Featur e
lized. Recently, he has put forward a Private Member’s Bill in an attempt to finally clean-up Question Period in the House of Commons. The Bill looks to bring some much- needed order and decorum to the poor displays of sound bites and attacks. Mr. Chong has to be commended for his efforts, especially because his own Party can also be held re- sponsible for many of the negative things occurring during Question Period, including attacks and avoiding answering a question. The problem I will have in defeating Mr. Chong, aside
from the comments just mentioned, is that he was a former Progressive Conservative and in his current government, he can be considered much more left than his Leader. I will never be able to attack a person like Mr. Chong,
not that I would stoop to that level anyway. So, instead, I will have to paint the line from him to his Leader. A vote for Mr. Chong is a vote for Stephen Harper. A strategy that isn’t really a secret because candidates and incumbents can win or lose depending on the leader of their party as we have seen in many elections over the years (Mulroney v. Turner; Chretien v. Campbell; Dion v. Harper). But regardless of whether or not I win or lose in the next
election, and trust me – I’m well aware of my chances, I am thankful to be running in my home riding of Wellington- Halton Hills, which provides an excellent proving ground.
26 Campaigns & Elections | Canadian Edition
A place to get your feet wet where the current MP won’t stoop to the lows other Harper insiders may go. I will debate and discuss issues. I will speak with as many people as possi- ble. I will run a tight, decent and honourable campaign. And when the results come in on Election night – whenever that may be – I will already be a winner, as I will be taking away so much in experience. But it doesn’t end there. When I was asked to run by
the riding Association, I had to commit to stick around for another election. I’m too young to have an ego that can be bruised or unable to handle a loss. Don’t get me wrong, I want to win, there is no doubt about that, but I need to give myself a chance to prepare and polish my skills so I can pres- ent myself as a formidable Member of Parliament. Someone who will work hard for those he represents. Someone that has earned their trust and respect. There are many types of people that become candidates.
Many are well-established, have held other public offices, run successful businesses, are lawyers or professors, or have some notable celebrity profile. They may also have a certain financial comfort and level of stability. Unfortunately for me, I need to keep working. I cannot afford to campaign fulltime even though I know that’s what I need to do if I have any shot at winning. My day job in politics keeps me very busy, not to mention
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