I'm a Green Party Candidate!

I got an email from a friend of mine (who would prefer to remain nameless) today containing a short list of ridings in BC not yet running a Green Party Candidate. She then followed it with a mischevous suggestion: "You should run!".

The idea was crazy really. While I have a lot of experience canvassing for candidates both here and in Toronto, I'd never run as a candidate myself. I don't have any money for a race, or a campaign manager, or any idea how to wage a campaign really. What I do have is some serious skill when it comes to thinking on my feet and talking about things about which I'm passionate... and so the thought occured to me: "Why not?"

I sat down and thought out what I wanted to say and emailed the Green Party's BC office with the following:

I'm unsure as to the proper format of emails like this one, so do forgive me if this appears too informal or unpolished for the occasion, but I'd very much like to run with the provincial Green Party in North Vancouver-Seymour if you're still looking for a candidate there.

I've been a Green Party member since July '07 and have volunteered for door-to-door canvassing with Adrianne Carr's campaign here in Vancouver Centre on multiple occasions. Before I was a Green, I served the NDP in Jack Layton's and Michael Shapcott's ridings, canvassing there as well.

I also have a strong activist background with my work in public space circles both in Toronto and here in Vancouver. I've handled a series of radio and television interviews as well as public speaking engagements with City Council, the Toronto Police and the general public with confidence.

Lastly, I've long taken an active role in the understanding of a variety of environmental issues, focusing primarily on energy production/conservation and waste reclamation/disposal.

I can't promise you victory in North Vancouver-Seymour, given the numbers, no honest person could make such a claim. However, I can assure you that I'd represent the party well and do everything I could to bolster our standings there in advance of an eventual STV election.

If this sounds good to you, please give me a call or drop me an email. My contact info is below.

As it turns out, the person vetting the applications is someone I've worked with in the past, and he called me inside of an hour after I hit "send". We talked briefly about what was involved and he then informed that since we'd worked together for a while now, there was no need for a formal interview process -- the seat was mine if I wanted it. My hands shook a bit at the thought, but I said yes: I'm now the Green Party candidate for North Vancouver-Seymour.

The riding is a beautiful one, and likely to be rather right-leaning economically. My plan then will be to go after as much of the Liberal vote as I can based on their environmental record, specifically their support of run-of-river power generation and their decision to privatise the whole thing. Gateway will be a big one as well.

The truth is that the chances of my winning are slim, but they're there and I'm going to do my best to represent the interests of my party and simultaneously promote STV. Should be fun :-)