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 Last Call | 01.22.06
This has been a very long campaign. Results tomorrow night should show that our hard work over the last month and a half was worth it. With a strong platform, and a leader that people (especially youth) can relate to, I predict that the NDP will be playing a substantial role in the next parliament. Make sure that you exercise your right to vote! Posted by Kaila / NDP Excitement Builds! | 01.20.06
Although we shouldn’t have much left in the energy department, the dying days of the campaign have only served to invigorate us. The enthusiasm levels on the ’05-06 Conservative campaign trail have never been better. Looking SO forward to Monday! Posted by True Blue Traveller / Conservative The Icing on the Tour | 01.18.06 Don’t forget to vote Green on January 23rd!! Normally, we would have stayed home on a day like this. The streets and sidewalks of Montreal were pure ice. Accidents everywhere. But, alas, we must campaign on. We started the day with a 6:30am interview at TVA. We were a little late. As an Aide to Jim, I really hate being late. But the studio was a little further than expected and the weather was forcing pedestrians to walk on the street as the sidewalks were like skating rinks. Sophie Paradis, Green Party staffer based in Montreal, was able to help us find our way. We both got parking tickets while inside the television station. I still can’t seem to figure out the street parking in Montreal. Apparently, we were parked in a ‘no stopping’ zone. When I met the metre reader outside writing the ticket, he told me that I would be advised not to move the car as it may inspire another ticket. O.K.! Next stop: Edmonton, Saskatoon and Calgary Posted by Derek / Green Party The last week has finally arrived! | 01.17.06 It seems at some times like this is the campaign that never ends. While this may be the final week it also promises to be the most hectic and stressful. All campaigns have gone into hyper drive with more events, more rallies, and more cities and towns to visit. We are all tired, but also encouraged to know that we have worked hard as a team and to see that our message of change is resonating with Canadians. Only seven more sleeps to go and it’s all over! Posted by David / Conservative Jack on Demand! | 01.17.06 On Monday, Jack Layton was a guest on MuchMusic's Much on Demand. I was impressed. It was a great show. Jack pointed out the need for young people to vote. He spoke about the importance of the youth vote and highlighted how young people he knows personally have made a big difference in the past year. Jack has spent a lot of time at universities and colleges (you may not know, but he was a prof at Ryerson in Toronto for 20 years - all while representing his municipal riding) and each September. It was young people who asked Jack and the NDP push the government for more funding for education - he listened and in the fall had 1.1 Billion dollars transferred to education. On Much On Demand, Jack proved that he was a real guy. He was laid back, had a balance of serious and comical responses. He even participated in a bike race with VJ and host Leah Miller (and won, not that that is a surprise as he spends time in the gym everyday). VJ Devon Soltendieck mentioned that he had contacted both Harper and Martin to also be on the show but none of their parties returned his calls. Does this mean that the NDP is the only party that actually cares about the youth vote? That's what I take from it. With five days left, this campaign is going to come down to this: Can you support the arrogant and corrupt Liberals? No? Well, then can you support Stephen Harper who is wrong on every issue in the book? No? Well it's a good damn thing we have Jack Layton and the NDP as our third option. An option that cares about education and young people like me. Posted by Kaila / NDP Green Economics | 01.16.06
The Leader’s Tour passed through the Muskokas to meet with Parry Sound-Muskoka candidate Glen Hodgson. In the midst of the natural beauty and serenity, the residents have voted 8 per cent for the Green Party in previous provincial and federal elections. Talk about value-added labour, a key component of Green economics. In Port Carling, we visit with Stan Hunter, a local boat builder. His shop is feet away from his beautiful timber-frame house. He has several projects on the go, two employees, and he is booked up until 2007. Looking at his work, I am not surprised. Down the road, we visit another great example of a Green business. Stephen is a fine furniture maker. A white beard and a calm disposition, he fits the part. He extends his rough and worked hands in greeting. Sitting on a homemade contraption, shave-spoke in hand, Steve demonstrates how he forms the side pieces of his rocking chair. Renowned for their comfort, Steve spends the coldest months making these chairs. He