While I generally write from a national perspective, today - on the last day before we vote - I am bringing things back to my home riding. I am a resident of a riding which has consistently voted Conservative since 1997 despite being in the traditionally Liberal Ottawa area. A riding that even voted Alliance before the merger with the Progressive Conservatives, and that is now held by Conservative Party Whip Gordon O'Connor who won the last election by over 24,000 votes.
Carleton - Mississippi Mills used to be rather famous. We called it the hub of Silicone Valley North not so many years ago when technology firms were sprouting up so fast along March Road that the power grid to many housing areas was strained to where interruptions occurred almost weekly. We don't call Kanata that anymore. There are still firms filling some of the office spaces, but there are lots of empty buildings too - especially in the former Nortel Campus which borders the riding.
The riding encompasses the Kanata suburb of Ottawa and a large rural area that extends out through Ramsey township to Packenham and Mississippi Mills, giving this region a decidedly mixed base of constituents from agricultural concerns to digital entrepreneurship. But if there has been one commonality regarding our representation, it is that the incumbent has done nothing to specifically address the economic well-being of the riding. Quite the opposite, in fact, as he has even refused to get involved in helping former Nortel employees with their loss of pension benefits. Indeed, most residents would be hard pressed to come up with a single instance where he has actively advocated for a local concern, and yet still he gets re-elected thanks to a voter base that trends towards Conservatives.
All of the demographics are in his favour. The rural segment, the higher than average percentage of seniors, the lower than average percentage of immigrants, and the relatively high income levels within Kanata all point to groups that the Conservative party generally targets well to. However, there is a sense of vulnerability to his campaign this time around.
The reasons for that, beyond a growing awareness of O’Connor’s inaction for the riding, is primarily due to the fact that the Liberal Party has fielded a spectacular candidate to oppose him this year. Her name is Karen McCrimmon, and her resume matches up perfectly against O'Connor. Where he has played up his service with the Army, Karen made her mark as the first woman to command a squadron with the Canadian Forces. Where he moved from the military into a role acting as a lobbyist for the arms industry, Karen took up a career in mediation after leaving the forces.
It is the caring nature of Karen that most stands out if you are fortunate enough to meet her. A genuine interest in the welfare of those around her backed up with the resolve and initiative to work to resolve problems that led her to her historic rise in the military. And, no doubt, her career in the forces has nurtured her innate understanding that we need to find innovative ways to provide the maximum of services to our fellow citizens in a time of fiscal restraint. Her career has left her fortunate enough to have a secure retirement, and the fact that so many who worked equally hard have had their pensions stripped away has become one of her hallmark issues.
Where Mr. O'Connor and the Conservatives feel that the Federal Government has no place in working on pension reforms, Karen and her Party recognize that this is an issue for all Canadians, and thus changes to the Federal Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act are warranted. Her strong advocacy on this issue, along with the Liberal plan to increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement to help bring so many seniors out of poverty has won Karen the endorsement of the Silver Fox Alliance of Nortel retirees and widows. It must be said that when Mr. O'Connor attempted to deflect this issue as being a Provincial matter only, stating that “I don’t make up the future. I tell you we are not doing it.” he was soundly booed by the audience at the Chamber of Commerce all candidates meeting.
And, needless to say, the face-off between O'Connor and Karen were most heated when it came to the controversial F-35 purchase. Karen spoke with the authority that her long career in the Air Force provided her as she asked the most basic questions for military procurement: What role is this equipment meant to serve? Does this equipment best fit that role? And is the cost right? None of these have been answered, and the fact that the most expensive purchase in Canadian history is being done outside the normal procurement process is worrisome - even to a career military person. After all, the F-16 was rejected from consideration when the F-18s were purchased because they did not meet the specific needs of Canada's military, so why are we buying the F-16 replacement at a time when the US is still retaining its twin-engine fighters despite their F-35 purchases?
Indeed, where O'Connor's platform can be described as a simple regurgitation of the Party line, Karen believes that an MPs role is that of a local advocate and not just a partisan mouthpiece. This is why she has involved herself into the community to understand what issues matter most to the residents, and is prepared to advocate on their behalf. This difference can be simply illustrated by comparing their websites. Where Karen discusses the issues and her personal positions on them, O'Connor's states only this: "If you want to ask about, or comment on, POLICY OR ISSUES, send your comment/ question to: policy@electoconnor.ca", and I recommend you do so only if you want a cookie-cutter response copied directly from the Conservative handbook.
And where O'Connor has done little to advance the return of Kanata to it's former position of prominence in technology, Karen wishes to involve herself in a cooperative effort with all levels of government to work towards adopting the successful Kitchener-Waterloo technology center of excellence philosophy. Nortel may be gone as the anchor company for the local industry, but the skilled workers and technical expertise still remains. All it needs is a proper environment to attract the venture capital to stimulate a successful rebirth.
I have recently discussed my firm belief that voters need to think locally rather than only of Party leaders when they decide where to cast their vote. In this riding there is a clear choice between an incumbent who has abdicated his responsibility to his constituents, and an accomplished alternative who wants only to improve the lives of all of her neighbours.
For me, that narrowed the field to one in my riding: Karen McCrimmon. I only hope that you have also taken the time to look beyond the leader's sound bites to choose the best alternative in your riding who will similarly work as your ally to make a positive difference in your own community.
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