19-YEAR-OLD TWO-TIME GREEN PARTY OF ONTARIO CANDIDATE SPEAKS OUT!
Running for political office is no easy feat, especially when your biggest opponent is your own party.
That’s right. Despite facing off against Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives (PC), a former Liberal Member of Parliament and a four-time New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate, my most significant opposition was the party I was representing.
The Kanata-Carleton by-election was not my first campaign; I had previously run for the Green Party of Ontario (GPO) in Ottawa West-Nepean. However, this was the first campaign where my own party not only did not support me but actively impeded me.
Being a young person in politics is always a challenge; as a candidate, you must prove yourself to voters. This became almost impossible because I had to deal with a party’s leadership that didn’t believe that young people should be leaders.
I received the GPO nomination after being the only contestant who put their name forward. My decision to seek the nomination was motivated by a strong desire to continue creating change in Ontario, with a political party that seemed to want young people to be today’s leaders.
I envisioned an active campaign rooted in climate advocacy and a shared commitment to change in Ontario, similar to my past campaign in Ottawa West-Nepean. Little did I know that the GPO staff, mobilizers and the Kanata-Carleton Constituency Association did not believe in having a dedicated young candidate in the spotlight.
I spent my summer connecting with Kanata-Carleton voters, hearing their concerns and spreading the message of the GPO wherever I went. For my efforts, the party would tell me how inspiring it is to see a young autistic person running and then treat me like a token. Behind my back, the party continuously tried to muzzle and de-platform me.
I kept asking, why was the party that I had supported so strongly now trying to silence me? The party attempted to filter every media request. They demanded I provide all my public comments to them for approval. They didn’t require this in the past, which made me hurt and confused.
Not only did the party attempt to silence me, they wanted everyone who volunteered for me to sign a non-disclosure agreement. My campaign manager had to sign one, and they wanted my mother to sign one.
The GPO did not support me in running the inspirational and positive campaign I had envisioned and knew could be run. For example, whenever my campaign wanted to work on anything or called for a sliver of help, we were questioned and attacked. I remember we wanted to send out a call for volunteers, and every time we asked the party for simple requests, we were always denied.
This was especially hurtful because this was a by-election, and we were in the spotlight. To see every other candidate have not only a fully funded campaign but the full and vocal support of their parties and leaders was very disheartening.
Representing the GPO left me feeling hurt and betrayed by what I had believed was supposed to be a safe space committed to supporting young candidates. The GPO says they support young candidates, but their actions tell a different story.
Young candidates are publicly praised but never taken seriously. When I first joined the party, it was because of their support for youth to step up and be leaders. Being a leader meant that I could be a part of creating change in Ontario.
Unfortunately, the attention that running in a by-election campaign brought me unveiled the hypocrisy of the GPO. They had wanted me to put my name on the ballot, then sit down and do nothing. Hopefully, time will help me heal from this experience and as the semester begins academics must outweigh politics.
