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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FORSETH: You Have To Be A Bit Crazy

 

Ward and his wife Carleen celebrating his win on election night.

 

In March of this year, I took on the role of Campaign Manager for BC Conservative candidate Ward Stamer.  It’s the third time I’ve had the opportunity as I took on the role for Peter Sharp in 2013, and for Dennis Giesbrecht in 2020.

Now let me tell you, in the past, a BC Conservative campaign team generally consisted of myself, the candidate and one or two helpers – and very little in the way of a campaign budget.

Thankfully, a benefit of having spent 30+ years in the broadcast media afforded me the ability to do ad copy and write candidate speeches, and prep both Dennis and Peter to deal with the media – it’s also something I have always enjoyed.

That was part of my duties this time around as well, however having a team of a dozen and a half volunteers meant that for the first time we had people available to ID our supporters, put together and install campaign signs, distribute campaign literature, and help out at our campaign office.

One thing that didn’t change, however, was the hours I put in, and that has generally been 10+ hour days for months (what’s a day off :D ).

I have worked local, provincial and federal election campaigns since my early teens, and some might ask what causes a person to help on an election team, and not just as a campaign manager, but as a volunteer.

Many would say that to have put in that much time, over the years, you must be a bit crazy.  I think though, for most of us, it’s a sincere desire to have a strong and healthy democracy.

I have always believed that no matter the odds of a party or candidate winning, people need to have an option so as to vote for something that best represents them. My belief in that has never wavered.

In Kamloops Centre, and Kamloops North Thompson, six individuals stepped forward to let their names stand in this election. For that, and whether I agree with their policies or not, they have my admiration.


A resident of Kamloops since the early 90’s, Alan Forseth ran for the BC Reform Party in the 1996 provincial general election for the riding of Kamloops - North Thompson. He has been a member of the Conservative Party of BC since 2010.

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