Little old Liberal Ladies.

Simma Holt was in Town at a book signing this past week. Memoirs of a Loose Cannon. I hadn't seen Simmering Holt for many years so I thought it would be a good thing to visit the Laughing Oyster Bookstore, buy her volume, and get her autograph. As per the old Simma, she was unchanged still opinionated, still off in all directions the book appropriately named a Loose cannon for a reason.

For those of you who don't remember Simma Holt, she was the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway in the mid 1970's during some of the Trudeau years, a journalist, author and writer, former member of the National Parole Board.I have read a few of her books, the one that stands out was a Biography "The Other Mrs Diefenbaker" which I enjoyed learning about the spouse of a prominent leader of the Official Opposition. I have not read the latest book but I'm told the title says it all. Before I pass any further judgement I shall read it.

:)
Has anybody out there read it?

35 years for a promotion.

Congratulations are in store for the recent Officer to the Order of Canada. Can there be a better way to start off a New Year. From a Member to an Officer will it take another 35 years to be named a Companion. Congratulations my friend.

Iona Campagnolo, PC, CM, OBC

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (formerly, Chair, Fraser Basin Council)

The Honourable Iona Campagnolo, PC, CM, OBC, is British Columbias 27th Lieutenant-Governor. Campagnolo, a native of BC, began her distinguished public service in 1966 as a school trustee and later served as an Alderman in local government. Recognized on a national level for her community contributions and leadership in Prince Rupert, Campagnolo was honoured in 1973 with the Order of Canada. Shortly thereafter she was elected as the first woman Member of Parliament for Skeena; this was followed by her appointment to the Cabinet of Pierre Elliott Trudeau in 1976. In 1982 she was elected as the first woman President of the Liberal Party of Canada.

One of many founders of the Fraser Basin Council, Campagnolo chaired this distinguished body of British Columbians in its role as a non-government organization dedicated to sustainability. Campagnolo is also the founding Chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia, former Director of the North-South Institute, the Southern Africa Education Trust, Project Agnola and the Arctic Institute of North American and the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development.

Tis the season of open(ness) house.

This past week has been a "feel good about your (liberal)self" week . I only say that as a follow up to my last post from a couple of weeks ago. Our newly elected Mayor wants to be a delegate at the Vancouver Conference at the end of April. How does he do that? It's as easy as going online; renewing his membership; and BTW start a monthly donation to the Victory fund. Get the parents & kids involved as well.

These encounters at the heavily laden tables with rich tasting morsels at every Seasonal Open House has been rich in political discussions with conversations ranging all over the radar screen about Leaders. From a once staunch Progressive Conservative telling me that he was never a reformer always a conservative, stated simply "Stephen Harpers Canada is not MY Canada". This begs the question I never asked... so when are you going to be rid of Harper and bring in a Leader who shares your vision of Canada?

All this positive feed back now that Michael Ignatieff is my leader. Yes, it does feel good, very good indeed.

This riding association is in the process of taking on life that has been missing for close to 4 years. A very welcome turn of events.There is an AGM coming up in mid January where I expect an organization to rise up.

Confidence.

In just hours after Michael Ignatieff was made Interim Leader for the Liberal Party of Canada I've been approached by locals with their congratulatory comments.A City Councilor was so pleased he stopped me in the Lobby of the Community Theater to let me know, his words can be summed up 'At last the Liberals have a leader who can take on that bully of a Prime Minister'.

The following morning we are out shopping and just milling around looking at stuff when a voice calls out to me, 'hey Dove' ! when are we having a party to celebrate our new leader? what can I say. Everyone has been avoiding political discussions with me for so long this turn of events really has me baffled.

There really is an excitement that has not been around for several years. In fact both of the people had been members in 2004 like so many others they let their membership slip away, the past week of events has awoken the importance of Canada's parliamentary system which in turn has enlightened people to the reality of a minority government.

There is a confidence in the Liberal Party that bodes well for our new Leader, a confidence because Michael Ignatieff is that Leader.

Harper's Hatred is his weakness.

