Youth for Anita Vandenbeld for Ottawa West-Nepean

The pundits and strategists  agree - youth turnout could make the difference in this important election. That means that we have an incredible,  once-in-a-generation opportunity to change politics in our country for the better. A vote for Anita and Justin Trudeau is a vote for Real Change.

What will a Liberal government do to support young Canadians?

• We will increase the number of jobs funded by the Canada Summer Jobs program by 35,000 each year.
• Double the almost 11,000 Canadians who can access Skills Link each year. Skills Link helps young Canadians who may be at risk of not making a successful transition to the workplace - such as First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and persons with disabilities or single parents - find meaningful employment.
• We will create 5,000 youth green jobs.
• Invest $40 million annually to create more co-op placements for students in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business programs to help employers create new placement opportunities for students.
• Waive employers' Employment Insurance premiums for a 12-month period on any net new hire of a full-time employee, aged 18 to 24, in 2016, 2017, or 2018. This will reduce costs to employers by approximately $80 million per year.
• Work with provinces, territories, and post-secondary institutions to develop or expand Pre-Apprenticeship Training Programs.

Young Canadians have a lot at stake in this election, and it is too important to sit out. Take advantage of the Advance Polls this weekend and go cast your ballot for Anita! 

And if you can, contact the campaign to Help Get Out The Vote on advance polls or election day! 

Summer weather has finally arrived!!  And that means that canvassing with Team Anita is in full swing . Come join us!  The Youth for Anita team has put together The Top Five Things About Canvassing, to show you why this is a great way to be involved:

1) Have a real impact on the outcome of the election! Going door-to-door and engaging with voters will help bring much needed change in Ottawa West-Nepean.

2) Meet great people.  By joining the canvassing team, you'll have the chance to meet amazing like-minded volunteers who share Liberal values and a passion for improving our country. Many great friendships have formed through the shared experience of canvassing! On top of that, it feels great to relax with your fellow canvassers over a drink or a bite to eat after a few hours of hard work.

3) Team canvassing is  great opportunity to get to know our amazing candidate Anita... Need I say more?

4) Get the chance to talk politics! Let's face it, we all love politics. And if you're reading this blog- you definitely love politics. One of the best things about canvassing is the fascinating conversations you have with voters at the door.  If you take the time to listen to their concerns and issues, you're guaranteed to learn something new and unexpected every time you canvass.

5) Great exercise. Walking and Knocking, is a fun way to stay active over  the summer months. And we all know how important that is!


The best part about joining Team Anita, is that getting started is easy! Check out our canvassing schedule:

Tuesday: 6 - 9 pm
Wednesday: 12:30 - 3:30 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 1-5 pm

All you have to do is drop by our campaign office, located at 373 Poulin Avenue (below Farmboy), half an hour before any of  these times to get started.

Trust me, it  was tough to compress this list down to five reasons. If we could add one more, its that canvassing is  a no experience necessary form of volunteering. The campaign team will set you up with all the materials, training and information you need to have a great canvassing experience. Any questions? Want to hear 5 more great things about canvassing? We want to hear from you:

Phone: 613 - 726 - 1196
Email: info@electanita.ca

Are you between the ages of 18 and 26? Do you support the Liberal Party of Canada? Are you looking to gain valuable political skills, while working with great people this summer? 

Please read this important message from Team Anita!

Our team of volunteers will be joining together with dedicated Liberals across the country to participate in the Team Trudeau National Day of Action!

Please join me on Sunday, February 22nd to take our campaign to the voters of Ottawa West-Nepean. This will be the weekend we have all been waiting for!

A Very Happy Birthday to Anita from the entire Youth for Anita team! Have a great day. 







That Tim Horton's cake you got looks great!



Today is Anita's 43rd birthday. Wish her a happy birthday with a donation to the Ottawa-West-Nepean Federal Liberal association to help her become the next Member of Parliament for our riding!  You can donate here. 

The incredible momentum of Team Anita has not slowed down one bit since winning the Liberal nomination for Ottawa West-Nepean last month. Anita has kept busy attending events in the community and reaching out to constituents!

Campaign training and door -to-door  canvassing is also in full swing! You can help lay the groundwork for a  successful campaign and big Liberal win in  2015. If you want to be part of our winning team and help elect an amazing  Member of Parliament in 2015, get started by sending a quick email to info@electanita.ca. Anita brings to the table a blend of impressive international credentials as an expert on democracy and human rights, along with a a refreshing personal and grassroots approach to politics.

