Over the past 18 months, I’ve had the honour to serve the Party as 1st Vice President, but my term has not been what I expected or hoped it would be. I expected to travel to meet members in their ridings. I hoped to work more with the Regional Reps. But, as most of you know, having a leader who did not hold a seat for a year meant money needed to provide support for the Party office went elsewhere, and Bill and I have spent the bulk of our time as unpaid office staff, rather than carrying out Party business. I thought this would change once the leader got elected, but with the recent loss of our Provincial Secretary, this situation has actually gotten worse. Because of Mike Poworozynk’s departure, we have lost institutional knowledge and organizational efficiency, and will now be facing a period of increased fiscal restraint. The hiring of an interim Provincial Secretary and a part time bookkeeper will only partially alleviate this situation, while adding to the cost. In the meantime, Bill and I have continued to help with the day to day operations of the Party office, the special requirements of the post-election period, and other issues, with Bill taking on the lion’s share of that work. Since June, Bill and Allyson and I – all volunteers - have also been charged with a great deal of other additional work. Some of it has been delicate, some arduous, all of it emotionally and physically draining, and most of it, confidential. Speaking for myself, I have spent countless stress filled hours doing tasks I never thought I would have to deal with; have spent many sleepless nights worrying about the physical and especially the mental health of my friends and colleagues; and have spent weeks trying to find ways to navigate through an immensely complex and politically sensitive maze of problems. I was not alone in this. All of us – most notably Bill – have been required to spend more time away from our families, and carry the financial burden incurred by needing to be physically present in the Party Office or elsewhere doing Party business, particularly during the weeks leading up to the AGM. These are burdens volunteers should not be asked to bear. But we have been operating in what amounts to crisis mode, as the result of one person’s decision. In my opinion, much of this could have been avoided – but it is our present reality. I would also like to add that we have received neither acknowledgement nor thanks from the leader for these sacrifices. It has been an honour and a pleasure for me to work with Executive and Council, and with Danny Cavanagh, Allyson Marsh, Mike Poworozynk, and especially, our President, Bill Matheson, to whom the Party owes a debt we will never be able to repay. I believe strongly in the direction of the Party and the platform that has been laid out; I support the work of the Caucus, and I think we have an exceptional group of MLAs who are doing good and valuable work inside and outside the Legislature. But I no longer have confidence in our leader. I have concerns about his judgement, his fiscal prudence, his understanding of and respect for the Party processes, and his over-reliance on the opinions of a small group of loyalists. I believe that from the start of his term, he has rewarded personal loyalty over competence, and he continues to do so. I am disturbed by his habit – which I have seen over a period of many months – of letting surrogates – primarily his Chief of staff – speak for him, when it is his opinion that is needed. His focus on what he believes to be a “mission” - which might otherwise be a good characteristic – has become a liability which blinds him to his own shortcomings and hypocrisy. It has led him to inhabit a Trump-like world of alternate facts. Because of all these concerns, I cannot continue to serve as a Table Officer. I intend to complete the work that I have set for myself for the rest of the year, and then step aside. Since I may not get another chance to do so, I want to take this opportunity remind you, as the new Executive of the Party, of the duty in front of you - especially for those of you who are serving for the first time. You are all intelligent, educated, thoughtful, and dedicated people who are in this Party because you believe in its values and goals. As the Executive, you serve as a kind of board of directors, and as such, your role is not just to support the leader, but to offer constructive criticism and to help oversee and manage the operations of the Party and enable it to thrive. And your chief duty, I believe, is not to the leader, but to the Party itself. Leaders
ultimately come and go. But if the Party is not protected – its Constitution not upheld and its financial stability secured – the leader will have nothing to stand on going forward. And neither will the individual EDAs. In this country we embrace the idea of “Loyal Opposition”, and in this Party we take pride in “speaking truth to power,” because we know that to ignore constructive criticism ultimately weakens us. So if I have one message to you today, it is: please remember that as you make your contribution to help mould the actions of this leader and this Party. I wish you all the best of luck, and I hope you make your voices heard. Just remember that singing from the same songbook does not mean singing with only one voice.
