Youth for Anita Vandenbeld for Ottawa West-Nepean

Young Liberals hit the streets in Orleans today on a beautiful Ottawa day, not a cloud in the sky. In the tight seat of Ottawa-Orleans, Young Liberal efforts like the 100,000 Doors campaign will make a huge difference in tight seats across Canada getting Liberals elected.

We're at the Anita Vandenbeld campaign HQ now, having just grabbed some delicious BBQ, and we're heading out the doors now to go and beat Baird. If you're reading this, stop and head out the door and help elect your local Liberal candidate. Youth can win the day in the fight for a better Canada.

Big Young Liberal happenings tomorrow in Ottawa.

First, come on out to Orleans for a morning canvass in Ottawa-Orleans (the campaign office is right by the Transitway, easy to get to) and help out David Bertschi as part of the 8 Ridings in 7 days OYL Blitz!

Then head over to Ottawa West-Nepean for the last big push in our efforts to beat Baird!
Join us for a free BBQ and a blitz at 1:30.

Young Liberals will make a difference in Ottawa!

The Young Liberals have released a hilarious new game with a special relevance on Ottawa West-Nepean: Angry Bairds!

http://bit.ly/mB1330
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is urging its members and the general public to support Liberal candidate Anita Vandenbeld in Ottawa West Nepean when they go out to vote on Monday May 2. The endorsement is the recommendation of the Ottawa Area Council (OAC) of the PSAC.

"Anita supports the union's call for a national childcare program and if elected she is committed to reestablishing pay equity in the public service," said Maria Fitzpatrick, Regional Executive Vice-President of the PSAC for the National Capital Region. "She has promised to protect the public service from cuts, as well as to respect the role that public service workers play across the country."

Vandenbeld wants to stop further corporate tax giveaways to the richest and most profitable corporations and instead wants to use the savings to strengthen our public pension system and our health care system.

There are approximately 59,000 PSAC members in the National Capital Region with over 3,000 living in Ottawa West Nepean.

Great new video by the Young Liberals of Canada in support of the 100,000 Doors campaign, calling on Young Liberals across Canada to knock on 100,000 doors in the last days of the campaign. Youth have played a huge role in Anita's campaign in Ottawa West-Nepean, and we'll be out knocking on lots of doors and listening to families across our great riding.

Regardless of where you are as you read this, know that you have a Liberal campaign in your riding you can get involved with to make a better Canada. Rise up!

Anita was great in the debate tonight, particularly when she called on Baird to explain why he had personally diverted the tax dollars of Canadian families which had been earmarked for border security to keep them safe were instead used to build gazebos and a fake lighthouse in Tony Clement's riding.

If you missed the debate, you can catch it at midnight tonight, or 9 am Saturday morning.

The Ottawa West-Nepean all candidates debate being broadcast tonight, and Anita really took it to Baird on issues like health care, Nortel, and job creation. You can watch Anita show why she would make an excellent MP for Ottawa West-Nepean tonight at 7pm on Rogers channel 22.

We hope you turn in, and let us know what you think of Anita's performance. Baird may be loud in the House, but he's quiet when speaking up for the families of Ottawa West-Nepean on issues like health care and child care.

The Liberal Party has dominated the social media game so far this election, and now it's time to turn that into action! With less than a week to go in the campaign, it's time to commit to vote Liberal and vote for Anita!

You can show your support by following the instructions at lpc.ca/commit, which will hook you up with special profile pics for Facebook, and help you spread the word about the May 2nd election.

So go forth, social media it up, and make sure to commit to vote Liberal on May 2nd!

Check out www.electanita.ca right now to see glowing endorsements of Anita from Bob Chiarelli, Marlene Catterall, and former Ottawa deputy police chief Larry Hill!

Today is the last day of advance voting, so get out and avoid the lines!

Pop your postal code into the Elections Canada website and find your advance poll!

http://elections.ca/scripts/pss/FindED.aspx?L=e

Let us know if you need a ride to the polls!

http://www.liberal.ca/tv/

"Michael Ignatieff's Town Hall for Canada" features an up-close-and-personal look at Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal Party’s plan to strengthen families and defend Canada’s health care system.

