Monday, August 21
It was exciting to be back in Vancouver. I used to live here until 1998 (I live in Edmonton now), but many things have changed. It's just a HUGE city! After an hour-long taxi ride from the airport to Surrey, I met Martha. It was great to see her. I wasn't able to catch the FLAG debate, but Winnie (another hard working volunteer for Martha from Edmonton who flew with me to Vancouver) and I joined hordes of other Liberals at a nearby pub and had a blast.
Tuesday, August 22
The real work began today! I woke up early in the morning (beautiful weather, and the scenery of downtown Vancouver from my room was just gorgeous!), met with Martha, and we went together to a roundtable discussion meeting on homelessness hosted by Senator Larry Campbell. It was very well-attended. I was sitting alongside assistants and campaign workers for some of the other leadership candidates...and I realized that I was not the most BlackBerry-obsessed individual on the planet. Whew. Halfway through the meeting, a homeless individual walked in and told us some shocking stories of being a homeless person in downtown Vancouver. What was most impressive was the fact that he was part of a collective effort to build shelters and outdoor latrines for the homeless in Vancouver. His comments drew a loud applause.
After the morning discussion, Martha, Winnie, and I walked with two of the other candidates - Ken Dryden and Hedy Fry - to a bottle depot that was created as part of an effort to assist homeless individuals - United We Can. Ken Lyotier, the founder and manager of the depot, gave us a tour of the facility.
The tour took a bit longer than we thought and Martha was a bit late to her first National Caucus meeting. Winnie and I got a brief break, so we decided to walk through downtown for a bit and catch a bite to eat at a local sushi bar. Having observed Martha in action in the past, I always recognize the need to get her food! We chipped in and got Martha a bento box, which Martha ate with delight. We were so happy!
Martha, Winnie and I sat outside the convention centre...not to discuss politics, or the campaign, but surprisingly, the Women's Caucus Debate...which was to take place in 30 minutes. We quickly brainstormed a couple of pointers before it was time for Martha to get inside, wait, and walk onto the stage! Martha, as usual, did fabulously.
After the debate, Martha attracted a bit of media attention. James McNaulty from The Province wanted to chat and write a profile on her. They had quite a long chat, so we left them and walked through downtown again. The things to see are endless!
Wednesday, August 23
Another early morning...beautiful weather! I couldn't believe how active the city was in the morning. Winnie and I both shared a scone and had some coffee before joining up with Martha and escorting her to the convention centre. After realizing how underdressed I was in comparison with some of the other "politicos" at the convention, I wore a nice suit with some black dress shoes that killed my feet. After quickly deciding to host a meet and greet reception at the hotel, we walked down Robson Street to find a printer to print off some invitations. We delivered some around the convention hall, and I made the effort to pass one off to Keith Boag of CBC fame.
At 3:30, we held a very well-attended reception. It was packed with Liberals who came to hear Martha's ideas. We were also quite suprised that Keith Boag dropped by and listened to Martha for close to two hours. I could see that he was very intrigued...and very impressed!
Later in the evening, we quickly went off to the main convention hall where hundreds (maybe even thousands) of Liberals rallied together to hear Bill Graham and the leadership candidates. Martha delivered a powerful speech (and a powerful whistle...that's another story) and was surrounded by Liberals who wanted to congratulate her on an awesome campaign. MP Judy Sgro also joined in the praises and gave me a nice hug. (We met the day before a couple of times...)
The Young Liberals of BC hosted an event later that evening at the Caprice Night Club. It was some good...LOUD ... times.
Thursday, August 24
Today was a big day for Martha. The morning consisted of a meeting hosted by Ralph Goodale, followed by a closed-door session between the Liberal caucus and all the Liberal leadership candidates. I came across Judy Sgro again! She told me that Martha did fabulously.
We also made a trip out to Vancouver Island, home to our BC Provincial Coordinator Paul McKivett. MP Keith Martin hosted an evening reception with Bill Graham who had some glowing words for Martha and her red bus campaign. The ferry ride was fabulous with some gorgeous views. She also had a good discussion with former Minister of the Environment David Anderson.
Alberta Tour Blog Coming Soon...
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