In discussing the prospect of which federal district to run in, I have made a commitment to my home district of Souris – Moose Mountain.
I have chosen this district for the simple reason that I know more people in this district than any other and they know me. I am known in this district and if my experience thus far in politics has taught me anything, it is that word-of-mouth marketing is the best method of growing a movement. The reason I would run in my home district is in the same line of thinking as to why I started the Canadian Nationalist Party in the first place: to serve my people. I could run in a different district that has a weaker or outgoing incumbent, but my heart would simply not be in the vocation – and that to me is more important than anything.
One of the downsides of this district is that the Conservative Party incumbent (Robert Kitchen) has dominated the previous election with as much as 70% of the vote. I have knocked on many doors and people have assured me that my battle is an uphill one.
So be it.
Many people in this district seem to be on “Conservative autopilot” when it comes time to vote. This, I believe, is to their own detriment. Changing minds is very difficult and changing behavioral patterns is equally difficult.
This is the struggle.
One of the biggest advantages I have over Mr. Robert Kitchen, is that I am the leader of my party while he is not. I am the decision maker within the Nationalist Party, while he is a backbencher with limited influence within the Conservative Party. If the people of Souris – Moose Mountain desire to have their political voice heard in Ottawa, they must understand that there is no better way to do so than by having the leader of a federal party living nextdoor.
Interestingly, many of our policy stances are similar (restrictions on the availability of marijuana for reasons of public health and abolishment of the carbon tax). However, the Conservative Party itself is extremely soft on policies of immigration reform, provincial equalization reform, and continues to pander to Muslim communities in order to gain votes. This is where and how we will pull former Conservative voters to our base. We are explicitly against radical forms of Islam taking hold in our country and we believe immigration reform is paramount to the well-being of our national identity and cohesion as a society.
I have also heard many concerns from citizens in Souris – Moose Mountain about the danger of splitting the vote and allowing the abomination that is Justin Trudeau back into office. Please note that I am well aware of the danger of splitting the vote. Fortunately, this risk is mitigated by only running a handful of (or even a single) candidate(s) (ie. there will only be a small number of districts where Nationalists are competing against Conservatives). Additionally, I would encourage Conservative loyalists if they would change their vote if office terms were increased from 4 years to 10 years. Would they then look at our offering as the clear better option over the long-term?
Ultimately, it will be up to the people of Estevan, Weyburn, Moosomin, Lampman, Whitewood, Grenfell, Carnduff, Redvers, Bengough, Radville, Oxbow, Wawota, and elsewhere to decide if they want a nationalist narrative in their House of Commons. These people have everything to gain and nothing to lose by voting nationalist instead of conservative.
If they choose to elect myself to represent them, I vow to do so with honour, and if they choose to elect someone else, I will respect that decision as well. I am merely presenting myself, and the Nationalist Party, as an opportunity for those who have been seeking true political change for a very long time.
I fully intend to compete and win the support of Souris – Moose Mountain.
