Yesterday it was right off the train and (after a brief stop to off-load luggage) to the Returning Officer to fill out the final forms and be an official candidate in London North Centre. I got there ahead of the Liberal and the Conservative, so let's hope that trend holds!
Yesterday was our office warming party in London North Centre. The office is great -- a former internet cafe that came complete with banks of computers and chairs. In a back corner is the "Green Sprouts" section which, as I expected, is a great place for grown-ups to go for a break and play with cute toddlers.
The office began to fill up as the 4 PM party time approached. We had a television crew (A Channel), the London Free Press and Fanshawe College's "The X" radio station. By 4 PM, we had about one hundred people packed into the office. A roving musician played acoustic guitar and sang great old tunes. The office looked great -- clean, crisp and ready to roll out a winning campaign.
The amazing London team had decided I should give my first campaign stump speech on a stump. Excellent Green Party messaging... so I stood on a tree stump taking pains to point out that this was not the tree I had cut down on Rick Mercer and that (as God i my witness) the tree was already dead.
The event was very successful! Donated food (to be declared as "in kind" support on future Election reports) was yummy and cider was delicious. I tried to meet everyone and had lots of new supporters take home lawn signs and promise to have me to their neighbourhood soon to gain more support.
We are gearing up for our first big blitz canvass weekend....Hoping for lots of volunteers. We have a great team working on the Western campus and will be trying to meet 100,000 voters between now and the 27th.
The campaign is underway!