into the community, and
hold together election teams in
the long-build up to this vote.
Congrats to them both, who are rising
stars and whose profile will only
increase in the next few years.
But
the federal Liberals as well sent
back two Vancouver-based MPs, who
have to be considered star candidates,
and who have worked tirelessly for
their party and their ridings. Ujall
Dosanjh and Hedy
Fry are not only
political warriors, but both of
them have built up well deserved
reputations for strong constituency
work, which never gets headlines
in the national press but which
effects very positive change for
the people they represent. Congrats
to them as well, and you can bet
that these two will have a significant
say in any rebuilding efforts the
federal Liberals may undertake.
If
you’ve ever had the privilege
of working closely on an election
campaign, one of the amazing things
that you see is that often the very
best qualities, and the most endearing
sides of candidates, can often be
seen in the cruel aftermath of defeat.
That
was clearly evident to me in a number
of ways on Tuesday night when I
dropped in on Conservative campaign
offices in Vancouver Centre and
Vancouver Quadra.
Lorne
Mayencourt
was the Tory candidate in Centre,
and an undisputed “star candidate”
in his own right. Lorne came up
short in what was an energetic and
positive campaign in a riding that
was closely watched by the whole
country – because all four
candidates were passionate, intelligent
and dedicated people who each would
be very strong MPs. Hedy Fry came
out on top, beating Lorne as well
as Michael
Byers of the NDP
and Adriane
Carr of the Green
Party.
Political
Instincts
As it became clear that the Liberals
were going to take Vancouver Centre,
Lorne addressed his supporters and
the large crowd in his office with
the same passion and honesty that
has made him one of BC’s most
effective provincial MLA’s
and a man who has delivered positive
change in his riding and elsewhere
on issues of crime, homelessness,
mental health and drug addiction.
He was gracious and flattering of
his rivals, admitted how badly he
would have wanted to win, but made
it clear he would remain committed
to continuing his efforts to help
people who need it most in any way
he can. Here is a man who has “public
service” hard-coded in his
DNA, and someone who still has so
much to offer – and he will.
We’re lucky to have him in
this city.
And,
at the Vancouver Centre Tory headquarters
that night was another Conservative
who was considered a “star
candidate”at one time –
former Kingsway MP David
Emerson, patiently
holding court for TV camera crews
on a night when he didn’t
have to be in the limelight and
could just as easily stayed home
to watch the results roll in on
TV.
As
everyone knows, Mr. Emerson was
elected as a Liberal in Vancouver
Kingsway in 2006 and crossed the
floor shortly after to join the
Conservative Party. He quickly emerged
as the most effective and high profile
cabinet minister in government,
cobbling together the softwood lumber
dispute, addressing infrastructure
issues that are needed for Canada
to remain globally competitive,
and took on Foreign Affairs before
deciding not to run in this election.
Mr.
Emerson is a skilled, professional
and intelligent businessman who
says that his “political instincts”
aren’t the best. Maybe –
and we all know the price he’s
paid for his switch, and it’s
understandable how his former Liberal
supporters were disappointed. But,
it’s clear that David Emerson
paid this political price because
he thought the right thing for him
to do was be in a position where
he could make a positive contribution
to Canada. At the end of the day,
he did what he thought was right,
and in his time in public service,
he absolutely made a difference.
You can bet that he will continue
to have the government’s ear
on a number of issues as he returns
to private life – and for
that we can be thankful.
Grinding
It Out
After leaving Vancouver Centre’s
Tory campaign headquarters, I went
over to Vancouver Quadra’s
Conservative campaign office on
the West Side of Vancouver. There,
Conservative candidate Deb
Meredith came up
just short in her effort to win
back a seat for the Conservatives
that has been held by the Liberals
for more than 20 years.
Deb’s
a business school lecturer at UBC,
and if ever there was someone who
could offer lessons in the art and
science of political campaigning,
it’s this woman. For the past
two full years, she showed enormous
energy, drive and passion for her
cause and her party as she has been
grinding it out through a very long
nomination campaign, a federal by-election
campaign where she came within 151
votes of pulling off the mother
of all election upsets in Quadra,
and the recent federal election
campaign. She’s door-knocked
in the wind and snow storms of the
winter of 2006, through the heat
of the summer, and through all the
ups and downs, never lost her energy
and ability to bring a campaign
team together.
Deb
was not a “star candidate”
by the traditional definition, but
anyone who worked with her on her
campaigns knows that she has star
qualities in spades. The throngs
of people gathered to support her
on Tuesday night as the loss unfolded
bear ultimate witness to what she
accomplished.
So, in the end, it’s easy
to be cynical, critical and dismissive
of “politicians” –
we tend to all do it all the time,
and millions of trees are sacrificed
every year to print pages of rants
and critiques of commentators in
the nickel seats on the sidelines.
That
shouldn’t take away from the
star qualities in many – if
not most – of our candidates
for public office. The ones above
are only part of that crew, and
I’m sure you know many others.
Next time you see them, thank them
for their efforts. They deserve
it, and they are what makes the
fabric of this country as strong
and rich as it is.
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