Featur e
Testing the Waters, or Making Waves?
By Barry Peters I
t’s Tuesday, May 25th, 1:00pm. I’ve just finished hosting a fundraising breakfast with Justin Trudeau, the son of Canada’s most revered politician, as my guest speaker fol-
lowed by a visit to a local high school in Georgetown where he spoke to 700 attentive students. I’m excited and nervous. This was my first campaign fundraiser since becoming the nominated Federal Liberal Candidate for the Ontario riding of Wellington-Halton Hills. Getting to this point in my life at the age of 29 has been an interesting journey. Where I go from here will be even more so, but one way or the other, I am officially a candidate for political office. My name is Barry Peters, born in Kitchener-Waterloo
to two wonderful parents, Jack and Karen. I have two sib- lings Tessa, now a permanent resident of New Zealand, and Tommy, an Analyst for National Defence who will soon be preparing for a law degree. Since the age of five, when my parents divorced, I moved with my Mom to the small village of Rockwood, Ontario - a heart-warming, rural commu- nity, where warmness from strangers, great conversation, and fresh country air still exist. It’s a place that provides perspec- tive on the values of family, community, and an appreciation for the small things. Making the decision to give up my private life to move
into the public arena wasn’t an easy one. Now that I am soon to be under public and media scrutiny, I remind myself that I am pursuing something that I have wanted to do for a long time. When I was 16, I volunteered for Brenda Chamberlain’s
re-election campaign. She was the sitting Liberal MP for Guelph. I was responsible for literature distribution. This was my first taste of politics. At the time I probably didn’t un- derstand the importance of what I was doing, but I knew I enjoyed being a part of change and a team. I researched the Liberal Party, their values, history and
platform. I liked what I read. Many people I speak to now who work in politics seem to be members of the Party that first inspired them and for whom they first volunteered. The reason for getting involved could have been through a friend, curiosity, or school; whatever the reason, there seems to be a sense of dedication to that Party, as if one was tattooed with allegiance. I too feel this sense of duty. The Liberal Party, to me, is a party of opportunity. A Party
of values, tradition, diversity, equality and inclusiveness. The people I have met, the things I have experienced, what I have learned and the places I have gone, have inspired me to
24 Campaigns & Elections | Canadian Edition
Making the decision to give up my private life to move into the public arena wasn’t an easy one...I remind myself that I am pursuing some- thing that I have wanted to do for a long time.
want to be a part of this – in a bigger and more involved way. I feel they are the Party of big ideas and big visions, helping to make Canada a better place – the Canada Pension Plan, Universal Healthcare, Bilingualism, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. After venturing off into the unrelated field of IT recruit-
ment after high school, I received my next sign to return to the political field. A good friend of mine decided to run for City Council in Toronto and asked me to be a part of his team. Mark Grimes, a man I am proud to call a friend, is a politician unlike any other because he doesn’t act like a
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