The First Step In The Thousand-Mile Journey

As Lao Tsu said in the 6th century: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

This Saturday evening, May 3, 2008, our LET’S WIN BACK CANADA team held our very first meet and greet function. We spent a great deal of time effort and money to get the word out about the event.

This was our first step in our thousand mile journey.

We were unbelievably fortunate to have the COUNTYMEN with Gary Rose, Freddy Brass and Jody Marsolais play a varied taste of fantastic music.

But, even with the money we spent for all of the advertising, and having the COUNTYMEN perform, the crowd was relatively small compared to the 200 people we had hoped for.

That said though, throughout the evening, about 50 people came by to dance, chat, hear what I had to say, and purchase my latest book CANADA IS NOT A BILINGUAL COUNTRY.

If I told you that I wasn’t disappointed in the size of the crowd, I would be lying. I was very disappointed. BUT, I wasn’t at all disappointed in the nature of the people who came.

THEY WERE FABULOUS!

I was thrilled to have such quality guests who asked serious questions about the campaign and the platform. Many of the people who came, didn’t come to show their support, as much as they did to find out why they should support us. Or why not.

These are the folks I yearn to meet and speak with. They’re the ones who will make a decision to support what our campaign stands for based upon common sense, opposed to raw passion. If they believe, others will believe too.

There were serious questions about French language rights from French speakers who were in attendance. They were concerned that I would lobby against their rights to have French language education, day care and social services.

My answer to their concern was simple: I have never intimated that I would support any measure that would take away any rights from Canada’s French speaking minority.

To the contrary, I have written more times than I can remember, that I would NEVER support a Bill 101 type law that would take away French language rights in the rest of Canada, the way Bill 101 has stripped away the rights of English speakers in Quebec.

Another person asked me about my position on animal rights, specifically about my abhorrence to Canada’s Seal Hunt, and how this mindset would impact upon farmers who raise livestock for slaughter.

I explained that the Seal Hunt is a Canadian barbarity in its cruelest and most useless sense, since it costs Canada more money to supervise and stage this outrage than it earns for the people slaughtering Seal herds.

I also explained that by Canadian law, anyone willing to pay a dollar for a permit to slaughter Seals could do so. But, anyone wishing to just view a Seal hunt by being within a kilometer of the slaughter will be arrested.

If Canada is not ashamed of this atrocity, why in the world would they make it illegal to witness the hunt. And how much does this Seal slaughter cost Canada in world opinion, specifically within Europe?

I was able to speak about imminent serious social and economic challenges that are upon the horizon, and how little we are told by our federal government about what they intend to do about preparing Canada for competition the likes of which none of us have ever seen or can imagine.

At this meeting, I was able to test-drive our campaign. I was introduced to questions and concerns most people who live in the Riding of Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry will have.

All in all, it was a terrific experience that has set the standard for all other like-events in the future, such as the next LET’S WIN BACK CANADA event we are planning for Saturday May 31, 2008.

By the end of this week, we will be sending out our one-page four-color platform cards to every resident in North Dundas. We will follow-up with mailings to each of the other communities that make up the Riding of Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry.

Winning an Independent Seat in Parliament is a critical first step to WINNING BACK THE CANADA our parents and grandparents gave us.

When I first setup QPAC (Quebec Political Action Committee), our first meeting attracted less than a dozen people, of which, 3 or 4 of them came to disrupt and discredit us before we even got off the ground.

By the end of QPAC (5 years later), thousands of people came to our meetings to support us and do what they could to make a difference.

WINNING BACK CANADA will be no different.

To learn how you can help and make a difference, please click on the red link below my signature.

My latest book, CANADA IS NOT A BILINGUAL COUNTRY is becoming a huge hit. If you would like a copy, just click on the link under the photo to the right of this editorial.

You can order it online via PayPal, or by sending a check via Canada Post. The cost is $25 all in.

Please spread the word.

Best Regards . . . Howard Galganov