How about giving your leader some help here Chrystia Freeland? As Liberal Candidate for the November 25 by-election in Toronto-Centre, you should not leave all the heavy lifting to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. As a politician who wants to make a major contribution in Ottawa, you need to assert yourself.
First of all, you need to cut the distractions. Maybe it is inconvenient that the New York City election took place in the middle of your by-election but your piece on November 3 in the New York Times should have been spiked. Sure, you probably wrote that analysis a while ago—and it shows that you are a very insightful and talented writer—but it is a distraction you do not need in your campaign for Toronto-Centre. And if you wrote it before becoming the Liberal candidate for the by-election, just say so and move on.
And surely you have as good a news sense as your opponent in Toronto-Centre, Linda McQuaig. You can hardly let her have all the local ink. So far what she has been able to get is just sour-grapes attacks on you but you need to look like you know more than why Bill de Blasio won the mayoralty in New York City. You are there in the middle of the Toronto mayoralty problems and Torontonians are desperate for politicians who at least seem to know what they are doing.
It must be fun getting into the political whirlwind holding Justin’s coattails but it is your name on the ballot not Justin’s. And he needed you to stand up for him against that blond Conservative MP Michelle Rempel when she accused him of being behind an event in Toronto that she said was degrading and patronizing to women. That was your opportunity to make like a tiger and roar.
Maybe this might go down in the annals as the cheap shot by-election. So far Linda has told everyone that you are a writer and Rempel must have helped sell out that fluffy feminist event. It all helps but there are issues you can address. A critical issue is that pipeline that is going to be pumping heavy volumes of Alberta bitumen through Toronto. It is a danger to Torontonians and to people across Southern Ontario. And the National Energy Board is going to rule on it in a few weeks. You have to be ready to take the issue to Ottawa.
The local Liberals picked you as their candidate and you have to show voters that you can go to Ottawa and work for them. There are many issues of concern to Toronto-Centre.
The riding is as rich in diversity as a true liberal can ever wish for. It is yours to win. Justin will certainly help but you have to get to work also. You are a communicator: get at communicating.
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Copyright 2013 © Peter Lowry
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