On October 14 the Canadian voters did not give this man the mandate of a majority government which he disparately wanted. In spite of all the barrage of fear mongering we received in our mail boxes during the 6 months preceding and throughout the writ period, he fell short in the eyes of the voters. Canada would not be in this grave situation today if Harper had extended his hand instead of taking a stick and poking, to provocation the Opposition who coalesced because of a real lack of leadership and statesmanship from the Prime Minister. Canadians elected another minority government with the hopes of that government really working for the greater good of all. Sadly that will never happen. The opposition understands that and they have (within our parliamentary democracy) agreed in a very focused and public way to work for Canada. Whether; or not this proposition is found acceptable by our Governor General, only time will tell.

Time sneaks up.

Who would have thought that more than a year would pass since my last post. The more things change the more they stay the same; except of course our age where time sneaks up only to find the future once infinity is reality.

During the past Federal election and living in a rural BC riding where there is only a trace of liberal on the political GPS, I went to work for Elections Canada. The writ was dropped on my birthday September 7th and within 24 hours the Returning Office had the special ballots voters room ready to go. I along with 2 other people would work special ballots. It was agreed we would work 6 hour shifts over a 12 hour day. 9am-3pm and 3pm-9pm.I signed on for the 9am-3pm shift and quickly discovered it would be the busiest time of day for voters who were heading south or would be away because E day followed Canadian Thanksgiving.

There is a very high learning curve with National Electors, Local electors,Mail in ", ballots for National voters and another for Local Electors, acute care voters,home voters, a combination of all of the above on a daily basis until 6 days before E Day. I really enjoyed the experience and was awed by Elections Canada assistance to our riding, all 308 ridings were going through the same process.

Special ballots do not have the names of the candidates, they are simply a blank space where you write in the name of the person of your choice, place the ballot in a (inside) envelope which then is placed in an outside envelope which has the Electoral district, poll number and sequence number of the voter, the voter signs the outside envelope and the SBC signs.... the voter puts it in the ballot box, a little bit of time 3-5 minutes and painless for the voter.Once the candidates have been approved and the regular ballot is printed, the blank ballots are only used for any voting outside the office.

This riding had a very hard fought race going where the special ballots were used by their respective campaigns, keeping the Special Ballot Co-ordinate rs on a steady pen in hand filling in the forms" process.When I was asked if I would like to do the Home vote in the final days of Special Ballots, I agreed and found myself taking the ballots and ballott box out to private homes where people who were elderly, disabled and very ill could vote. This was once I'd finished the 6 hour shift at the desk in the office.

The last day allowed for the Home vote was the Tuesday before election day and I went off after planning my drive around 3 communities and the farmlands to collect these votes. It takes more time than you would think to drive around looking for addresses buzzing into apartments or driving along dirt roads long driveways into places you thought you knew but didn't. I'm grateful our RO had a retired realtor who could tell me where some of the addresses were located.

That day was a emotional day for me when I arrived at the first stop the gentleman who wanted so desperately to vote was in a hospital bed in his own home with his wife and son with him. He had celebrated his birthday the day before,once that was done he was slipping away, it took some time and allot of effort on his part but he was so grateful I had come to his home as was his wife and son. I had a wave of melancholy he reminded me of my father the day he died after his birthday. I saw the Obituary for this voter just 3 days after I had been, he died before election day.
the next few places were elderly folk who were happy to know they could vote from home, Then there was a woman who started in on me the moment I arrived, that I was late, she had phoned the RO and demanded a mail in ballot, who #@^%! was Ottawa sending a person like me to her home with a phoney ballot and there was no way she was voting without a scrutineer present and on, and on. I was so taken aback that I apologized for any misunderstanding, I showed her the ballot and she used a magnifying glass to make sure it was legal, she yelled at her husband. She voted without apology and I went on to complete my day of home votes.

The last place on the list was a farm house along way out in the country, there were nay vehicles parked around the yard, the family were gathered a week early for thanksgiving. The father sat wrapped in a blanket a gentle smile on his face and ready for his ballot, there was much laughter and gratitude as this was something he simply must do, once he placed his ballot envelopes in the box he patted me on the shoulder and thanked me for driving so far out, he died on October 16th a week later.

Time sneaks up, until there is no time.

Wiser and wider. Being Liberal, what's in it for me!

Last week I celebrated a milestone birthday.

Mike, planned and organized quite the extravaganza starting with an invitation to my Sweet 60 teenth to many friends and neighbours that I have had throughout my lifetime.

