Blogging for the Tour - Part 2

Martha with an Edmonton Oilers T-Shirt!

HALL FINDLAY - 01

June 8, 2006

12:00 pm
After Martha's two-hour interview with Alan Kellogg, we hurry off to the LPCA Office for a lunch reception. The LPCA Office is full with interested Liberals. Martha makes some brief remarks - introducing herself, but more importantly, letting Liberals know of the reasons behind her run for the leadership. (We will get into this in more detail in a later post). Lots of Liberals agree that things need to change in the Party - both within its own membership, as well as its policies for Canadians. Carole Halko, Executive Director with the LPCA (and a wonderfully fantastic one, too!) whispers to me, "Martha is just wonderful!" Of course, I agree. We meet Harold Knopke, who is one of our committed supporters in Edmonton. Jennifer Krauskopf (who I know through the Liberal Party at the U of A) joins Martha and her tour bus.

1:30 pm
I quickly head off to prepare some final things at our campaign office in Edmonton. With a small crowd waiting for Martha's arrival, I check the clock - it's 1:45. Then I get a PIN on my BlackBerry - "Is there another way across the river?" I had instructed them to cross the High Level Bridge - silly, stupid me - and their bus is too high to go through. Someone goes out to get them. They are late, but a small crowd still waits for about 30 minutes or so to hear Martha speak. Ron Symic, past candidate for Edmonton-Sherwood Park (I was his Director of Communications), gets involved with a discussion about party renewal and inclusion and is clearly impressed with Martha's pitch to the members. I present Martha with an Edmonton Oilers T-Shirt with her name sown on the back. We then do a ribbon-cutting ceremony - and bang! Our campaign office is open!

3:30 pm

Martha and I speed down Calgary Trail and east on 34th Ave for a media interview with Radio Sangam (I definitely have the spelling wrong). This is a radio station for the East Indian community all across Alberta. The lady conducting the interview is a bit new to politics, but Martha does an excellent interview.

...to be continued...