also makes shaker chairs, cabinets, boxes and other furniture. His display room is filled with beautiful pieces. Jim buys a bird’s eye maple box for his wife, Lee-Anne. Later that afternoon, we visit the Barrie Green Party office, where Erich Jacoby-Hawkins (candidate for Barrie) has been busy, and so have his canvassers. Matt Castleman has visited seven to eight ridings so far. Matt is not your typical motivated canvasser, though; he’s 12 years old. Jim presents him with a “If I were 18, I’d vote Green” pin. We visit a third Green business, the Professional Touch Dry Cleaners. Proprietors David and Hong decided to take it upon themselves to green their business. A process called “Green Jet” uses a citrus-based detergent and centrifugal force to clean 85 per cent of the clothes that would otherwise be clean with the traditional chemical process. With Ford and General Motors laying off workers after accepting huge government subsidies, a math lesson finishes today’s blog. Centralized Power + Corporate Bailouts + Ecologically Irresponsible = Big Business Local Control + Environmentally Sustainable + Value-added = Green Business Next Stop: Toronto and Montreal Posted by David / Green Party The Calm Before the Storm | 01.15.06 In the morning, we take our time eating a nice breakfast that Derek and his mom, Joan, made. We are becoming regular guests at the Pinto’s; Derek’s parents, Joe and Joan, are always warm and hospitable hosts. At a press conference, Trees Canada Foundation Vice-President Michael Rosen make a presentation to Jim and David Chernushenko, Deputy Leader and candidate for Ottawa Centre. Michael is officially declaring the Green Party Leader’s Tour to be carbon neutral. Having calculated the distance traveled during the tour, we donated the equivalent trees to offset emissions produced. I am overcome with pride as the conference confirms why I am involved in this party. For the Green Party, the process is as important as the product. As we leave, canvassers are bundling up, preparing to brave the minus 20 weather. Their resolve and good spirit is humbling; all across Canada, volunteers has been spending countless hours driving the Green Party campaign. They are the most impressive, and vital, piece of the campaign. That afternoon, as we finish work at the central office, Matt Takach and Andrea Horan present Jim with a big card and a Green Party gold medal. The card has a doctored photo of Jim sprinting in the Olympics. It is fitting, symbolic of the sprint during the final week. The Leader’s Tour will visit most major cities one last time, at times, several in a day. That considered, we appreciate a more relaxed weekend. We have had some time to rest, reflect and reorganize for the last week. This has been the calm before the storm. Next Stop: Bracebridge, Barrie and Toronto. Posted by David / Green Party Hotel Pinto | 01.14.06 As we gather today in a Lola’s Coffee Shop in Deux-Montagnes (just north of Montreal), I am reminded of the cafes and salons of Paris, where radical ideas were discussed. Jim is meeting with three local candidates Marie Martine Bédard, Martin Drapeau and Lisse Bissonnette. After a crowd of supporters and regular citizens has gathered, each candidate takes their turn speaking about issues important in their ridings. Mari-Martin speaks with eloquence and passion, conveying her enthusiasm for Green Party principles. A deer herd that inhabits the forests in her riding has been reduced by three-quarters; she cites a study that attributes it to the use of pesticides and chemical pollution. She is working to protect green space in her rural/urban riding. She uses a fitting metaphor to describe the Green Party’s approach. “Si la maison brűle, ne fait aucune différence si la peinture est bleue, rouge ou orange.” And what happens if the smoke alarms are broken? Next Stop: Ottawa Posted by David / Green Party Smear Campaign | 01.13.06
I just turned on the television only to be greeted by the new American-style Liberal attack ads – what negativity! While Mr. Harper has focused on change and standing up for Canadian values during this campaign, the Liberals have reverted to their same old fear and smear campaign. I sincerely believe they don’t have any new ideas or polices to bring forth. Only 10 days left and I have a feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg for how low the Liberals will go… Posted by True Blue Traveller / Conservative |
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Today was the last day to rally the troops and get those marks in. What a long day. Blitzes galore. I was doing everything- watching a speech by a local candidate to ensuring that everything was prepared for the volunteers for tomorrow.
With only three days left to go the excitement is starting to build. 
The focus today was business: small, Green and sustainable.
Here we are, Day 46 of the longest campaign in 20 years. 
