I’m supporting Chrystia Freeland and I think you should too

November 21, 2013

The pull to come home is strong and familiar to many Canadians – as is the desire to help a neighbour, to volunteer in one’s local community or in aid of international relief, or to serve our country.

I was raised in Vancouver, BC and my graduate studies took me to France.  My work as a lawyer brought me back to Toronto where I started a family.  Early in my career I spent much time abroad, specifically in West Africa.  While practicing and teaching the law I held a desire of serving in our national parliament.  When I first put my name forward some thought my background wasn’t appropriate to represent the highly diverse riding of Toronto Centre, but the voters gave me the privilege of representing them from 1993 through 2007.  And the readers of a local newspaper voted me their favourite Toronto MP six times.  What was criticized by some as a liability was precisely what was appreciated in the riding.

My friend Chrystia Freeland was born in Peace River, AB and her graduate studies took her to the United Kingdom.  Her work as a journalist brought her to Toronto where she started a family.  The goal of every foreign correspondent (a requirement of the job, really): extended postings abroad.  Chrystia saw duty throughout Eastern Europe and most recently her career had her fill an executive role in New York for a respected Canadian company

I supported Chrystia’s recent and successful effort to become the Liberal Party of Canada’s candidate in the current Toronto Centre federal by-election.  Now she’s running to be a Member of Parliament and I’m confident of her success.  In fact, I have been knocking on my neighbour’s doors to make the case for her election.

Born to a third generation farmer father and an immigrant mother, Chrystia’s early academic excellence won her a Rhodes Scholarship and her tenacious work ethic enabled a successful career in journalism.   I find Chrystia’s writing – which will be familiar to many – to be thoughtful in its social policy commentary and insightful in its economic analysis.  Her most recent book sounded the alarm of the worrying and growing income gap trend in our society and it did so without using the tired and divisive language of class warfare.

I’m admittedly biased, but I think she’s even better in person.

Chrystia is tireless and she’s an incredible listener.  I have seen her connect on a personal level with the many diverse communities of downtown Toronto and I have seen her hold her own in the weightiest of policy discussions.  Her questions, her answers and her ideas are refreshingly unscripted and it is easy to see why Justin Trudeau has asked her to be a member of his economic advisory team.

Some critics use her background as suggesting she can’t represent our very special constituency but in my experience that sentiment could only come from someone who doesn’t know her.  It also shows a lack of respect for the very knowledgeable electorate across the whole riding, many of whom are looking for someone who can bring a special voice to Ottawa.

I held a romantic notion when I entered politics and it is unchanged to this day: I want our House of Commons to attract the most talented Canadians, I want elected politicians to engage in principled debate about what’s best for the whole country, and I want Canada to be a thoughtful voice on the world stage.  And Toronto Centre has a tradition of sending to Ottawa representatives with broad track records of accomplishment (Donald Macdonald and Bob Rae, to name just two) capable of taking on national responsibilities.

In my last speech in the House of Commons I expressed a concern about a then emerging and especially divisive tone of debate.  Things have only deteriorated since.  In Chrystia Freeland I see the fresh and inclusive voice of the next generation – one that’s not afraid to listen; one that’s not afraid to look outside our borders for solutions to the challenges we together face.

It is Chrystia Freeland that I best see representing our riding’s interests as a Member of Parliament and as a future minister at the cabinet table.  And it is Chrystia that I believe most capable of being a compelling voice – at home and abroad – for the Canada I believe in.

Bill Graham

Former MP for Toronto Centre and Interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada