An evening with John Weston & Jason Kenney

Well, we're officially off to the races!

Thank you so much to everyone who attended the reception with our local MP John Weston and Jason Kenney, Minister of Immigration, at my home on March 11th. It was great to connect with everyone, hear the updates from the hill, and have some fun!

Photos

Thanks so much to Cat Barr for capturing some photo highlights from the event and posting them in the March 17th North Shore Outlook. Great to see Conservatives having a good time!

Volunteering

We have a lot of work to do to get John re-elected, and a great new office space to work from. Pop down for a visit at 2429 Marine Drive in West Vancouver. To find out how you can get involved as a volunteer - fundraising, signs, get-out-the-vote etc., please contact Catharine Johnston at catharine@cgjohnston.com or April Accola at aprilaccola@telus.net.

Donations

And all of the signs, phone systems, mailings etc. cost a lot of money. Please donate today to help us win the election! All donations are tax receiptable according to CRA guidelines:

www.seatoskyconservative.com.

See you on the campaign trail!

Its Time to Change the Culture of Entitlement

Thank you so much to those of you who came out to our lunch with Bill Gairdner, author of The Trouble with Canada...Still. My apologies to those of you who weren't able to attend - I had a technical glitch with our recording and so haven't been able to put up a podcast on my iTunes channel. But I've learned my lesson!

Anyway, for those of you who are still looking for a copy of his book, I've just checked www.chapters.ca and it looks like there are 7 left in the lower mainland - 6 at the Broadway and Granville store and 1 at Brentwood Mall. I'm still waiting for the copy that I ordered on-line : ) We've hooked Bill up with another possible publisher and so we shall await some good news that he is back up and running, and in print again.

I've been thinking a lot about Bill's message about changing the culture of entitlement, and agree that that is where we all need to focus our efforts. As politicians clearly have no incentive to say no to those who ask them for money, the only hope that we have is to change the culture of popular opinion, which in turn may change the policy platfoms from which governments operate.

Perhaps now is a good time for us all to work on those within our circle of influence to encourage more understanding around the appropriate role of government, and how everyone would benefit by government pulling out of programs it should not be involved in (and aren't very good at). This would allow more room for the private sector, community groups, and volunteers to stake a greater role in building the kind of compassionate society we all want to live in.

On that note, Dambisa Moyo's latest book "How the West Was Lost" outlines how our culture of entitlement (and the mis-guided policies that support it) have harmed our economies nearly beyond repair, when compared with the relative success and high growth rates of China, India, and others. You can order your copy of her book at www.chapters.ca, and if you're interested in attending our next event with her on April 4th, you can register through www.bonmotclub.com.

Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of a Sensible Environmentalist

Yesterday at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, I met two of the last seven surviving Northern White Rhinos in the whole entire world. They looked pretty lonely and were a sobering reminder to me of how delicate our natural environment can be. I left with a lump in my throat and softened heart. 

I can only imagine the passion for our planet that must have pulsed through Patrick Moore and his co-founders when they started Greenpeace 40 years ago. Had I been alive then, and of an age to be swept up in the movement, I probably would have signed up with bells...er...bellbottoms on. 

Patrick Moore vs. whalers

Many of their campaigns championed important ideas, and provided education to a world in need of some wake-up calls. But something's happened to the organization - their agenda now seems anti-science, anti-business, and sometimes, anti-human. 

Dr. Moore left 15 years after co-founding Greenpeace to establish a more sensible, science-based approach to environmentalism. His new book Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of A Sensible Environmentalist gives his first-hand account as an insider and witness to how the group devolved into extremism. 


He envisions a more sustainable world by using practical and straightforward solutions to some of the most controversial subjects in the news today - energy independence, climate change, genetic engineering, and aquaculture. He even supports nuclear power in the wake of the Japanese nuclear crisis.


In the midst of his busy book tour (if I couldn't host him now, his next availability was June!), he's making the time to join us for lunch and to discuss some of his ideas. I hope you'll join us!

"Patrick’s great talent is his ability to clearly set out the environmental challenges we face and identify innovative solutions that fully take into account both people and the environment… In these challenging times, I think that’s exactly the kind of environmental leadership people are looking for." 

- Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor of New York City

"Former colleagues in the environmental movement scorned and shunned Dr. Moore, after he left Greenpeace… He is a tough minded scientist and an advocate for sound scientific research, policy, and practical, sustainable development." 

- Dr. Terry Simmons, Greenpeace co-founder

Friday, April 8, 2011

The Vancouver Club

UBC/SFU Room, 3rd Floor

11:45 am - Casual sandwich buffet

12:15 pm - Serious intellectual stimulation

1:30 pm - Back to work!

$45.00

Register here* 
*You will be directed to the Bon Mot Book Club site, please note this is not a Bon Mot Book Club event