All hands on deck!

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.



GO TEAM ANITA!

Summer reading suggestions from the Youth for Anita Team

This week, the  Youth for Anita team would like to share some light political summer reading for you to enjoy.... Happy reading :)

Thérèse Casgrain award disappeared under Stephen Harper government: Editorial

This one is pretty surprising....despite what we've come to expect from this Conservative government. Have a read to learn more about the governments decision to replace the "Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award" with the "Prime Minister's Volunteers Awards".

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.


Here are a  few of Anita's recent picks:

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 



Everybody knows that no blog is complete without a photo... so here's  one of Anita with friends Celebrating the 2014 Haitian Festival










By-election wins and a message from Anita!

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  
Scarborough–Agincourt and  Trinity–Spadina. Team Trudeau also made impressive gains and had commendable showings in Fort McMurray-Athabaska and Macleod.  This fantastic night for Liberals would not have been possible without the hard work of countless volunteers across the country! Thank you! Here's a chart from LPC showing our party's impressive results in the most recent by-elections:

To be sure that we carry this momentum to a big win in 2015, we need to nominate the very best Liberal candidates in each and every riding. With John Baird opting to run in the newly formed riding of Nepean, it's no secret that the race in Ottawa West-Nepean has gotten even more interesting.

Here's a brief message from Anita that I wanted to share as she continues her campaign to become the Liberal candidate in Ottawa West-Nepean:


It was my honour to have been your federal Liberal candidate in the 2011 election.  We did very well - with the second-highest vote in the country for a first-time Liberal candidate in an unheld riding - and we have a strong base to work from to WIN in Ottawa West-Nepean in the next election.  John Baird has already announced that he will be running in a safer riding next time - our hard work is paying off!

As many of you know, nominations have begun for the 2015 election, and I have been campaigning hard, putting together an amazing team of volunteers and signing up new members.  I hope that I can count on your support to be your candidate again.  Read my newsletter, join me for a coffee, give me a call or check out my website at www.ElectAnita.ca.  I would love to have you as part of my team!
                    
                                                                                                           Thanks,
                                                                                                            Anita  



Full house for Team Anita!

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. 

For the fast and easy way to sign up to volunteer for Anita, check out the volunteer page on her website. 

Here's a few photos from the last Mondays packed meeting:









WE ARE THE WINNING TEAM!


Website: http://www.electanita.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElectAnita
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anitavandenbeld



Photo Recap for the week!

Hey all!

As you probably know...were nearing the end of a very important provincial election! Ottawa West-Nepean has been well served by Bob Chiarelli, so lets work hard to make sure he is re-elected on June 12th. Its not too late to find out how you can help re-elect Bob Chiaerelli MPP for OWN. Remember, Election Day will require every volunteer!


That being said, we'll start off our photo recap with an Anita selfie , taken shortly after voting in the advanced polls for Bob:


And now some  more photo highlights from the last week:


Anita was honoured  to be a panel speaker at the Universal Peace Federation and Women's Federation of World Peace conference at the Travelodge on Carling Avenue. She spoke about whether Canada is still a model of Good Governance. . As a senior advisor to the United Nations, Anita has traveled the globe and learned first-hand the immeasurable value of our Canadian democracy. Her experience includes counselling the UNDP in Vietnam and authoring a study on womens political participation, working as a technical speacialist on Parliamentary committees in Bangladesh and establishing a political party program in DRC during the 2011 Congolese elections. and Other distinguished speakers included Karen McCrimmon, Monia Mazigh, Senator Mobina Jaffer, and keynote speaker Stephane Dion.






Anita and the  Ottawa West-Nepean Federal Liberal Association out cleaning Copeland Park as part of the City of Ottawa 'Cleaning the Capital' campaign


Some fun with friends (the three Anita's) at the most recent  instalment of the famous OWNFLA 'Politics in the Pub'


Okay this last one wasn't in the past week, but it was too good to not include! Here's Anita some friends at the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa West ,annual Lobster dinner. Lots of lobster, dancing and even a silent auction - and all for a good cause!



'Is Canada A Model of Good Government'

On Friday May 30th, Anita will be a speaker at the "The Conscience of Canada Conference"
, on a panel discussion entitled: 'Is Canada A Model of Good Government'. There is an impressive line-up of speakers, including Stephane Dion as the keynote. Anita will surely draw from her years of international experience promoting democracy and human rights abroad as she weighs in on this important subject . You can register to attend the conference here!


Why Anita will win in Ottawa West-Nepean

Justin is  presenting a positive vision for Canadians​, and building a strong grassroots movement across the country. As a party, we have to be focused on going forward. But going forward does NOT mean forgetting the challenges our party has faced. This includes the results of the 2011 election. 

In an election which saw the lowest number of Liberal candidates  ever elected, Anita and local Liberal's made real progress in Ottawa West-Nepean. Did you know that in the 2011 election, Anita received the second highest  vote percentage for a first time candidate in an unheld riding? With Anita's strong performance in 2011, her impressive experience,  her deep roots in the riding and her commitment to engage with residents of Ottawa West-Nepean, she stands out as the most electable Liberal candidate for a 2015 general election. Put simply, Anita gives us the very best chance of electing a Liberal Member of Parliament for Ottawa West-Nepean!

Here's a chart showing how Anita compares among the past 5 Liberal campaigns in OWN:



Anita has been gaining momentum ever since  running in 2011. She has been actively involved in the riding nearly full-time, speaking to thousands of people in OWN. 

You can help nominate a winnable Liberal candidate in OWN. Email info@electanita.ca, or visit Anita's website for information on how to support Anita and help make real and much needed change in OWN. 
Youth for Anita Vandenbeld
Authorized by the Official Agent for Anita Vandenbeld
Copyright © 2010 Youth for Anita Vandenbeld for Ottawa West-Nepean All rights reserved.