If you care deeply about the political direction of Canada you can do something personally about it.It’s easy to scoff at the political system in comments on articles, phone-in shows, and elsewhere. But, talk only goes so far, and not very far at that.Running for office or supporting a candidate with their time, money, and vote are the most important ways to do that. In B.C., Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia, fall elections will soon make such efforts crucial.It is important and necessary to cast a vote for one’s favorite (or least unfavorite) candidates once every four years, but this is only a foundational part of political engagement. In swing ridings, the difference every election comes is made by legwork. This requires a sacrifice of people’s most precious gift–their time.This week, Carla Taylor-Brown began knocking on doors seeking a Regina Public School Board trustee position on November 13. “Parental rights” is one of her campaign emphases. In less than 24 hours, the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation put out a province-wide email calling for people to “step up” for school board elections across the province.Those with political savvy know how the game is won. Once the courage to step forward has been met, strategy, resources, and work, work, work, for months are the keys to victory.Examples abound. In 2018, Richard Martel won a by-election for the Conservatives in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord Quebec, a first for his party since the PC - Alliance merger. Martel, the winningest hockey coach in Quebec minor league history, recalled how his campaign manager insisted he keep knocking on doors even in the pouring rain. The coach was himself coachable, and remains an MP.BC is up for grabs in their next provincial election as the Conservatives and NDP are nearly equal in public support. But there is no way the Conservatives will stand a chance unless their supporters step up as campaign volunteers. This is a party that has risen out of obscurity too fast to have an experienced and well-oiled political machine.The Reclaiming Canada Conference, held in Victoria June 21-22, conveyed many important perspectives, but many speakers emphasized how knowledge alone would not change the country. Engagement was completely necessary.Conference organizers gave a few minutes of unscheduled time to a speaker who identified herself as only Natalie from Calgary. Between the lines, it seemed she was from Take Back Alberta, and she had some advice for the similar group BC Rising and conference attendees.“We managed to get rid of Jason Kenney, the liar. And we have another Nenshi now…And, I believe, we have the most freedom- loving premier in the country,” she said.“What may not be obvious is that Danielle Smith won the election, technically by about 2,300 votes in six swing ridings in Calgary. My father door-knocked in one of those ridings relentlessly, and that riding was won by 600 votes.”She said it should not be assumed conservatives will win, even in places reputed to be right-leaning.“I'm a very pragmatic person, and in the absence of a revolution All I see is that you have a choice in the fall..It's already going in a particular direction and you can work to steer in another direction,” she explained.“And we did do that in Alberta, and it was a lot of work, and it was a lot of very focused effort, and it was a lot of doing things I don't want to do.”The BC election will be held October 19, and this Albertan did not want the Eby NDP government to get a sequel.“I really want for you all to be able to make some moves and get some traction against the onslaught of ideological governance that you're currently experiencing. And I feel like you have an opportunity and I would be remiss if I didn't say so.”Actually, there’s opportunity all over the place. However, no promised land is won without a fight.Even the shadowy, mastermind forces know much comes down to ground-level politics. George Soros put $9.6 million into sheriff elections in 2016, including a successful campaign to defeat Sheriff Arapaio in Arizona. In 2022, he got leftist district attorneys elected in Iowa, Maine, and Texas. A backdoor way to go soft on crime is by soft policing and soft prosecution.Such agendas can’t easily prevail against strong, active resistance. In Winnipeg, the pandemic prompted contractor Patrick Allard into relentless bids for MLA and school board races.“What our problem is in Canada is because good people like myself, ignored politics for so long and we were just worried about running our own lives and not worrying about anything else. And we ignored politics,” Allard told me in past interviews.“Support those who are involved in elections, or involve yourself. And that's, I believe, how we can fix this, whether it's the World Economic Forum, the UN, WHO, whatever those are. They have ideas; the only thing that's going to beat bad ideas is better ideas. So use your voice, bring those better ideas to the table, and support those who have the better ideas,” he added.Saskatchewan readers ready to put their time and energy towards practical solutions have ample ways to do so. The provincial election is October 28, while municipal and school board elections follow November 13. People can still enter those latter races or contact their favoured political party or candidate to volunteer their help.People can even volunteer for campaigns in areas they don’t live in. Faytene Grasseschi, founder of the website DontDeleteParents.ca, won the PC nomination in Hampton-Fundy-St Martins. Anyone in Canada can donate to her campaign to win in the October 21 election, and even sign up to volunteer to make calls to prospective voters. She has said a dedicated volunteer can swing 400 votes.Are you retired and unemployed? Great! You possess the gift of time that wage earners do not. An army of you could change Canada.Whoever you are, reader, there’s something you can do. Are you doing it?
If you care deeply about the political direction of Canada you can do something personally about it.It’s easy to scoff at the political system in comments on articles, phone-in shows, and elsewhere. But, talk only goes so far, and not very far at that.Running for office or supporting a candidate with their time, money, and vote are the most important ways to do that. In B.C., Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia, fall elections will soon make such efforts crucial.It is important and necessary to cast a vote for one’s favorite (or least unfavorite) candidates once every four years, but this is only a foundational part of political engagement. In swing ridings, the difference every election comes is made by legwork. This requires a sacrifice of people’s most precious gift–their time.This week, Carla Taylor-Brown began knocking on doors seeking a Regina Public School Board trustee position on November 13. “Parental rights” is one of her campaign emphases. In less than 24 hours, the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation put out a province-wide email calling for people to “step up” for school board elections across the province.Those with political savvy know how the game is won. Once the courage to step forward has been met, strategy, resources, and work, work, work, for months are the keys to victory.Examples abound. In 2018, Richard Martel won a by-election for the Conservatives in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord Quebec, a first for his party since the PC - Alliance merger. Martel, the winningest hockey coach in Quebec minor league history, recalled how his campaign manager insisted he keep knocking on doors even in the pouring rain. The coach was himself coachable, and remains an MP.BC is up for grabs in their next provincial election as the Conservatives and NDP are nearly equal in public support. But there is no way the Conservatives will stand a chance unless their supporters step up as campaign volunteers. This is a party that has risen out of obscurity too fast to have an experienced and well-oiled political machine.The Reclaiming Canada Conference, held in Victoria June 21-22, conveyed many important perspectives, but many speakers emphasized how knowledge alone would not change the country. Engagement was completely necessary.Conference organizers gave a few minutes of unscheduled time to a speaker who identified herself as only Natalie from Calgary. Between the lines, it seemed she was from Take Back Alberta, and she had some advice for the similar group BC Rising and conference attendees.“We managed to get rid of Jason Kenney, the liar. And we have another Nenshi now…And, I believe, we have the most freedom- loving premier in the country,” she said.“What may not be obvious is that Danielle Smith won the election, technically by about 2,300 votes in six swing ridings in Calgary. My father door-knocked in one of those ridings relentlessly, and that riding was won by 600 votes.”She said it should not be assumed conservatives will win, even in places reputed to be right-leaning.“I'm a very pragmatic person, and in the absence of a revolution All I see is that you have a choice in the fall..It's already going in a particular direction and you can work to steer in another direction,” she explained.“And we did do that in Alberta, and it was a lot of work, and it was a lot of very focused effort, and it was a lot of doing things I don't want to do.”The BC election will be held October 19, and this Albertan did not want the Eby NDP government to get a sequel.“I really want for you all to be able to make some moves and get some traction against the onslaught of ideological governance that you're currently experiencing. And I feel like you have an opportunity and I would be remiss if I didn't say so.”Actually, there’s opportunity all over the place. However, no promised land is won without a fight.Even the shadowy, mastermind forces know much comes down to ground-level politics. George Soros put $9.6 million into sheriff elections in 2016, including a successful campaign to defeat Sheriff Arapaio in Arizona. In 2022, he got leftist district attorneys elected in Iowa, Maine, and Texas. A backdoor way to go soft on crime is by soft policing and soft prosecution.Such agendas can’t easily prevail against strong, active resistance. In Winnipeg, the pandemic prompted contractor Patrick Allard into relentless bids for MLA and school board races.“What our problem is in Canada is because good people like myself, ignored politics for so long and we were just worried about running our own lives and not worrying about anything else. And we ignored politics,” Allard told me in past interviews.“Support those who are involved in elections, or involve yourself. And that's, I believe, how we can fix this, whether it's the World Economic Forum, the UN, WHO, whatever those are. They have ideas; the only thing that's going to beat bad ideas is better ideas. So use your voice, bring those better ideas to the table, and support those who have the better ideas,” he added.Saskatchewan readers ready to put their time and energy towards practical solutions have ample ways to do so. The provincial election is October 28, while municipal and school board elections follow November 13. People can still enter those latter races or contact their favoured political party or candidate to volunteer their help.People can even volunteer for campaigns in areas they don’t live in. Faytene Grasseschi, founder of the website DontDeleteParents.ca, won the PC nomination in Hampton-Fundy-St Martins. Anyone in Canada can donate to her campaign to win in the October 21 election, and even sign up to volunteer to make calls to prospective voters. She has said a dedicated volunteer can swing 400 votes.Are you retired and unemployed? Great! You possess the gift of time that wage earners do not. An army of you could change Canada.Whoever you are, reader, there’s something you can do. Are you doing it?
