Barring dramatically unforeseen events, Canada will not see a federal election in 2010, but that isn't stopping Liberal candidate Daniel Veniez from sticking to the campaign trail.
Veniez attended his first official invitation to speak in the constituency at the Squamish Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday (March 23), thanks to an invitation from chamber director Steve Drinkwater, who is also Squamish's federal Liberal Party director.
Veniez was a somewhat reluctant candidate, saying it was a two-hour meeting with Michael Ignatieff that led him to "stop complaining from the cheap seats" and accept Ignatieff's request to run in the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky riding. Little did he know that several months later he'd still be campaigning.
"I've been purgatory ever since," he said.
Veniez spoke from the heart to the group of about 60 chamber members about why he wants to be MP, adding some of his reasons may not be popular.
"I'm not doing this because I want to come back to my constituency with checks for tennis courts and nature trails and to smile for the cameras," he said. "I don't want to spend my time taking credit for giving taxpayers their money back."
Veniez said MPs are elected to take constituents' interests to the House of Commons - "the house of the people," he added -however, MPs are also not "trained seals" who simply abide by constituents' desires and toe the party line.
"You elect people who hopefully know how to think, hopefully know how to persuade, certainly need to listen, but not someone who would compromise his or her judgment for yours," he said, adding, "That sounds harsh, but I don't think it is. It goes to the core of why I want to be a Member of Parliament."
Veniez, who was raised in Montreal by an Anglophone truck driver and French Canadian paper-sack worker, has a broad background that includes business, volunteerism, political consultation and a stint as chairman of Ridley Terminals Inc. under Prime Minister Stephen Harper's appointment.
Despite the Harper Conservative Party "being very good at framing" Liberals as standing for public office out of self-interest, said Veniez, the truth is the $150,000 MP salary is not a good financial decision for him.
He said he wants to be MP to be a part of a government that inspires hope, not fear.
"I'm standing here because I believe in all my heart this government's not on the right track and we could be so much better in this country.
"I want to replace these folks -as hard working as they might be - with a government that has a hopeful vision for the country. I don't want our Members of Parliament or our Cabinet to be occupied by bean counters. I want leaders."
Veniez pointed to two issues politicians don't want to touch because they're just "too tough a nut to crack." The first is healthcare.
Veniez gave a personal account of his own anticipated wait time of 24 months for knee surgery and his wife's 18-month wait time for another procedure (adding they opted to get procedures done in a private Vancouver clinic and were "lucky" to have the money), and witnessing his 72-year-old mother's death on a gurney in the lobby of a Montreal hospital as examples of the need for a better system.
He said he doesn't necessarily have the answer, but he does have ideas. And with 60 per cent of provinces' budget going toward healthcare, and an aging population, governments "have to at least have the conversation."
Veniez went on to describe another "deplorable" situation in Canada: the state of certain First Nations reserves - most significantly problematic in the north.
"Suicide in [some] reserves is just a way of life," he said. "They're Canadians just like us and they live in absolute, abject squalor. It's shameful that we allow it."
Veniez acts as a volunteer consultant to help First Nations groups "figure out how to better manage their affairs."
He said the federal government does not need to throw more money at the problem, but it has to deal with the "constitutionally-entrenched system of organized apartheid in this country."
Veniez ended by touching on Canada's waning influence in the world as governments remain quiet on issues such as climate change and the Middle East.
"We need to demand better of our representatives, of our Members of Parliament and of our governments," he said. "I want to do this because there's a lot of work, a lot of tough issues."
