There is an African proverb that says; “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go with a group. The Alberta Party has to do both – because the real test of our party and our next leader will be in the next election, and that may be as early as November 2011, surely not much later than March 2012. We in the Alberta Party have to go fast and far if we are to become a viable political alternative.
In this blog I am going to outline how I have attempted to do both, as a leadership contestant for the Alberta Party.
It began in late January of 2010. I recognized within myself a strong desire to run as an MLA candidate for the Alberta Party in my home constituency of West Yellowhead in the next provincial election. At the same time I also began to recognize I wanted to offer my leadership skills and contribute more to the goals of democratic reform and political change through this new citizen’s movement known as the Alberta Party.
These ideas were growing stronger within me so I talked to my wife Donna. She is the common sense balance that I need as I learn, lead and live in the world of politics. Donna and I explored if this was a wise thing to do. Once she agreed that I should look further into doing this I spent some time reflecting on what this change would mean in our lives.
Taking time to talk things through and to reflect on what running for MLA and party leader would mean was invaluable in coming to grips with the challenges as well as the opportunities. Winning the Alberta Party leadership without winning a seat in the Legislature would not be good enough.
In order to do both, I recognized that I actually needed to build two different teams. One team would build the Alberta Party West Yellowhead Constituency Association (CA). The other team would focus on the Leadership campaign and be involved all over Alberta. Both teams shared the common goal of selling memberships and raising awareness of both me and the Alberta Party. I have been blessed with two incredible, but separate groups of volunteers committed to different by complementary goals.
BUILDING WEST YELLOWHEAD
In West Yellowhead we have a team that includes the former candidates who ran for both the NDP and the Liberal Party in each of the last federal and provincial elections. They bought Alberta Party memberships and brought their political campaign organizers and volunteers with them. . The Alberta Party in West Yellowhead also has participation from three municipal councils in our region, three Chambers of Commerce and two aboriginal organizations. Every Hinton town councillor I serve with is now an Alberta Party member and the Deputy Mayor is our CA President.
Over thirty people showed up to our founding meeting and today we have the largest membership of any constituency in the Alberta Party. These people are committed to building a viable political option for West Yellowhead and are well on their way to getting it done.
My most memorable moment while starting the conversations with the folks at my local level was when one of the organizers from another party said to me, “Glenn, here’s the thing. We all wanted you to be our Party’s candidate in the next election. Instead of that, you’re going off to build a whole new Party. Well, if we can’t have you with us, then I guess we’re going to be with you...”
The folks in my riding of West Yellowhead have been working hard they have been building our party, selling memberships, promoting this Alberta Party idea of doing politics differently. And they’ve been doing all this, while I’ve been travelling the Province campaigning to be the leader.
RUNNING FOR LEADER
For my leadership campaign I had to have conversations with a wide array of people all over Alberta. On this journey I have come to know more about the province and the people who make it such a great place to live. I asked them what they thought of this idea of the Alberta Party, Furthermore, I had to ask them if they would be willing to risk connecting themselves to what I and the Alberta Party is trying to do.
In January and early February I talked with people that I knew, and many others that I was introduced to for the first time. I asked them if they could find reason to believe in supporting me for leader of the Alberta Party. I asked if they would work with me on a campaign that had very little money, very little structure and a lot of hope. I was surprised and humbled by the many positive responses I received.
From all across Alberta people offered to help. Well connected people, active volunteers and builders in their own right. Today I have a leadership campaign team that represents a broad cross section of Albertans, demographically and geographically. They come from the creative community and ranks of the unemployed to the leaders of multi-million dollar companies, from the boards of not-for-profit organizations to activists in the labour movement. People who want change have stepped forward to help make that change happen by donating time, talent and funds to our leadership campaign
We have three teams set up, one that is focussed on and in Calgary, another for Edmonton, and one for the rest of Alberta. These teams are made up of some of the most committed, quiet, social activists in Alberta. Many of our volunteers are involved in politics for the very first time as they recognize their need to work to change government in Alberta.
On our provincial campaign teams we have people that represent some of the most steadfast volunteer and not for profit boards in our fine province. From the PDD board to SOFA, from funders to fundraisers, we have people that have chosen to step up and regain their democratic right to join the political party of their choice and look past the fear of repercussions from our current government.
Our organizing model has been based on the best tenants of community organizing. People invited their friends and neighbours, their family and co-workers into their homes where they hosted an opportunity to meet me, learn about the Alberta Party and sell memberships to those that found a connection to what we are trying to do.
As a result of what our volunteer provincial team has done over these past few months I know that we have increased the Alberta Party membership by the hundreds, and for that I am grateful.
No matter what happens on May 28th when the Alberta Party selects their next leader, I will have some small satisfaction in knowing that we have built a new awareness and helped many people regain their citizenship through political action.
While we might be able to get there faster by going it alone, I know that we will go further having worked as a group. On May 29th the next phase of building will begin.
We have to be viable, vibrant and competitive in the next election.
On May 28 the Alberta Party will choose a leader, in doing so we will be telling the rest of Alberta who we think the person to be Premier should be, the person that we think is capable, caring and courageous enough to take Alberta forward, to realize our full potential.
We have grown in numbers, in confidence and in capacity to become a preferred choice for change in Alberta...but we are a long way from being that preferred choice. The next job is to become that first choice for change.
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