You can catch it here in Ontario at 12 noon on Global, and 2 pm on CityTV.

Busy day on the campaign trail today, the second day of advance voting. With Friday and Monday also being holidays, today was the day to get voters to the polls.

I was out pulling out votes in the Caldwell Avenue area. This is a mixed-income, very multicultural area that traditionally has unfortunately had a low voter turnout. However, the core issues Anita is campaigning on, like strong schools and hospitals, and having a responsive local MP resonate strongly here.

As an individual canvasser, it's also humbling knowing that you're making a difference by going to a place like this. The Conservatives look at at area like this on their divide and conquer micro-targeting sheets, and say "Next!" Liberals look at a area full of diversity and opportunity but seems politically disengaged as an opportunity to listen.

I had dozen of Canadians tell me that this was the first time they had ever seen someone from a political campaign drop by, and how impressed they were with Anita's team for trying to win every vote by listening to every voter.

If even one first-time voter feels engaged in politics, and feels like they deserve an MP who listens to them, and goes and votes, it was worth it.

The time has come! Advance polls are open and you can go and vote for Anita in Ottawa West-Nepean today!

We sent out information to voters in Ottawa West-Nepean about advance poll locations, but you can check your location here on the Elections Canada website: http://elections.ca/scripts/pss/finded.aspx?L=e

Just enter your postal code and it'll tell you where to vote.

If Anita is going to win, youth need to turn out! Youth had the lowest voter turnout on record last election, so it's time to stand up for ourselves and take control of our future! Get out and vote!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=218043994872402

While Harper continues his bubble campaign, Liberals are listening.

Follow the link to leave a question for Michael Ignatieff, or chat live with him on Facebook from 1:30-2:30.

"Business first, families and pensioners second"

Do you think you deserve to come first?

http://ottawa.openfile.ca/ottawa/file/2011/04/child-care-across-ottawa

This according to OpenFile, which did a statistical report on child care centres across every Ottawa riding. Infant care is lagging behind other ridings:


While neighbourhoods such as Hintonburg, Civic Hospital and Mechanicsville have few licensed daycares that accept children under 18 months of age, those daycares are generally more abundant in Ottawa Centre—where there are 12 such centres for a population of 109,336.

By comparison, Ottawa West-Nepean has a population of 109,735 and three centres serving the same age group. Each of those three centres—Algonquin College, Woodroffe High School and Municipal Home Care—give priority to certain groups such as employees, students or Ontario Works clients.

When I was out canvassing with Anita last night, we spoke with a man who said he was paying more for child care than he was his mortgage. I joked that I was shocked that Harper's $100 a month wasn't helping him much, and he agreed wholeheartedly, saying it demonstrated how out of touch with working families the Conservatives have gotten. Ottawa West-Nepean families deserve better.

http://www.liberal.ca/newsroom/blog/favourite-stephen-harper-quote-health-care/ Follow the link and vote away! The winner will be in a Liberal Party ad.

Hey, a lot of us are students writing exams right now, or we're working. As much as we'd love to help out great Liberal candidates like Anita Vandenbeld, we're a little busy right now.

With just 17 days to go before election day, we're having one of the biggest events of the campaign; the nomination of the Hon. Bob Chiarelli, MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean. Join us at Our Lady of Fatima Church 153 Woodroffe Ave. (right across from our campaign office) at 2pm, then head out with a strong team of Ottawa West-Nepean Liberals!

In the Ed Board discussion the other day for Ottawa West-Nepean, John Baird claimed that the Conservatives had always opposed cap & trade. That sounded fishy, and the Ottawa Citizen did a fact check, revealing a flip-flop on John Baird's part. http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/edboard/archive/2011/04/15/john-baird-rewrites-history.aspx Here's the Conservative throne speech in 2008: "We will work with the provincial governments and our partners to develop and implement a North America-wide cap and trade system for greenhouse gases" Jim Prentice in 2009: "It has been our stated intent, from the outset, to eventually move to a hard cap and trade regime...it is our view that a key objective should be a common cap and trade system" Ottawa West-Nepean families deserve an MP and government that will work for the environment and clean air for families to breathe, not John Baird's flip-flops.

