He doesn't want to lead people who don't want what he wants. He doesn't want to lead the blind. He said we are the future, and the future can't be a mere repeat of the past. It is this want of competition, this want of a challenge that is that spirit I referred to.
Gerard Kennedy For Liberal Leader: Reason 3
He is more then just talk.
Gerard Kennedy has a record, has a determination that echoes his leadership. Leading is not just talking and having others get it done. Real leadership involves getting your hands dirty. Ministers should be held accountable, so should the Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Party. Sponsership and the other scandals hurt the Liberal Party because the image of unaccountability was exemplified by the arms-reach distance between leaders and their departments. It was no one's fault because everyone wasn't involved. Gerard Kennedy has always been accountable to his actions and has always been there rolling up his sleeves and working with the people.
I will not mention other candidates nor reference their records, I hope everyone examines them, as I think they speak for themselves, as Kennedy's does.
Gerard Kennedy's public life began, not distant from everyday people, but intimately connected with them. He was the first executive director of the Edmonton Food Bank, Canada's first such organization in 1983. He worked alongside with his employees and in three years was called to Toronto to establish a National Food Bank, which he did. He did so by engaging CEOs, church groups, and other interest groups to run the food bank effectively with no government intervention or monies. The Bank grew to distribute 30 million dollars of food annually. There was the need for direction and Gerard Kennedy gave it, but he didn't just provide empty speeches he was the one who went out in the community, he was the one who solicited a greater Canadian involvement, he was the one who spent 13 years of his life making Canada a better society.
There is a disadvantage when it comes to leading through example. Gerard left his University education, two classes shy of a degree to pursue his goal of helping people. If anybody says that Gerard made the wrong decision, I advise them to go speak with the 150,000 people that food bank helped a year. Without Gerard that food bank would either not exist or have been as successful. Where others talk, Gerard does. Leading involves communication, but I reiterate it involves so much more.
Gerard was Education Minister in Ontario where he not only developed an Excellence for All education platform, he established the Liberal Education Advisor Program (LEAP) to work with fellow Liberals in generating successful education strategies with trained professionals.
In a comment in a previous post I discussed this but it bares repeating. Gerard Kennedy has a reputation, more then a reputation because that is actually how he is, but he has a "roll up your sleeves and do it" spirit. I've met Gerard Kennedy many times and that is exactly how he is.
One of my first meetings with Gerard, having a vague idea of who he was, I remembered asking him some admittedly tough questions. Through communication with some Vancouver Liberals, I heard a rumour Gerard was running solely with a second-election strategy; that he wouldn't win this time, but he would win the next. This motivated me to ask him "Are you running thinking we'll lose the next election?"
He looked at me and said, "I'm running to be Leader, I'm running to beat the Conservatives, I'm running to win."
Emboldened by the ease it was to talk with him I advanced another question motivated from discussion with Vancouver Liberals, "People say you have no fire..." I said, "What would you tell them?"
He laughed, his assistant laughed, "That's because they haven't seen me." He went on, going over his history, which made me proud that he was a Liberal. He said that when he was running the food bank people often thought he was just an employee or volunteer because of his age but he quickly proved them wrong.
Now, I am a BC Youth Co-chair and at our BC campaign launch Gerard told us and the crowd, that he wants youth chairs like myself and the other chairs because we ask tough questions. He doesn't want to lead people who don't want what he wants. He doesn't want to lead the blind. He said we are the future, and the future can't be a mere repeat of the past. It is this want of competition, this want of a challenge that is that spirit I referred to.
6 comments:
"two classes shy of a degree".
Do you have a source for this? I'm interested because assuming a semester is 4 to 5 classes, "two classes" would imply that he failed them and had to take them over.
I am a Gerard Kennedy BC youth co-chair. I have heard this from his national youth chair as well as other members in his campaign.
It would imply that he was two classes short, nothing more. A person could take 3 courses a semester or 4 because of other committments. I am currently taking four courses due to work.
Kennedy dropped out during his last year. I don't think the "two course shy" thing is accurate. He was at least a full semester short of graduating.
When he left, he earned a living as a "historical reasercher" (as per his web site). He became Executive drirector at the food bank later. The fact that the food bank "was the first such organisation" is irrelevant. That is like me bragging I worked at the first retail store in Canada because I worked the Bay.
I'm stating what I know. He could have worked as a researcher while attending school. At UBC Professors offer such jobs while you go to school.
If it was a part time job, why on earth would he put it as part of his bio?
He could have done it for years. Nevertheless I would find it interesting either way. Being a research assistant shares some of his abilities. Michael Ignatieff put in his original bio, hence changed, that his great grandfather was a minister to Czar Nicolas. Now let me ask you, how does that explain more of a candidate then his actual life experience?
Should all the candidates share what their great grandfathers did? Are we elitists? Does lineage matter? I seriously hope it doesn't.
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