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Way back in 1930 I was very impressed by something I saw in Toronto. The after-effects of World War I, as well as the Great Depression, made life difficult for the average person trying to find work. The seed of concern for voting in the average working person’s best interest was sown.
One day, a chance meeting at a restaurant with a high school teacher turned my interest to politics. Now, that teacher was a member of the Canadian Co-operative Federation [CCF] and made me aware that some politicians wanted to help the workers of Canada.
I spent some time researching the party, learned it was founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, and was the brainchild of several socialist, agrarian, co-operative, and labour groups. Voting suddenly became interesting.
There was a candidate running in my district, so I borrowed my brother's car and a loudspeaker and drove around the area where I lived asking people to "Vote for Joe Noseworthy". It was my first, but not last, political activity.
I attended local meetings of the CCF. I met the leadership and shared my concerns with others. As a young man, I was impressed by the focus of that party. Well, it had several unheard-of goals for that time, including universal public pensions, universal health care, children's allowances, unemployment insurance, and workers' compensation. I wonder where those are today?
The social aspects of the meetings overshadowed the “socialist” aspects. I found many people who agreed with me about how government should work, and that voting for our preferred candidate was our only real way to have a say in that.
I moved to Orillia in 1952. I had to work hard to make ends meet, just like many of my neighbours. But one thing we all agreed on was, come election day, we would take the time to get out and vote.
In 1961, the CCF was succeeded by the New Democratic Party (NDP), founded out of the merger of the CCF with the Canadian Labour Congress. Tommy Douglas, long-time CCF Premier of Saskatchewan and the proponent of our national health care, was elected its first leader.
Since retirement, I’ve kept an interest in the importance of voting your conscience. Well, I supported many NDP candidates while some friends and neighbours supported the Conservative, Liberal, and other parties.
But, while we made jokes about each other’s candidates, and may have played pranks on them during the campaign, we kept it all honourable and above-board. We stayed friends and moved on with raising children and families in Orillia
At 103 years of age, I still support the idea that families, children, and working people deserve the best their government can give. And my friends may agree or disagree on how that can be done. Yet, we still vote – the most important thing you can take the time do on Oct. 21 is vote.
If I can get out and vote, what’s your excuse?
Jim Wood
Orillia
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