Cards, no gifts with a contribution towards a commemorative seat plaque in the Sid Williams Theatre was all I requested. The invitation list included people across the political spectrum from the right to the left; a large number who are nonpartisan , a wee microcosm of Canada. The Seat plaques are part of an ongoing fundraising campaign "This seats for You" which assists with the maintenance of this wonderful community theatre. With slightly over $1,000 already collected it will purchase a Platinum plaque which I want to have engraved with the following.

<em>"What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play, life is a Cabaret, old chum, come to the Cabaret." Dove's Sweet 60 teenth September, 2007

Which brings me to the purpose of todays blog. A question asked by one of my Conservative neighbours. What makes you tick? Why would you turn a Birthday into a Fundraiser for a community organization? You did it for your 50Th and now your 60Th and I think it is a wonderful idea, both of your ZERO birthdays have been a whoppin success.It certainly beats waiting until a person dies to donate to a cause.

I really had to think about my answer and I realize it has alot to do with being a card carrying member of the Liberal party, Not that every Liberal thinks like I/we do but there was a group of us active in Vancouver Quadra and Point Grey Liberal associations who worked against all odds back in the years where no liberal ever got elected. Those years I was part of the BCWLC, the heart and soul of the Liberal Party. We organized fun events raising money for our ridings, theme dinners taking over entire restaurants, Brock House, The Afghan Horseman, every visiting MP and Cabinet Minister wanted to play piano, sing or act in our skits, we had fun and lots of it. That was then. Since 1984 JNT was elected in Vancouver Quadra and a series of other Urban ridings elected MP's the Liberal's are all about power; they have no idea that it must also be FUN.

Living in paradise has changed much of our focus to local politics and doing the things we can, where we live , which is not Liberal. because we are Liberal we have the ability to fit in with every group, we can have people who are diverse come together for a personal party and all have FUN, give to the same cause.

Yes, I am wiser and wider. The Liberal Party has not been good to me, I have been good to the Liberal Party.

Safety Check.

"Gas...on!"
"Wings,.... on !"
"Kick the tires!"
"Light the fires!"

And be sure to fasten your seat belt securely.

After the inquiry into the Snowbird Pilots untimely death three months ago, the findings were that his seat belt was not securely fastened.

It saddens me to think ...if not a faulty seatbelt then it must have been Pilot error.

Reflections

Last night my husband and I took our mugs of hot chocolate and lawn chairs out to watch the Milky way, satelites and shooting stars. We are ideally located overlooking the Strait of Georgia, calm water that reflected the sparkle of lights from one of the many cruise ships that slip past each night.

We lost count of the satelites, there were so many passing overhead, some moving in a northerly direction, others brilliant in the reflection of the sun long gone from our vantage but somewhere out over the Pacific, the space shuttle, in her orbit around the planet perhaps. A Canadian Astronaut space walking and repairing tiles outside the shuttle. Imagine !

Reflecting on the first time I saw a satelite, in the 1970's with my father who taught me about constellations, nebula and planets, it was only a few years since Man had walked on the Moon in 1969, the year my husband and I were married. That night I had asked my Dad if the human eye could see the stars in orbit, actually moving through the sky. He explained that we should find a fixed point, such as the branch on a Douglas Fir nearby and watch the star at it's tip. Wow, the star moved in a steady line and shocked us, as we had not fixed on a star at all but a satelite instead.My father called the Base in Comox, where it was confirmed, it was indeed a satelite.

Reflecting on my Father who would have been celebrating a birthday today, instead we mark the 10th anniversary of his death tomorrow.He was the major influence on my life, I beleive he still is and shall always be.We will take my Mother out for Chinese food at her request on this; what would have been Dad's birthday.

Those shooting stars we saw last night, remind me that they are much like life itself, a fleeting light that's gone before you can reflect on it.

Reflections of the need for more women in politics, every single 3rd world country is discussing it. Countries of the western world are having conferences on it. the only advice I would give is "Do It" but Nike has that line.

Photograph Puzzle

Photograph Puzzle: " http://two.flash-gear.com/npuz/puz.php?c=v&id=1723561&k=63102109"

The Amazing Mrs Pritchard

The Knowledge network on Shaw cable is showing a BBC Northern Ireland Drama series called The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard Sundays 8:00 DST here on the West Coast. I'm just curious to know if any of you are watching it too?

www.BBC.co.uk/amazingmrspritchard/

Dieing, doing what he loved...................

