Summer reading: How a Liberal toppled Pierre Poilievre and won Carleton riding
He was also clear and transparent with the people he met that he was doing it to put a serious dent in the toxicity that's taken over the Conservative party since the trucker wing elected the only leadership candidate who openly supported them.
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Even though he'd been involved in his community for many years, as a hockey dad, an activist and a board member of Bike Ottawa, the exercise of knocking on doors was a powerful lesson in humility as Fanjoy discovered how many people had no sweet clue who he was. Eventually, word of mouth started doing what it does best and when people opened their door, they would exclaim things like, 'Oh! It's you! I was wondering when you'd show up!'
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Politics can be more ungrateful than the worst teenager. But it can also be rewarding. One of the most memorable people Fanjoy encountered early in his campaign was a person who moved to Canada many years ago and was a permanent resident but not a citizen yet, because they'd never taken that final step. That person went through the process and officially became a Canadian citizen a few months after meeting Bruce Fanjoy, just so they could vote for him.
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The polling aggregator 338Canada has consistently shown (Carleton) riding as Conservative blue. Fair enough, I guess, until a stunning upset at the ballot box.
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When I first chatted with Fanjoy about the possibility of running against Poilievre, I thought his odds weren't exceptionally good, but I knew they were better than the polls would suggest.
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I had a few reasons for thinking that. First and foremost, the occupation of Ottawa … suffice to say for now that for most people in the Ottawa area, the occupation of our downtown was an affront we won't forget anytime soon.
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Another reason is that while the Trudeau Liberals had outstayed their welcome, most Canadians did not appreciate Poilievre's tone, and plenty of voters worried he would be ideologically too far to the right.
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You'd be amazed to hear how many variations there are of 'You're wasting your time' and Bruce Fanjoy has heard every single one of them. But in a democracy, campaigning to offer voters a choice is never a waste of time.
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The funny thing is, the more doors he knocked on, the more convinced he became that what the poll aggregators were saying about Carleton was not a true refection of what the voters of Carleton said when he took the time to listen to them.
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I am working my way through Ernest Hemingway's Islands in the Stream for the first time ever, after a dear friend and great writer recommended it. Growing up in French-speaking Quebec, we didn't overly study this author, and discovering him in my 50s is … eye-opening. I appreciate his economy of words in dialogue, and the love story he has so much difficulty acknowledging. Pairs well with a glass of rosé around dinner time.
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