I knew the Conservatives didn't want youth to vote, but actually nullifying the ballot? That's what the Conservatives have asked for after a special ballot at the University of Guelph.

http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/517010--conservatives-ask-elections-canada-to-nullify-votes-cast-of-u-of-g-wednesday

No votes cast Wednesday in a special ballot at the University of Guelph should stand, according to the Conservative Party of Canada...The move has generated considerable controversy at the university, home of the first youth "vote mob" encouraging students to vote.

The Conservatives are claiming interference with the ballot box, and many students agree with them. Only problem is, it looks like it might have been the Conservatives who were doing it!

Several University of Guelph students claim Michael Sona, the communications director for Guelph Conservative candidate Marty Burke, attempted to put a stop to voting at the special ballot held Wednesday. The students say Sona approached the Elections Canada balloting site claiming that the process unfolding at the location was illegal and at one point reached for but never took possession of a container with ballots.

“He tried to grab for the ballot box. I’m not sure he got his hand on the box, but he definitely grabbed for it,” said Brenna Anstett, a student, who at the time of the reported incident was sealing her second of two envelopes containing her vote.

Student Claire Whalen was just about to receive her ballot just before 5 p.m. when the episode unfolded.

“That’s when a guy came up and said it was an illegal polling station and that he was confiscating the ballots. And then he tried to take (the ballot box),” Whalen said.

Whalen also identified the man as Sona.

Hard hitting Liberal ad on health care.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Live+Stream+Ottawa+West+Nepean+candidates/4614780/story.html Watch Anita take on John Baird live at the Ottawa Citizen editorial board! Just click the link and it'll take you right inside.

(Note: This went out yesterday but between exams and debate prep, we didn't have a chance to post it)


OTTAWA, April 12, 2011 –

Anita Vandenbeld, Federal Liberal candidate for Ottawa West-Nepean, today called on John Baird to explain to voters why he diverted funds from border infrastructure to toilets in Muskoka.


Ms. Vandenbeld is responding to Auditor General Sheila Fraser’s leaked report, which said that the Conservative government had misled Parliament about the spending of a $149.9 million infrastructure fund. Parliament approved the money for reducing congestion and improving safety and security at the border. Instead Baird admitted yesterday that he personally approved reallocating funds to fake lighthouses, gazebos, public toilets and “beautification” projects in a Conservative-held riding 300 kilometres away from any border.


“Mr. Baird should know that this is public money, not his personal fund”, said Ms. Vandenbeld, “If you were given a budget from your employer to spend on one thing, and you use it for something else without getting the approval of the proper authorities, you’d be fired. I think Mr. Baird needs to explain himself to the voters of Ottawa West-Nepean. Elections and democracy are not just a distraction – it is how taxpayers can ensure that money goes where it is supposed to”.


Ms. Vandenbeld is calling for a release of the Auditor General’s final report before the May 2nd election, so that the public can get the whole truth about this misallocation of funds.


-30-


Contact: Patrick Storr, Campaign Manager Anita Vandenbeld Campain 613-789-VOTE (8683)

Had a great time with hundreds of other Ottawa youth. Looking forward to going to vote!

New campaign from the Young Liberals of Canada. http://www.ylc-jlc.ca/home_e.aspx

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-misled-parliament-on-g8-spending-auditor-general/article1979865/


I've said it before on this blog, and I'll say it again: these guys really don't like you knowing how your tax dollars are being spent. While Liberals will invest in families, what was Stephen Harper scheming to spend your money on?

The Auditor-General says the Harper government misinformed Parliament to win approval for a $50-million G8 fund that lavished money on dubious projects in a Conservative riding. And she suggests the process may have been illegal... It reveals that Industry Minister Tony Clement, the mayor of Huntsville and the general manager of Deerhurst Resort chose the 32 projects that received funding – with no regard for the needs of the summit or the conditions laid down by the government.