Here's a pic from the latest "train the trainers" session, hosted by our regional Liberal party fieldworker. Come out to learn how you can help us win in Ottawa West-Nepean!

This is it folks!! It's almost time for the Liberal community in Ottawa West-Nepean to choose their candidate for the 2015 Federal Election.

In just one short week, you can help nominate Anita Vandenbeld to be that candidate!

Over the past months, this blog has chronicled Anita's journey of: reaching out to residents of Ottawa West-Nepean, making connections , building a team and laying the groundwork for a win in the 2015 general election. Anita commitment to public service, her international experience and her impeccable character make her an excellent candidate. Her extensive political experience and deep roots in this riding,  also make her the most winnable Liberal candidate in Ottawa West-Nepean.

The hard work of Anita and her committed team of volunteers will come to fruition on November 2nd! This final push will be crucial in ensuring that we get all of our supporters out to vote for Anita on nomination day. 

You can help!

 The Ottawa West-Nepean nomination contest will be held on Sunday, November 2. I can't tell you how excited I am that we finally have our date. The entire campaign team -- all of us volunteers -- have been working for months towards this.  - Anita Vandenbeld

Coming up is the final big push to help nominate Anita to be the Liberal candidate in Ottawa West-Nepean! We have to be on our game from now until the nomination date to build as much support as possible for Anita.

Anita will be a strong voice and an excellent representative for Ottawa West-Nepean. She brings with her international experience, tremendous compassion, a deep understanding of this riding and a proven track record. Not only would Anita make a fantastic Member of Parliament, but her political experience and commitment to engage and connect with residents of Ottawa West-Nepean make her the most electable Liberal candidate in a general election.

All indications are that the nomination meeting will be in October, which means we are in the final stretch!  If you know anyone who will want to vote at the nomination meeting, please make sure to get them a membership now, as the cut-off date is retroactive and could be as much as a month before the meeting.  If you're not sure your membership is current, just go to www.Liberal.ca/memberships and renew your membership, which will be valid from now until the end of 2015.

Thérèse Casgrain award disappeared under Stephen Harper government: Editorial

PM Harper risks losing economy as election trump card

Harper's credibility on the issue of the economy is quickly diminishing, and the argument that Harper is a sound economic manager is looking very thin. While Harper has been losing ground on the economy, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau is inspiring confidence and building trust with his positive message and vision for Canada which is focused on the middle class. Read L Ian MacDonald's article on why the economy may be one of the many issues going against Harper in 2015.

Harper has ignored Canadian ways while destroying our reputation

This is an excellent article that articulates the disconnect between how Canadians view our foreign policy and how it actually is under Harper/Baird. When foreign policy becomes a tool of domestic partisan politics, it leaves the rest of the world seeing Canada as unpredictable and inconsistent at best, and obstructionist and inflammatory at worst.


'Preventing poverty' not a valid goal for tax purposes, CRA tells Oxfam Canada
An active civil society is one of the tenets of a thriving democracy. Going after a world-recognized charitable organization that works with communities at risk in the poorest countries of the world - ostensibly because preventing poverty might be helping someone who isn't actually already poor - would be laughable if it wasn't so serious.


Tribunal can deny in-person appeals in disability benefits case

This Conservative government chooses consistently to undermine the rights of those who already have little voice. This is a denial of basic justice for persons living with disabilities. I know from my own family's experience how intimidating the CPP disability written forms can be - especially for those suffering from head injuries or cognitive or anxiety disorders. What can we do for those whose very disability makes it hard to include all the relevant details in bureaucratic language on the forms? Everyone should have a right to an in-person appeal.


Have an article that you'd like us to share? We want to hear from you. Send us your suggestion to: info@electanita.ca

You can also connect with Anita in any of the following ways:

Web: http://www.electanita.ca/
Facebook:  Anita Vandenbeld for Ottawa West-Nepean
Twitter: @anitavandenbeld 

The Ontario election is just over a month old, and since then Team Anita and Liberals across the country have been hard at work. July started off great with two new Liberal MP's being elected in  

This is what momentum looks like! It was standing room only at the latest Team Anita volunteer meeting. Anita has a committed team of volunteers who are working hard to help her get the Liberal nomination for Ottawa West-Nepean. The team meets on the first and third Mondays of every month at 7 pm  (email info@electanita.ca for details). We hope you can join our strong (and growing) group of volunteers.