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Echoed by Romeo Saganash "The generosity shown by Aboriginals to those who first came here still underpins the philosophy of the First Nations and has long been the philosophy of our party, the NDP, on this side of the House."
Mind you, the speech by Anne Minh-Thu Quach was a very close tie for first place.
Here's a thread very like the previous one, but in French, and with pictures: Nos Nouveaux Députés Québécois NPD.
http://forum.fnnation.com/showthread.php?t=94035
Some comments are not typically WASP, such as "Anne Minh Thu Quach, la très hot nouvelle député de Beauharnois Salaberry."
Have fun.
Wow! Some young miss shaking her finger at Vic Toews. CPAC coverage of debates is more interesting than any other program I can find. Who knew?
This is the sort of thing that makes me intensely proud of some of the NDP's "accidental MPs:"
"La députée Laurin Liu à Durban"
http://www.leveil.com/Actualites/2011-12-10/article-2830495/La-deputee-Laurin-Liu-a-Durban/1
She turned 21 November 13.
You know, I'm really quite impressed with some of these newbies, who make me seem old in comparison. They seem to have taken to the job quite well and should become more formidable with age.
Sun Media's Parliamentary Bureau Chief David Akin says Christine Moore is a star:
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/01/10/-a-tip-of-the-political-hat-to-thos...
To remind us: she was 27 when elected (now 28). "Up until the day before the election, I was working in a small health care centre as a clinical nurse in the intensive care unit and the emergency room. I would like to commend all the workers at the Centre de santé et de services sociaux des Aurores-Boréales who work hard every day to preserve one of the things that Canadians value most: a public health care system." That was in the small northern town of La Sarre (pop. 7,336 and shrinking) near where she was born, across the Quebec border from Cochrane.
But in those 27 years she had done a few things no one else from La Sarre had done. While still a nursing student at Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, at age 22 she had been the NDP candidate in Abitibi—Témiscamingue in 2006, getting 8.5% of the vote. Just after graduating she did it again in 2008, getting 9.5%.
"As part of her undergraduate program, she participated in a humanitarian field placement in the remote Senegalese village of Thiaré, where she delivered health services alongside other nursing students and members of Nurses Without Borders." She spent three years with the Canadian Forces. "Her three years with the Forces were as a reservist with the 52 Field Ambulance (Sherbrooke), where she attained the rank of corporal. “In the military, I was sometimes the only person around with any degree of medical knowledge, so it was up to me to make tough decisions on the spot. I had the authority to override the opinion of a major who, during exercises, might say, ‘This soldier doesn’t look so bad; I don’t think he needs a medical evacuation.’ This helped me gain the confidence required to think and act fast in stressful conditions." “Nurses are extremely adaptable to new circumstances because we have evidence, science and ethics to guide our decision-making,” says Moore.”
http://www.canadian-nurse.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=501%3Arookie-mp-jumps-in-with-both-feet&catid=2%3Anurse-to-know&Itemid=37&lang=en
So in 2011, on her third try for Parliament, she was ready, getting 51.2%, defeating a Bloc incumbent who got only 31.6%. Was this just the "Orange Wave?" In the far North? (Although I should note that her riding is only 4% aboriginal.)
And Corporal Moore moved straight into the shadow cabinet as associate defence critic and critic for military procurement. Nobody's baby, to coin a phrase.
She is supporting her neighbour Romeo Saganash for leader. Maybe we should listen to her. If Saganash drops during the balloting, I may be watching to see who she endorses next.
Thanks Wilf - she sure is nobody's baby well except our wonderful MP from Quebec.
While I was proposing toasts at the pub tonight to 2011-star Corporal Christine Moore, someone asked "does the NDP website have anything about her? Or has the party public relations staff decided to acquiesce to the meme that the Quebec caucus were all place-holders?"
No. Opportunity missed. Not for the first time.
I too have been impressed by Christine Moore. Definitely someone to watch.
Dear Sun Media's Parliamentary Bureau Chief David Akin: Why the hell not listen to her now? When she's endorsing Romeo Saganash? Why not watch now? Or does it mess up the narrative you've worked out for this thing over there at the Sun Media Parliamentary Bureau?
Her second best is preferable to Sun Media Parliamentary Bureau Chief David Akin. Because her best is ...
She was Saganash's first MP endorsement and a glowing one at that. I was surprised when Genest-Jourdain didn't follow suit, but Boom Boom has explained his reasoning (Genest-Jourdain thinks Mulcair is more of a sure thing, for winning). What is clear to me, is Saganash is outstanding, but I'm still waiting for him to seize his moment. His life story inspires the hell out of me but he needs to show that he can transmit that inspiration in a speech, or a debate, to a live audience. I can only see one real weakness in Saganash, and that is his lack of experience as an elected politician (yes I know he was in the Cree leadership but that is like saying Topp was in the union leadership, both true but the experiences do not translate 100%). If this race had happened in four or five years, I would not be the least surprised if Saganash was being called the frontrunner. Like Genest-Jourdain, I consider Mulcair the best candidate to take on the job right now, as opposed to down the road. If anyone near to Saganash is reading this, please take this message to your candidate: "Give the performance of your life at the next debate or public speech you give. Pretend you are never going to get to run for Prime Minister again. Given that the NDP picks leaders every 10 years you may never get this chance again. Make it count. Leave nothing to regret."
Stephen Harper's Canada - by Anne Lagace Dowson
http://hour.ca/2012/02/23/stephen-harpers-canada/
"...There is a lesson here for the NDP. Since the election the NDP has been virtually invisible in Quebec. They are blowing a grand opportunity. At its best, the party is the sum of all the aspirations of tens of thousands of Canadians who have worked all their lives building a civil society. Perhaps its time for the NDP to reach out to its allies in that civil society, allies like Heidi Rathjen, to draft a strategy to take on the Tories, before it's too late."
http://digitaljournal.com/article/319727
That's a courageous article by Anne Lagacé Dowson - defeated NDP candidate in Westmount-Ville-Marie, and greatly-missed CBC radio host around these parts. Thanks again for finding it, NDPP.
The NDP would do well to pay attention to voices like these.
Genest-Jourdain is a riot. Did anyone catch the video of him fussing about his hair in Question Period? And he was on 22 Minutes Monday.
BB, I saw him do his hair and loved it - so very cheeky and endearing and yet I knew when he spoke he meant business and nobody should take his "fun" and "playing to the camera" as showing him less than what he is - a very engaging MP who is smart.
Genest-Jourdain and I have been Facebook friends for a while. He's quite good-humoured.