Now I’m sitting in the back of the Kiddermobile, brother Peter driving, sister Margot in the passenger seat, Peter’s partner Josėe across the table from me. The Liberal platform is being called “The Family Package” – it shows a real focused dedication to families from early childhood education through to post-secondary education, emphasis on health care for families and seniors and on to home care for sick loved ones. What a shift, long-overdue, from the market fundamentalism that now drives right-wing governments around the world. Compare and contrast, our English teachers used to say, compare and contrast.
Here in the van, it’s the Kidder Family Package. Peter has been managing our sign campaign – we’re placing only large signs around the riding, not contributing to the forest of plastic bags all over this beautiful landscape – I don’t take plastic bags home with a store’s name all over them, and I don’t really want a lot of plastic signs with my name on them either. The “sign wars” of campaigns in the past will, one hopes, fade into history soon. But in the meantime, it remains a surprise every time to see my name on a big red 4 foot by 4 foot sign by the side of the highway. Peter, John Rawkins, George Neilson and John and Barbara Yellowlees are having a fine time, and visibility is rising every day along the highways in this highway-intensive riding, and red “Vote Kidder” signs are blossoming on lawns and gardens along with the spring flowers. Momentum, momentum. It was Peter’s birthday yesterday – you’ve got to be dedicated to spend your birthday driving a brother around in a gaily decorated van – I do love my brothers, and it makes me very happy to have my family around me.
And campaigning with dear sister Margot is just a treat. Margie has been active in every Democratic and Progressive democrat campaign in the US – she’s knowledgeable, articulate and passionate – when we do interviews and meetings together, it’s like the old days at home, when loud and long political discussions were the main course at every family dinner. Between us, Margie and I were working on “Conservatives for Kidder” – a local civic politician and her husband, both original Reform Party members, are, like many other Reformers, so disillusioned with Mr. Harper’s betrayal of their fundamental principles on openness, ground–up decision making and public accountability that they’ll vote for me because I’m honest – that’s local politics of the best kind.
Our original families happen to us. We make other families throughout our lives. Running the campaign, not (regretfully) here in the van with us, is my partner Allie. We’re taking the acid test approach to a new partnership – if we’re going to be together for the rest of our lives, let’s start by testing ourselves as candidate and campaign manager in the crucible of a campaign. This particular campaign depends on all of us, but Allie is the sparkplug that fires the engine. We build families of choice this way, with love in good times and adversity. And we build communities this way as well, especially in smaller cities and towns. We build together, we work together, we find ways around difficulties, we get it done.
I’m gaining personal confidence every day – I am the best candidate for this riding, with far and away the best prospect for bringing the progressive vote together to defeat the Conservative here. And I’m learning to say that without embarrassment – I am the best candidate for the original Reformers who want trust and transparency, for the Progressive conservatives who want tight fiscal management and
unity across the country, for Liberals old and new, for social democrats who want equity, fairness and equality and a voice in a governing party, and for Greens who work tirelessly to put the environment at the top of the national agenda. I have personal resonance with people of the First Nations who saw their two years of work to put together the Kelowna Accord tossed away with spiteful disrespect, I was well trained by my grandmother and my mother and my sisters and my late wife Siri and my partner Allie to have an understanding of women’s issues, and I’m proud that Siri described me to her friends as a feminist. I have huge fun with new voters and young families – together we will Rock the Vote. I am honest and ethical and I love this riding and this country. I’m the best man for the job.
Together we will win this riding. There has not been a Liberal elected here since 1972 – it’s time for a generational turning.
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