Win or lose, all candidates made sacrifices
After 40 days of campaigning, Election 2019 is a wrap and we have a Liberal minority government. Voter turnout across Canada was 64.9 per cent and one can only hope that the next election is not too soon.
As I write this column on election night, we need to remember that win or lose, these are people who have made many sacrifices to run and serve Canadians. This includes all the campaign teams who depend on volunteers.
A shout out to every volunteer who doorknocked, installed signs, delivered literature, telephoned voters, provided food, entered data and showed up to do whatever needed to be done. It is an energizing experience that creates connections and strong personal relationships that last a lifetime.
There were a couple of moments that stood out on Monday night. Ralph Goodale lost his seat after 26 years with the Liberal party. Gracious in defeat, he spoke about the privilege of serving his constituents and Canadians as well as the resulting deep personal friendships that have formed.
Conservative MP Lisa Raitt was defeated by Liberal Adam van Koeverden and noted that she was very fortunate to have served for 11 years as a member of Parliament and very few people have that opportunity. She noted the voter is always right.
Both former MPS and other defeated candidates will be embraced by their families, friends and their political networks in the days ahead. These connections supported and inspired me during my political journey.
One of my connections was my wonderful friend, Wendy Andrews, who recently passed away much too soon. Bright, energetic, humble and always positive, Wendy was a ray of sunshine.
We became friends through politics and organized many fabulous events together, beginning with the federal Progressive Conservative Women’s Caucus. The sole purpose of this group was to encourage more women to run and it was supported by former prime ministers Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney. It is unfortunate that years later, it is still a struggle to get more women elected. As of Monday night, only 97 women were elected out of 338 seats across Canada.
Provincial politics enticed Wendy to run in 2008 as a Progressive Conservative candidate and she challenged an incumbent, who won. Her campaign was full of optimism, with many loyal volunteers. As always, there were robust policy conversations between us and other members of the “broad-perspective” group, ultimately advising many elected MLAS and MPS over the years.
Wendy’s passion for recreation, fitness and health also ensured that the concept of wellness was accepted by the provincial department of health. Wendy was a founding board member of the Tour of Alberta and was also involved with the World Figure Skating Championships. Her volunteerism was epic, and she loved being with children in her neighbourhood or in other parts of the world.
From an international perspective, Wendy was a founding member of the Glenora Rotary Club of Edmonton, the first women’s-only club in North America. Wendy is also known for her support of women in Uganda through sales of paper-bead jewelry. We all wore various necklaces, earrings and bracelets at her memorial.
Wendy was involved with Rotary International in Belize and Honduras and built many playgrounds with other volunteers.
Her last project took five years to complete and is a comprehensive community development in St. Helene, Honduras. The residents recently created the Wendy Andrews Community Centre Hall to honour her and she was delighted with this tribute.
Above all, Wendy was an incredible friend who taught me to be humble, to never judge people, to provide when you can to better others’ lives, and to be kind. Susan Green delivered an incredible eulogy and reminded us to treasure our time with family and friends, always taking time to make our world a better place.
Canada has a different governing model now, and we need to be positive, constructive, and collaborate more than ever before to bring our country together. Wendy would want that to happen.