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds are one man disadvantaged with the sudden death of Shawn MaCaughey No. 2 Inner right wing in a tragic accident doing what he loved to do. The Snowbirds represent the professionalism, dedication, and team work of all women and men in the Canadian Military, and I am very saddened by this event.

I am a daughter of an RCAF Pilot the late F/L Harvey Carnahan, I know the deep ( right to the bone)feelings family's have when their son, brother, father, husband, friend are killed in such a tragic accident.

Only, a few weeks ago the very same Snowbird's were practicing their breathtaking and inspiring aerial displays over the Comox Valley, Shawn McCaughey was in year 2 of his tour flying the CT-114 Tutor jet.I was fortunate to meet the entire Snowbird Team and get all their autographs.

I am an Air Force brat, who loves the sound of airplane engines, for the past 15 years I have stopped anything I'm busy at just to watch the Snowbirds practice over the beach in front of my home. I have sat on the hood of my car watching them take off in formation. I have watched them at airshows in Comox, Abbottsford, and Ottawa. I am always impressed with the skill & precision the training our Forces receive. I remember my father talking about flying the "M" in formation for Margaret when the Princess visited Canada in the 1950's. My dad was a Flying Instructor with the RCAF teaching NATO students how to fly.Dad died 10 years ago of complications with Diabeties, I know he would have been happiest: dieing, doing what he loved...

I'll always miss my Dad.

I know the McCaughey family will always miss Shawn.

This is what the World thinks of Canada's New Government.

Dear fellow Canadian Moveon members,

Wow, I couldn't believe it when I heard about our government's sneaky ways of undermining the world's efforts to stop climate change. This week, the press reported Al Gore calling the Harper government plan on CO2 emissions "a complete and total fraud…designed to mislead the Canadian people". Recently, Canada also received the international "Fossil Award" for misleading countries and quietly undermining international efforts at the climate negotiations in Kenya.

Canada? Misleading people and undermining the world's efforts to save their children's futures and stop deadly flooding, storms, desertification, diseases? Not my Canada. Surely not.

Well, it's true. And now I'm a strange mixture of hopping mad and really sad. This isn't our country, not one bit, and we need to let our Prime Minister know which country he's leading, and remind him that he works for us. Please click below to send a message directly to Stephen Harper asking him to come up with a real plan on climate change that doesn't disgrace our nation and let down good people around the world:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/harperdotherightthing

Will the Prime Minister do the right thing this time? It's an election year and he has a minority government. If he knows he can't fool us with a fake plan, he'll have to meet our demand for a real one that doesn't put Canada almost 20 years behind schedule on the Kyoto treaty targets.

We'll need one heck of a flood of messages to get him to finally listen. But Avaaz - the new global community co-founded by MoveOn - has over 100,000 members in Canada. If each of us can respond to this message, and then forward this email to a few friends, that's going to add up fast, maybe even to the number of voters that tipped the balance for Harper in the last election. That's a number he'll notice. Oh Canada, let's do it!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/harperdotherightthing

With much respect and hope,

Ricken Patel,
Director
Ceasefire Campaign/Avaaz.org

PS - Here's some links and more information on this issue:

David Suzuki Calls the government's new plan a national embarrassment: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/latestnews/dsfnews04270701.asp

Reuters reports Canada receives international "Fossil" award for misleading countries on climate change: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/39038/story.htm

Al Gore Calls Canada's Climate Plan a Fraud: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070430/ap_on_re_ca/gore_canada_warming

Homo Urbanus arrives in Africa.

Stephanie Nieuwoudt | Nairobi, Kenya



20 April 2007 01:18

This year marks the birth of a new "species": Homo urbanus. For the first time in history there will be as many city dwellers as rural inhabitants in the world.

The executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Anna Tibaijuka, coined this term to describe the rise in city and, consequently, slum dwellers. She was speaking at the 21st session of the governing council of UN-Habitat, which ended on Friday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

This is the year that sees the number of slum dwellers rise to one billion people -- a figure that could double in the next 13 years. In the Southern African state of Tanzania alone, the growth in the urban population is about 6% a year, which is twice the rate of the average growth rate of the population.

