William Hamilton addresses Killarney-Glengarry Community Hall

At the “all candidates forum” at Killarney-Glengarry Community Hall, William delivered the following introductory remarks:

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you all so much for joining us tonight at the Killarney-Glengarry Community Hall.

I’m running for election as your Green Party candidate because Calgary Centre deserves a louder voice. A stronger voice. And it’s so important to
be here in front of all of you this evening because your voices and your ideas are a critical part of how and why a democracy works. In fact, public
forums on the issues that matter to you are as old as democracy itself. You’re entitled to a Member of Parliament who is empowered for you and
accountable to you. Public forums like this one tonight are what ensure I am empowered and accountable.

So let me tell you a little bit about the ideas that matter to Calgary Centre in this election.

It’s time for Calgary Centre to be the epicentre of the smart economy this country needs to prosper in the twenty-first century. A smart economy
features green jobs — people and businesses investing money and labour in renewable energy systems, freight and passenger railway services, and
efficient buildings. A smart economy features healthy industry — sustainable and profitable farms and ranches, forestry enterprises where
we add value to the wood right here at home, and jobs and small businesses where real people make real products. It invests in new tools
and technologies to turn energy from the end into a beginning. And a smart economy features a government that lives within its means — where
Ottawa balances the books, modernises the way it works, and gets out of the business of picking winners and propping up losers.

It’s time for Calgary Centre to be the example to Canadians of how a true democracy works in this country. When’s the last time you pointed to
Question Period in Parliament as a demonstration of good behaviour for your children? If your instincts lean to the fundamental Canadian values of
co-operation, civility, and fair play, looking at what’s happening on Parliament Hill these days is more likely to bring to mind a cage fight. You

elect your Member of Parliament to do a job for you — defend your rights, bring your concerns in Killarney-Glengarry to the national stage, and see to
it that the business of the nation gets done transparently and respectfully. And that’s a job you’re entitled to see done irrespective of the colour of
your coat. In a true democracy, we live by our principles. We lead by example. We make every voice in Calgary Centre count.

And it is time for Calgary Centre to be the showcase for the strong communities our nation can build together. A strong community takes less
income tax money out of families’ pockets and helps them share the load with more flexible work and child-care solutions. A strong community
supports our elders, supports our mental and physical well-being, and supports the urban places and common spaces that give us time for what
really matters. Let’s bring Ottawa back to the table to invest in transit, safeguard our health systems, and make human life in our cities humane.
Investing in transit is a key pillar of a Green Party budget that puts Calgary Centre first — with a budget plan that funds $2.1-billion nationally in mass
transit capital construction costs through 2014.

Building strong communities in Calgary Centre takes work. It takes time, effort, determination, and a little tender loving care to maintain and
enhance the essential infrastructure we need and share with our friends and neighbours. We don’t notice basic things like effective transit systems,
water and sewer infrastructure, playgrounds, housing, schools, community halls, and health care when they’re working properly and firmly in place —
but when the buses are packed and backed up on gridlocked roads, or when water mains fail for want of a nail that municipalities are too
strapped to afford, we sure notice then, don’t we? Strong communities involve and engage everyone who lives in them, ranging from the young
families getting started in their lives together to the elders who deserve the dignity and independence to keep contributing and continue offering their
wisdom to the neighbourhood and the world around them. After all, the reason you make a living is so that you can come back home to a strong
community where you and your families and your friends and neighbours can have fulfilling and meaningful lives.

But Ottawa has shirked its responsibilities to you. Parliament has become so snarled in gridlock of its own making that it can’t see and can’t fathom
the damage that its neglect of our cities and your community has wrought. Calgary Centre deserves a representative who can get Parliament’s eye back on the ball and back on the job — serving Canadians.

Now to implement the smart economy, strong communities, and true democracy we need in Calgary Centre, you’re absolutely right to demand a plan. We have one. We’ve crunched the numbers. The Green Party of Canada is the only party running in this election to have a baseline federal budget that meets the exacting standards of bankers like TD’s Don Drummond — to have a tangible and viable plan that gets Ottawa back in the black. Our budget plan hits polluters where it hurts, and rewards people in Calgary Centre who act responsibly, live sustainably, and do the right thing. We will knock three percentage points off the federal debt-to-GDP ratio over the next three years, and we will do it prudently and responsibly. Our Green fiscal plan puts people and their families in Calgary Centre on our shoulders, where they belong.

The Green Party of Canada has a platform and a plan that serves Calgary Centre’s aspirations and immediate needs. Our plan for a smart economy draws on the drive and the dynamism that attracts people to Calgary Centre. Our plan for strong communities builds on the urban vibrancy and sustainability that the people of Calgary Centre seek in choosing to live here. And our plan for true democracy speaks to the vision and the values that so many of us in Calgary Centre share.

It’s time to put Calgary Centre first. On May 2, help me turn Calgary Centre Green.

May 1, 2011  Tags: , , , , ,   Posted in: Campaign

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