Nelson All-Candiates Forum Speeches

Opening Remarks

Thank you all for being here this evening, and thank you to our organizers who have graciously organized this excellent opportunity for us to all meet each other.

Over the last seven months, I have had the privilege of working with an amazing team of new and long-time New Democrats. Our former MLA Lorne Nicholson jumped on board, and so did my colleague Melanie Pieper who had never paid attention to politics before. So many people have come together to be a part of this campaign. We have different life stories and experiences, but we share the common value that everyone matters and that together we can accomplish great things. Indeed, that is what it’s all about: if we share our resources, together we will have something truly tremendous.

Seems a simple enough concept –one most of us learned in kindergarten actually, and one that we practice regularly at any Kootenay potluck. However, it seems that our neighbour Gordon Campbell was absent that day in kindergarten because he keeps rejecting the invitations to the potluck.

Instead, he hosts his own dinner where everyone brings a dish, but only a few of the selected guests get to enjoy the meal. The guests who don’t get to eat are feeling quite confused; they brought what they could and made the same effort as everyone else, but Gordon Campbell has said they have to wait until after the others are done. Then he gives the hungry guests some nice sun glasses. The hungry guests sit there in astonishment, wondering how these gifts will help. Gordon insists that they put on the sunglasses to see the world through the whole new lens. The guests put on the sunglasses and the world seems darker and more blurry, and they are of course still hungry. Meanwhile, those feasting grow larger, so much larger that they need to undue their belts and relax on the sofa where the hungry guests are seated. So out the hungry guests go, sunglasses and all, into the cold night.

As you can imagine the hungry guests are more confused then ever. Surely their meals must be coming soon, they think. After all, they too brought dishes for the dinner, and Gordon Campbell promised that all would be full from his dinner party. So they sit out in the night, with sunglasses on –and unaware of the Cory Hart song, or Reagonomics, don’t realize that they are part of a revived 80s trend. A couple of people ring the doorbell, a few others knock, one man shouts, “Hey we’re still out here,” but no one answers the door. One person says he’ll give it a try, but keeps missing the door when he goes to knock because his sunglasses are so dark he is almost blind. Refusing any help to knock on the door, he asserts “I’m sure Gordo will come to the door if we just wait.” But Gordon Campbell, nor any of his friends ever answer come to the door to see what has happened to the rest of the guests. They remain inside feasting and relaxing and enjoying the fruits of other people’s labour.

At this point in the story, what do you think the hungry guests ought to do? Should they go make their own feast and not invite Gordo and crew? Should they break down the door and jump through the windows? Should they call the police? Maybe what they should do is remove the sunglasses, open the unlocked door to the community hall, for this party is not happening in Gordon’s own house, and walk right back in, and show Gordon Campbell and company how sharing is meant to be done.

By taking the power back for the benefit of all people, the hungry guests see clearly, get warm and eat healthy, and so does everyone else. It’s a matter of that simple kindergarten lesson, sharing.

As our candidate, you can count on me to have the energy, enthusiasm and commitment to get everyone together to open the doors that will bring sharing back to this beautiful province we call home. Like you, I am NDP, and it’s what we do.

Closing Remarks

As I mentioned in my opening remarks, sharing our resources and their benefits is a simple concept with tremendous outcomes. Our land, our skills, our talents, our ideas, and our wealth when shared create a stronger more vibrant community, and if they do that for the community, they do that for the province, the country and the world. When we do this, we create a better future. These are the NDP values I hold near and dear to my heart whether as a City Councillor, leader of the Model parliament NDP Caucus, political activist, researcher, community coordinator, or neighbour. It is why one of my favourite political buttons in my collection is an old Saskatchewan NDP campaign button that reads “Let’s do it for Tommy.”

As a political party rooted in social justice and democracy, we have the potential to bring a new voice to BC, one it hasn’t seen for a while. As a proven voice for our region, I will bring a strong campaign to every corner of the constituency, meaningfully engaging our communities’ energy in the democratic process.

Together, we will show Gordon Campbell’s Liberals that he cannot rent a community hall for a dinner only to starve half the people attending, and baffle them in the process.

Together, we will show him that every one of us matters and the true act of sharing includes us all at the feast.

Together, we will build a better British Columbia.

Together, we can. So let's get started.

Thank you and good evening.