Tibaijuka told delegates at the 21st session that cities in the developing world will absorb 95% of urban growth in the next two decades. Much of this growth will happen in urban slums where the goal of achieving the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is elusive.

A lack of sanitation, safe drinking water and health services will compound social insecurity and exacerbate the prevalence of maternal mortality (MDG 5) and the spread of illnesses such as respiratory problems, diarrhoea, malaria and HIV/Aids (the latter two fall under MDG 6). High child mortality rates (MDG 4) will also remain a huge problem.

Necessities
Tibaijuka said there is a perception globally that slum dwellers do not have money. Yet, even if they are poor, they spend substantial sums on basic necessities. Slum dwellers pay four to 100 times more for water than affluent people do. For example, in Kenya water is sometimes obtained from portable sources such as water trucks.

These are government-owned vehicles driven by public servants who sell water to poorer communities. Or they belong to private entrepreneurs who get water from boreholes on their own land. There have also been cases in Kenya where water -- which is sold at inflated rates -- was obtained from contaminated sources, leading to diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid.

People living in slums also spend large amounts of money on housing. Especially in Africa, these dwellings are erected on public land that was grabbed by slumlords who then built makeshift accommodation.

A study by UN-Habitat showed that the costs of building shacks were, on average, recovered within nine months. Whatever the tenant pays thereafter is pure profit for the "owner", who has no title deeds and therefore no legal claim to the land and no right to rent out the shacks.

Tibaijuka said that many are "owned" by rich people living in plush estates and that it is unacceptable that they rent out dwellings without supplying water and sanitation facilities.

The swell of urban residents will also see the gender education gap widening, making it difficult to reach MDG 3, which focuses on promoting gender equality. Poor families find it difficult to generate funds to send children to school.

The UN-Habitat publication State of the World’s Cities Report 2006/7 states that in Uganda and Zambia 74% and 51%, respectively, of young women between the ages of 15 and 24 cited a lack of money as the main reason for dropping out of school. Girls in slum areas are also four times more at risk of contracting HIV.

Interestingly, the report does not show any clear pattern regarding the urban-rural divide and women-headed households. In Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda, these households are found mostly in the rural areas. In Burkina Faso, Chad, Central African Republic, Egypt and Tanzania, most women-headed households are found in urban slums.

Deprivation
Not all slums have the same degree of deprivation, but UN-Habitat found that slums in sub-Saharan Africa show the highest levels of deprivation. About 80% of the region’s slum households have one or two "shelter deprivations", while almost half of all households suffer from at least two deprivations.

"Shelter deprivations" are lack of water, lack of sanitation, overcrowding, non-durable housing structures and a lack of security of tenure.

While countries in North Africa has seen a declining trend in the number and proportion of slum dwellers, countries in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced average annual growth rates of 4,53% in urban slum populations.

This trend is partly attributed to the declining economies of some countries in the region, the high prevalence of HIV and conflicts.

According to the State of the World’s Cities Report, South Africa is the only country in sub-Saharan Africa to have succeeded in "making good progress in basic service provision to the urban poor, which is reflected in low to almost stable slum growth over the last 14 years".

However, there are still more than eight million South Africans who lack adequate housing and basic services. -- IPS

On Leadership

I am in a business where I meet many folks, our Guests come from all over the globe, mainly they come from the lower Island, greater Vancouver and the ROC ( rest of Canada)to get their Island Time. With Westjet(3) and Air Canada (1)regular flights daily to the Comox Valley, they come in all shapes, sizes, colours a microcosym of the Western world.

Most recently we had a man who is a relatively new Canadian, he arrived in Canada with a wife and child from an eastern block country. He has stayed with us before and we have become friends. Among many things he loves about Canada is having our Charter of Rights and Freedoms where he can talk openly about politics.

It was an innocent question he asked just as he was departing for the evening.It was one that floored me.

Is Dion as weak as he appears to be

I pulled my thoughts together, knowing that I could not dance around this subject and said.
No, he is only as weak as Stephen Harper wants him to appear.

Proof of Global Warming....

Judy Erola & Pat Carney....today's interview on CBC

2007 All political Party's are busy recruiting woman candidates, and this interview with 2 of the very few women elected to the House of Commons 20 plus years ago were very candid in their discussion on CBC radio this morning.Both these women came at it from a different perspective.Neither of them were really aware of what they were getting into.

