I was stunned by the turnout for our departure rally out of Vancouver. It looked like there were close to 200 people assembled to see us off on the Green train. We arrived in an electric jeep. For the second time on my election travels, bagpipers piped me in. The send-off could not have been better. Green party incumbent, Blair Wilson, and Deputy Leader, Adriane Carr, both joined me at the podium to address the crowd.
Vancouver was a good indication of the success of our tour thus far. I honestly didn’t know what to expect when Greens in Kamloops told us they wanted to have a rally at 2am. Nor was I confident that we’d get more than a handful of people at stops like Agassi, where the train only stops long enough to let people on and off. The group in Mission, British Columbia, came out strong with about 30 supporters showing up on the train platform, waving large Green Party banners and signs. In the town of Agassi, I was not able to get off the train, only to lean out and say a few words from the stairway. There were a dozen supporters there to greet me. Perhaps most impressive of all was the crowd in Kamloops. The rally was advertised as a pajama party, featuring hot chocolate and snacks. The candidate, Donovan Cavers, appeared in his housecoat to celebrate the Green train’s arrival.
I am so encouraged by the enthusiasm for what we are doing on this leader’s tour. Messages have been flooding into my Facebook and Twitter accounts with words of support for the Green Party’s approach in taking a train across the country. Many people expect the Green Party to be responsible in the choices we make when campaigning, and taking the train was a difficult decision for the party. There has been pressure on the staff in Ottawa to make sure that I get to big city centres, strong Green ridings the train simply doesn’t pass through and to fly to places where we would be more likely to attract national media attention. None of these objections swayed my desire to cross the country by rail. I’m glad the party was able to back me up on that.
As it is, we easily have a dozen journalists and photographers on board the train right now. All of them got up at 2 this morning to cover the rally in Kamloops. Not to mention the local media, radio, news, and campus paper who all came out to observe the whistle-stop there. Today was all about the “rah, rah”, the banners, the cheering, the rallying cry. Greens across the province of British Columbia were happy to hear the message we are spreading: that a high-speed efficient rail service is part of the Greens’ national vision. People get excited when I talk about new technologies that are available to Canada, Green business interests in expanding renewable energies and sustainable industry. People are moved when we talk about the future we want to give our children and grandchildren.
Speeding through the beautiful countryside of the west coast, my spirits have been restored. When I pull into Halifax on Saturday, the 27th, after a week-long national tour, I don’t think I’ll be exhausted, frustrated or desperate for a break. I think that by the end of this national tour, I will be more energized, more excited, more ready than ever before to give wings to the Green party message.