Deeper Shade of Green

Camille for Next Great Prime Minister

Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister is the competition of a lifetime. Young participants have the ears and eyes of the nation listening to their thoughts about what would make our country even better. The audience plays an important role in judging who progresses through the show and who gets axed. They listen to what each competitor has to say, how the judges challenge them and, through their votes, ultimately decide who the winner is.

Not only their votes mean $50,000 for one young Canadian, but also a great internship. Winners of previous years have secured great positions to help them progress in their political career.

Enter Camille Labchuk, a young woman with great political aspirations. Camille has been doing really great in the online polls, consistently placing amongst the top three contestants. She is shrewed, polite, but also stands behind her answers albeit keeping on open mind. Her opinions on some of the most important issues facing our country are just incredible. They are the opinions YOU have, but wonder why none of the politicians have the guts to implement. Everything from Afghanistan, democracy, government transparency, environment, jobs at home, climate change, healthcare, immigration – Camille simply gets it. I would not hesitate for a moment to give her keys to the office of the prime minister – now, even with her inexperience. She would kick ass; she’d be a breath of fresh air in an environment where politicians seem to increasingly stick to party lines, attack opposition parties and generally degrade the very same political system that is supposed to be in the service of the people.

Sure, one could say it is easy for Camille to be saying all these wonderful things – it is, after all only a show and she will not become a prime minister even if she were to win. But make no mistake. Camille, only 24, has already run as a federal candidate in the 2006 federal elections under the Green Party banner and she has also served as Elizabeth May’s press secretary for two years.

Neither should you underestimate the importance of this show. This show has the potential to jump start the career of a truly great politician, someone who may one day very well be the next prime minister.

It comes as a great surprise then that on January 6th, 2009, Camille got a phone call from CBC that they are axing her from the show. Reason? She ran for office in the past and this is against the rules. Now, you have got to understand that Camille, before entering the competition, has exchanged emails with the producers of the show to make sure her previous political aspirations wouldn’t disqualify her from the show. She got assurances this wouldn’t be a problem. Why then, does CBC axe her months after the show has begun?

Camille spend a lot of time researching issues and preparing her videos and engaging her fans. She did not get to near the top by chance. To disqualify her this late into the game, despite her coming clean right off the bat is simply unfair, morally wrong and disgusting.
What kind of message does this send to all young Canadians? We need to encourage young people to want to run for office and change this country for the better. We’re supposed to be nurturing them and encouraging them, not throw logs under their feet.

If you are just as disgusted by all this as I am, then please stand up and take few minutes to do something about it. Yes, your voice matters. Think of it this way: One drop of water is not much, but a bucket full of water is a heck of a lot. Yet this bucket is composed of millions of individual droplets of water.

1) Watch videos of Camille on youtube and make an opinion of her. If you like her, then:
2) Send a letter to CBC, Magna and newspapers, telling them just how outraged you are.
seema.patel@cbc.ca (Seema Patel, Senior Producer)
matthew.barrington@cbc.ca (Matt Barrington, Producer)
ht.lacroix@cbc.ca (Hubert Lacroix, CBC President)
mary_gittins@magna.on.ca (Mary Gittins, Magna)
Copy your emails to Camille (cflbchk at mta dot ca) so she can track support!

3) Join the facebook group, write something on the wall and invite your friends to join the group as well
4) Blog about this, just as I did. The more of us blog about it, the more hits this issue will get on search engines and the story will get to more people
5) Send few bucks to Camille. She is getting ready to sue CBC (go girl!) and lawyers cost mucho $$. Sending even $5 makes a difference. (Contact Camille via her email: cflbchk at mta dot ca)

Thanks from the bottom of my heart.