Why I became a Candidate

 

I have been asked a few times “why did you decide to run as a candidate” in the just past Federal election. In short, for two reasons: I wanted to provide the constituents in the riding I was running to represent a real, qualified option, and the other is that when unhappy with a situation one has a moral and ethical duty to “put up or shut up”.

At its very core the electoral system in Canada is one where you vote for a person to represent you in parliament. As such the choice should be to select from the available choices the person who is best for the job. By “best” I mean someone with the appropriate skill set that they can properly evaluate the many, at times complex issues, that a parliamentarian will have to address. And one who shares morals and ethics that resonate with your own. Or at least theoretically that is how it is supposed to work.

The reality is that it instead is a “popularity” contest where qualifications seem to have little to do with the process. Far too often there is a strong disconnect in that the “candidate” far too often is a cardboard cut-out who is an avatar for a political party, specifically the personality who is the “leader” of that party. So, many of us do not vote for a representative but instead for a place holder for a person who has no vested interest in your well being.

I have a problem in that I hold my principles dearly. Too dearly in comparison to many others. I firmly believe that the person should be the primary point of evaluation when choosing who to vote for. And that the party they represent should come second. Every party has a basic platform which summarises the morals, ethics and principles that the party says they wish to promote and defend. That platform is meaningless if the representative is unable to advocate the regional wants and needs of their riding. It is for that reason that the person needs to be the primary concern.

It may appear that I have let my ego lead, but I assure you that is not the case. I do not search for the limelight and typically am most at home in the background, helping others. Because I have strong principles, if I believe something is worth supporting, I will step forward when no one else is willing to do so. My first “leadership” role was back in university where I was President of the Geology Club. Why? Because I believed in the purpose of having the club and no one else was willing to lead. So, I stepped forward. And that I have done numerous times since, whether it was being a minor hockey coach, President of the local curling club or President of a local service club. It was never about me but the belief that it was a worthy cause, and someone had to do it.

Yes, I went to university. But I have never felt that put me above others in that it made me “more educated”. The reason I went to university was an offshoot of a passion of mine growing up; I loved tramping through the bush and just surrounding myself with the natural world. When evaluating potential job opportunities at the time, being a geologist came to the forefront. And to become a geologist one had to go to university, in effect the appropriate “trade school”. It is for that reason I respect anyone who went on after high school to any form of advanced learning. We all share the same desire in that we needed to get specialised training for the trade we wished to make a career from. It doesn’t matter if that was a college, an apprenticeship program or a university. Different paths for the same basic purpose; acquiring the skills and knowledge required to do your chosen profession well.

Even so, it has opened for me opportunities and additional training that has broadened my resume and in doing so has made me quite qualified to be a representative in Parliament. While not a great public speaker I am not afraid to stand up before others and speak publicly. Being in a career that requires a lot of troubleshooting ability I am not afraid to come up with ideas that may work. Yet not offended when someone else comes up with something better. A key to be a successful geologist is being a good observer and fitting the pieces together to try and solve a puzzle. Or observing how others do a task so that, in a pinch, you can complete a similar task if needed to get the job done. To be flexible. To be willing and able to cooperate with others yet still true to oneself and to the available facts. To push back by asking questions, to ensure that the correct path is taken.

Watching what has happened these past two years have opened my eyes in that we as Canadians have created a situation we should never have put ourselves in. All because we elected people who have no qualifications to evaluate the complexities that have bubbled to the surface. We have, due to making poor political choices, had past governments who have contributed to our current problems by appointing unelected ideologues in too many key bureaucratic positions based on their politics rather than their actual abilities. How else can we explain having people with medical training who had to take an oath to “do no harm” yet come out with “recommendations” that do not follow that ethical requirement. In fact, they do not even respect our existing laws, especially our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. And where have been our “elected” representatives who are supposed to be the ones who direct the bureaucracy? No where to be found, or if they do say something, it is to show their abject ignorance of the subject at hand. To say, “we are following the science”, which is nonsense because science is a process and not a result. A process of asking questions. Of pushing back.

I am a scientist. I am a person who does know how to ask questions and do so all the time. Not because I know I am right or think I am, but because that is what science is all about. In addition, I have been an advocate for others. I am willing, and able, to stand up and say something. I may not be the most eloquent speaker, but I do know that I can see where things are leading typically before many others do. Yet no one else has made themselves available that has the skill set I have to offer. Thus, I put my name forward as a candidate.

In the end, I lost. I came in a distant fourth. It was not because I was an inferior candidate. But that is a different story that I will write about in the future.