Dramatic Arrivals, Rock Star Treatment, A Friend Runs For the Liberal Nomination in Jeanne Le Ber: Iggy and Justin Receive a Full House

Yes, your’s truly played hooky from work today to attend. Well, no, I actually got permission from my supervisor to get the day off, but you get the idea. It’s nice to take a day off for a reason other than one of my migraines or a medical appointment, actually. I was kind of thinking and dreading a low turn out, but actually, the venue was too small! Many last minute stragglers.

To say the least, my arrival was dramatic. I was talking to my husband on the cell and all of a sudden, I tripped on a crack of the sidewalk a few feet behind where the Liberal tour bus was parked. I hurt both  my feet and one of my knees and I stubbed my toe on a sewer grate as well as broke a flip-flop. Let’s just say that my language was colourful as it usually is in these situations. Two of the volunteers or officials came rushing to my aid as I was in too much pain to get up on my own. Oddly enough, my cell phone survived. The officials were very helpful, I appologized for the language I used and they were perfectly understanding.  The TVA camera truck was just behind me and if anyone catches a fat chick in a black t-shirt and black sun hat  taking a  fall with her cell phone flying, it’s your humble scribe.

I went inside the restaurant and some people had to squeeze a place in for me.  The place was packed! The restaurant became standing room only! Hell crossing the room to go to the bathroom was an adventure that took 20 minutes. The media with their cameramen and other aids came in and the aids and volunteers for the Liberal party as well as Justin Trudeau’s secretary came in first and worked the room for about 20 minutes before the men of the hour walked in to a standing ovation. People grabbing them, literally! Hugging and kissing them! I can’t help but wonder if Iggy would have had as much of a warm reception without Justin though.  I swear, everybody in that room loved him; they hugged and kissed him. A very approachable, friendly man.

I couldn’t help but get a good laugh though. I thought Iggy would have been done with the plaid shirts after the Calgary stampede. I guess he now has a penchant for them.  Who knew? I also found out that he likes black sun hats after I bumped into him when I tried to cross the room.

I think Iggy is getting the hang of speaking to crowds though. He’s  losing the university professor persona and is less condescending. He certainly had the crowd’s attention and had a positive response. Although, one can tell that he does have difficulty with French although he gives it a valiant effort.  In the western part of Papineau where it’s mainly immigrants from Greece, India, Pakistan, Bengladesh, and other such places, the second language is mainly English. I don’t think too many people noticed, except for perhaps the French media, but I think they know that already. If Iggy is to gain traction in Quebec and try to steal votes from the Bloc Quebecois, he will need much help from French speaking star candidates in Quebec. There were no anti-Iggy conbot trolls in that room though. I was kind of expecting them.

Iggy did mention that centrist alternative; the big red tent. Ooh a damned if you do; damned if you don’t situation. Trying to please everybody. Hmmm. However, with the majority center being shifted rightward, thanks largely in part by media outlets like talk radio and CTV,  and his polling numbers going down at the gain of the Harpercons and not the NDP, nor the Greens, nor the Bloc,  I don’t see where he has a choice. Plus, between the volunteers, candidates, staffers and of course, MPs there is quite an assortment. I can provide two examples.

A young man, Matthew, who is a volunteer for team Justin, one of the officials who helped me after my fall, took a few minutes to talk to me.  I got the feeling he leaned a little to the right. He is for a stronger military in Canada and more fiscal conservatism.  I wanted to ask a question I didn’t get a chance to ask during the question period, but couldn’t because Justin was finally having his lunch.  A very nice young man, but I don’t think he would have much of a stomach for my blog.

I also met an aquaintance from the planning committee from CAPP (Canadians against proroguing parliament), Pascal Zamprelli (also one of my readers) who is hoping to be nominated in the riding of Jeanne Le Ber.  Oh yeah! That is a story in itself it would seem. Remember all the hoopla surrounding the comeback of Martin Cauchon and the coronation of that ‘star’ candidate, Nathalie Leprohon Denis Coderre wanted to put in Outremont? That hoopla that led to Coderre’s temper tantrum.  We all thought that Ms Leprohon would take the nomination in Jeanne Le Ber. Turns out something that MSM either never bothered to cover or gave a quick blurb in the back pages or somewhere else obscure. Ms Leprohon’s political career, it would seem, is finished before it even started. She turned it down. The riding is now open and the nomination should take place this Fall according to Pascal.

Pascal is clearly progressive. He is for a full inquiry into what happened at the G20. He is for maintaining universal health care.  He understands the concerns of the aging boomer population when it comes to pensions in spite of his young age.   He, like Iggy and Justin, don’t agree with Steve’s new purchases of military bad -assed toys like F-35s. Jeanne Le Ber is mainly a working class and lower income riding in south west Montreal, by the Lachine Canal. Currently, there is a Bloc MP there. I don’t think anyone there holds any particular attachment to him. I think Pascal would make a great candidate for Jeanne Le Ber, so I wish him all the best and I will surely be blogging about  him further as time goes on.

Matthew and Pascal (although, not yet a candidate, but a member) are just two examples illustrated as to how diverse the Liberal party make up is.

Anyway, moving right along. In spite of that snafu last winter with his socon element like Paul Szabo, Iggy seems determined to ensure that women’s reproductive rights are always maintained. I’m not surprised though. No one in the room really reacted though, but then, keep in mind, I was in a room full of immigrants with old values instilled in them.  No, Iggy didn’t waffle.

He spoke of the importance of green jobs and of Stephen Harper’s waste like those F-35s

It wasn’t a long speech at all. It was obvious that long speeches weren’t part of the agenda.

It was more of a working the room, people with their cameras trying to get their pictures taken with Iggy and Justin, getting their cards signed by them, you get the idea, and the question period, of course.

I think the largest problem was crowd control. They took questions. But it was hard for the officials to see anyone at the back of the room or the sides of the room, it was so crowded. Naturally, due to the particular demographic, most of the questions pertained to immigration and affirmative action. There, Iggy was concrete. Suffice to say, Jason Kenney and Sara Landriault and all the Harpercon cheerleaders would turn 10 shades of purple. Too bad they weren’t there. I would have loved to have watched their reactions. First off, they want to keep employment equity programs in place in the civil service. Iggy says there is no reason to hire qualified people while at the same time hiring people who represent Canada’s multi-cultural population; no matter what colour they are.

They also said that Canada’s future depends on more immigrants. A few of them were showing frustration about being doctors back home but only working as taxi drivers and work like that.  That it was difficult to access courses to gain accreditation, especially when we hear of shortages of doctors and nurses here.  Iggy says better plans to mainstream these accreditation processes are needed.

Then there were frustrated Haitians with the Harpercons regarding aid in Haiti which I didn’t quite get.

I kept trying to advance so I can ask a question about universal health care that no one, surprisingly, (given the fact most of the room was filled with aging people) was asking about.  But I just couldn’t get close enough.  Dear readers, if and when Iggy and his bus stop in your town and if you go to the event, can anyone ask about his plans about maintaining universal health care? We already know Stevie spiteful will Americanize it.  I addressed this with Pascal, but since he is not even a nominee yet, he doesn’t have any inside knowledge.   He, too, was surprised no one asked about it, given the amount of elderly at the event.  He was also surprised no one asked about pensions, another issue that is a great concern, or at least should be.

The objective was clearly to get to know who Canadians were.  To meet and greet. Speeking for the town hall in Park Ex. I think that was accomplished.

They’re far from perfect, but hell, as I said, getting Stevie spiteful out of office should be our number 1 priority.

Thanks again Matthew and the other volunteers for helping me after my fall.