Canadian families deserve a government that will support them and help them grow, not make $50 million of your tax dollars disappear in a poof of partisan and possibly illegal spending.

The Conservatives want Canadian families to wait in line for help after hitting them in the wallet for corporate handouts, warplanes, and sketchy prison scheming. Liberals believe that families come first.

http://www.liberal.ca/newsroom/news-release/conservative-platform-puts-billions-corporations-jets-jails-families-health-care/

Mr. Harper is making families wait for five years behind out-of-control spending on jets, jails and corporations – and will only help them if he balances the budget,” said Mr. McGuinty. “Even then, he’s only offering to help families that are already well off.” Stephen Harper has never met a single deficit reduction target he’s set, and the Parliamentary Budget Officer and the International Monetary Fund said his deficit reduction targets are just not credible. Stephen Harper took a $13-billion Liberal surplus and turned it into a deficit before the recession hit, en route to the largest deficit in Canadian history at $56 billion. After adding $106 billion to the national debt, he is on track to adding another $200 billion over the next five years. “The Liberal Party will help average Canadian families right away with the cost of child care, post-secondary education, family care, pensions, and cutting high energy costs,” he said. “And unlike the Conservatives, we can keep our promises because our platform is full-costed and credible.”

Click the link for more info.

Two great events for youth going on in Ottawa tomorrow!

First, join Team Anita at our campaign office at 9:30 for a canvass blitz followed by a BBQ for all our volunteers!

John Baird, in his attack filled press conference a few days ago where he justified the Conservatives kicking political engaged youth out of rallies said that the idea of a flash mob was "disconcerning" and that he didn't know what it was.

Thankfully, we try to be a little more hip to what the kids are saying these days. Seems the whole "listening" thing works better than banning youth.

http://on.fb.me/exDQBk

Come out this Saturday at 4:30 at Taberet Lawn at U of O. Wear red and white, bring Canadian flags. We'll be there!

Check out the shiny new http://www.electanita.ca/! Has lots of great information on local priorities, Anita's position on the big issues, and how to get in touch with us.

http://bit.ly/hfNEgz Here's the profile of Anita in the Ottawa Citizen, take a read and share!

Stephen Harper doesn't have a problem with having a 5 time fraudster as a top advisor for 2 years and paying them with your tax dollars: http://www.leaderpost.com/aide+criminal+past+dogs+Harper+campaign+trail/4561709/story.html

But if you're Facebook friends with a Liberal? You're outta there! http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/04/04/17875211.html

Change your profile picture to the pic above if you agree that youth should be encouraged to participate in the political process and that convicted fraudsters don't deserve to be paid for out of your wallet.

http://bit.ly/eljV7R

Had a great sit down with some volunteers tonight about how to most effectively use social media during the campaign, and in particular, how to use it to better listen to voters. You can always ask us anything on Twitter or Facebook, we want to listen to you. Our Facebook page is: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Anita-Vandenbeld-for-Ottawa-West-Nepean/117490804958455 Anita's personal Twitter is www.twitter.com/anitavandenbeld The campaign team Twitter is www.twitter.com/OWN_Anita Don't forget to follow the Eastern Region Young Liberals too, http://www.facebook.com/easternregionyoungliberals and www.twitter.com/EasternOYL Let us know if you want to get involved with our social media team!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158467804215140&index=1

Come and help out this weekend as your OWN candidate, Anita Vandenbeld, launches her official campaign at 3pm on Sunday, April 3rd at our campaign office (911 Richmond Road).

We have been getting fantastic support from the community and we'll be counting on our volunteers more now than ever. Even if you can only spare a few hours a week we'd love to have you - every little bit helps!

The launch will feature remarks from Anita as well as a special guest: The Honourable Judy Sgro, Opposition Critic for Seniors & Pensions for the Liberal Party of Canada.

We want to have a strong youth team out for Anita, some come join the team that will beat Baird!