What they didn't say. Both of them were single parents;Pat Carney had a teenage son, she represented Vancouver Centre a 3,000 mile 3 hour time difference to and from work, which included night sittings, committee work and the constant concern for her son. When asked if she would do it over again, she cautiously stated not with a teen age son, but definitely later in her life.Pat Carney, made the National headlines when she raised the topic of Air Canada Passes for the spouses of Member's of Parliament and not for the children of same. All Members of Parliament can thank Pat Carney for the change that resulted where the children of MP's did get passes to fly Air Canada with their parents.

Judy Erola,the mother of 2 daughters, from Sudbury,the same time zone, where her base was close to the riding she represented. When asked if she would do it all over again, she answered in a Heartbeat.Judy, had been active in her liberal riding association where she believed building a base of support from within the party is critical.

What they did sayAll the credentials, degrees and formal education doesn't interest Pat Carney, it is how many bums you can get into seats at the nomination meeting that count.

Judy, is a strong believer in the nomination process, she made it sound like the ritual of initiation preparing you for the long term. Being a Candidate is not for the faint of heart.

Pat Carney also talked about recruiting the right candidate, over the years she has been the point person for the Conservative party on the recruitment of women candidates in British Columbia. Women who have young children, teen agers or adopted children really have to consider where they plan on raising the children, she commented that maybe the Municipal or Provincial level is best.

My own thoughts.
Times have changed, there are more married women seeking nominations and getting elected then ever before but it still lags well behind the number of men. It is not news any longer when you hear of spouses who are both active as candidates, as operatives in their chosen political party. Now, is the time to have more women up front and elected.

Sharing The Keys to Power.............Stephane Dion is !

IWD International Womens Day

Today is a good time to provide some information to all women Liberals who think they are ready to use the keys to Power.
The NWLC and all the affiliates across the country have renewed their efforts to encourage the participation of women in the LPC.

Herefollows a recent email sent to the women in BC which is a good starting point.It is worthy of sharing with the readers of this blog.

e-News from BC Women's Liberal Commission
March 8, International Women's Day
National

Liberal Women's Caucus

Liberal Women's
Top Ten Ways the Harper Government has Failed Women


1
Removed "equality" as the main goal of the Women's Program at Status of Women Canada;

2
Cut $5 million, or 43 per cent, from the operating budget of Status of Women Canada;

3
Changed the rules of the Women's Program to eliminate equality-seeking organizations from qualifying for funding;

4
Changed rules of the Women's Program to prevent groups from advocating on behalf of women;

5
Changed the rules of the Women's Program to allow funding for for-profit groups. The struggle for women's equality is not a money-making venture but a grassroots effort of committed activists;

6
Gutted the research and policy capacity of Status of Women Canada, which will deprive groups of valuable information for use in public education products, government briefs, and for the development of public policy;

7
Closed 12 of 16 regional Status of Women Canada offices, which will eliminate the connection between the federal government and women in their communities;

8
Eliminated the Court Challenges Program and disbanded the Law Commission, handicapping the ability of women, particularly Aboriginal and minority women, from defending their human rights;

9
Eliminated $17.7 million from literacy programs, making it even more difficult for women to gain the skills they need to make a better life for themselves; and

10
Eliminated the Liberal child care agreements and replaced them with $20 a week and no new child care spaces, in spite of the fact that almost 71% of mothers with children under the age of six are in the labour force.


Thanks to Sean Holman at PublicEyeOnline I have perused this website www.equalvoice.ca where you will find a link to Online Campaign School " Getting to the Gate".

There was a time when the BCWLC ( late 70's early 80's) ran annual workshops at the AGM,s designed to encourage women Candidates in every aspect of a campaign from nominations through to the reality of (role playing) door to door canvass.It is the personal contact that gets the vote.

By the early 1990's there was a group of women (triparty) who held annual "Winning Women Campaign" workshops, bringing in the professional Communications people and really assisting women at the Municipal level, noteably more and more women have been successful at both the Municipal and Provincial levels. That is a good thing.

What really needs to happen and it is confirmed on the www.equalvoice.ca website is the need for federal political party's to nominate more women candidates. Getting to the Gate sounds great, but.... you still need the key to get inside.

The Liberal party has it's challenges as do the other political party's because we do not want to see the headlines that "Men need not apply".

