Every Door Is A New Experience: Campaign Fun

Tonight, I went out door-to-door again, paired with the candidate's husband for a second time. David is a wealth of information, and even though we stick to the "script" (a short rundown of why Valérie is the best candidate), we always seem to get into interesting talks with select people.

There are those who are what I call a "hard no" - the ones who just smile and say, "I'm not voting," or "Conservative Party? Have a nice evening." There was one who just refused to even let us get close; she was on the way into her house from her car, and totally ignored us.

The very first D2D I did, it was tough to not feel rejection. Now? It's something I accept. Because it isn't personal.

But even those can be enlightening. It's helped me to read people, going door to door this way.

Tonight, we encountered those who wanted to air their concerns. One gentleman, for example, is concerned about the controversial anti-terror bill, C-51.

The bill is controversial because it's been spun as a privacy violator. It is not. There are many sites devoted to killing it, to spinning it, and yet there are very important parts of it that have helped to foil terror attacks.

This gentleman mentioned it right away, and I explained that it takes perspective, and that the bill has been misrepresented.

He seemed firm, but was jovial, and friendly. He took the information card we offered, and wished us luck.

We encountered one staunch Québecois - he smiled nicely and said, "Moi, je suis Bloc." We thanked him, he wished us luck, and we left.

Though the Bloc Québecois (the separatist party in Parliament that was decimated last election) has no chance, David explained to me that it's okay to have some Bloc voters. Those are the ones who will dilute the vote and help Valérie.

One fun part of the D2D is seeing the kids, or the pets that belong to the families. One adorable yellow Lab puppy seemed curious, and the minute we reached down to let her sniff our palms, she scooted behind her owner's legs.

Yes, we're focused on the job, but every door is a new family, a new encounter, a new experience.

And hey, I'm doing a lot of walking - it's great exercise, the weather is lovely, the company always great, and I feel so productive.

So often, we say "oh, yes, this interests me, I'd love to be a part of it." But how often do we actually become part of it?

This week, I was given the enormous responsibility of organizing the volunteers. I will report to Sonia - a dynamic organizer who is keeping the office running shipshape and with whom I bonded instantly.

She told me she wants to deal with one person: me. And I will be in charge of volunteers; getting an army out on the streets to do D2D, to get people at the phones to call (the vocal version of D2D), to get people out there getting the word out.

It is a responsibility I take very seriously, and I am honored to be trusted with it.

Along with doing my own spread-the-word work, and pounding the pavement in D2D fun, I am able to be an integral part of what I feel will be a successful campaign resulting in Valérie's election.

And if any of you - obviously Montrealers - would like to be a part of it? We have cookies. And muffins. And TimBits. And pizza after the D2D.

But most of all, we have a team that is dedicated, cohesive, informed, smart, friendly, and really fun to be with - that makes all the difference.

Can't wait till the next!