How Growing Grassroots Grows Success!

For the first time in 2008, the Green party ran a dynamic Campaign in Okanagan Shuswap. Before that, Green candidates simply had their names on a ballot and got about 4% of the votes.

When I got nominated candidate in 2007, I started out by letting people know that I was willing to work at being candidate so that we'd really increase the vote.  I asked my friends to invite me to every social event they had so I could meet all their friends and neighbours, went to all the "business after 5" meetings, spoke at Rotary breakfasts, and did a "listening tour" of my riding, announcing I wanted to hear from people.

I used that tour to also build a good team of solid people that could be active throughout the whole riding. It is a huge riding, rural for the most part, with one city at the north end and one at the south end. Then I started raising funds so we could have signs, cards, banners, and really paint the riding Green during the elections!

Well, it worked. People got excited at the thought of a real campaign, everyone held Green events, saw us at parades, saw us everywhere and knew that the Greens were a force to contend with. We quadrupled the vote getting 17.3%. We also ended the campaign with money in the bank, a comprehensive website, a database of over 1,000 supporters, and good media contacts.

Then I quit. I figured that since I had achieved 17.3% of the votes after moving to the interior of BC only in 2002 and being a non-religious woman (this riding has more churches than any other in Canada) with a name like Huguette, someone who better fits the description of voters could bring us to the next level.

But the problem, so everyone told me, was to find a good candidate. While that might be true where the vote is below 10%, it sure turns out to be different when candidates see that it is possible to really do well. We found THREE people willing to be candidate!

The quality of at least two of the three contenders was astounding. They were truly excellent. They spoke well, were able to answer very difficult questions, and were both motivated to continue growing the Green vote in this highly Conservative riding.

Unfortunately we were only able to elect one and I trust that members chose the one best able to sway people who have not yet voted Green to do so next time. He is a pastor, a married man of 32 years of age, and has a degree in psychology. He is an excellent listener and speaker and has already gained the respect of the campaign team. We are all prepared to work very hard at helping him double the vote next time.

So, building from the grassroots up is the only way to really grow our capacity and ensure we have strong people ready to replace us as we leave. I am confident I have been replaced by someone who will profit from the legacy I left behind and will do all he can to improve on our success. I also know he will continue to build at the grassroots so that when he does become MP and has to spend most of his time in Ottawa, there will be a strong team of Green minded people here that he can count on.