Thoughts on nominations !

It was all tha gingseng in the ColdFX that had me believing that appointed candidates are the way to get the nod. The reality is that I am a democrat, I beleive in the full participation of people in the political process.Although I will not outright dismiss the extra special appointment of a Candidate, I like to see a real contest at the riding level.

Whilst the federal riding president of VIN, I pulled together a very eclectic group of Liberals from every area within this riding. Ideally a person in every Poll with the target of an election day always the driving force. It is the Human Factor that skews everything in Theory, and putting together a organization takes time, years in fact. For the better part of 3 years, we had monthly meetings alternatively between Campbell River, Comox Valley, Port Hardy and even one in Gold River driving through a snow storm to get there. This was in the lead up to the 2003 leadership and the 2004 election which followed shortly thereafter. The building of the organization started to gel when we had our Twin MP Andy Scott (Fredericton N.B.) into the riding one hot July week.

Three very strong potential Candidates went on a recruitment membership drive. This was no easy task at that time because the 5 membership forms at a time were the rule ( ludicrous) a constant bone of contention for all three and one that was never lifted during the entire process. In spite of that the riding saw membership grow to 1140 which was a major feat given the BS we had to put up with and I attribute to the anticipation of Paul Martin Leading the Liberal Party of Canada.Because of the growth in our riding the LPCBC Campaign set our Nomination into motion immediately upon the lifting of the Green Light committee. It was the one and only window of opportunity to get a Liberal Elected on VIN.

We scheduled the nomination meeting in the Comox Valley and had polling places in Campbell River, Port Hardy and Gold River so it was up to each Candidate to GOTV.My thoughts on this was that each of them would show their organizational abilities and we just might be able to hobble together a 1 person 1 poll for E Day.

We were so well organized we did it all in our own riding without intrusion from the LPCBC Campaign altough there was a flying swat team that came to see and hear us on the day of, they didn't stay around long but they did show up.

A candidate was nominated 4 months before the writ an Ideal situation.

Not really, the Candidate decided he did not need the Liberals to guide him, he had his own parallel organization and laid down his plan with no consultation because damn it he had a campaign organizer who was going to show us how to get elected.A campaign organizer who beleived in deficit spending.They blew off the liberal association but blamed the associtaion when it all started to fall apart..

How many riding assocations go through this same sort of thing? There are all kinds of stories like this one, and sadly this organization fell apart. Here we are 3 years later and no one knows what kind of deal was set between the 2004 Candidate and his recruited Candidate in 2006 ( neither of them even live in the Riding anymore), not even in British Columbia.

What's even sadder was the Guy from Northern Ontario who became the Riding President in 2005 attending the Federal Council Meetings but never calling a meeting in the riding. Once again he was going to show us how to get the job done, because damn it in Northern Ontario they can elect a Liberal MP.He talked the talk but never walked the west coast walk.The LPCBC was contacted by other executive members and all the pleas for help fell on deaf ears.Here we are in March 2007 with another federal Election looming, a VINFLA AGM set in 2 days time, no potential candidates, we have a new leader in the person of Stephane Dion, will his Environment Platform work here, it should but it won't.

A harsh as this may sound, this may just be one of 308 ridings that should have a name on the ballot because without an organization or any fundraising, it just is not fair to ask anyone............. seriously.

Walls...................

The following is an excerpt from an email sent to me by a former Liberal Cabinet Minister, Privy Councillor, Order of Canada, Order of BC recipient.

Speaking of Walls, if you see a Globe and Mail today look at the large picture on the front page...The Government has put up a blue brick wall, fronted with flags as a backdrop for External Minister McKay, Ms. Rice and Mexico's Foreign Minister's forthcoming new conference....in order to cut out the Statue of Lester Pearson and the Nobel Peace Prize that would ordinarily have been seen in pictures (it is in the main entrance Hall of the Lester Pearson Building)! I doubt Canada has ever seen such a Partisan performance.

Hatred is a weakness, and I believe Stephen Harpers Hatred of the Liberals and all we have done in building this country will also be his weakness when the opportunity for Canadians to elect a real Prime Ministerial Leader Stephane Dion at the next federal Election. PMSH is counting on election fatigue in keeping him in power just long enough to show his real contempt for all things Liberal.