Date:              Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Time:              6:30 – 8:00 pm

• Registration:            6:30 p.m.
• Meeting begins:       7:00 p.m.
• Meeting ends:          8:00 p.m.

Location:       The Twisted Kilt

1954 Yonge Street | Toronto, Ontario Tel: 416-489-3500

For Directions visit  www.thetwistedkilt.ca

RSVP:

Please R.S.V.P. to stpaulsconservative@gmail.com or call 647-932-8375 and leave a message.

In order to vote, you must be a current member of the St Paul’s Conservative EDA. If your membership has lapsed and you have not yet renewed your membership, please do so by April 27, as you must hold a membership 3 weeks prior to the meeting to be eligible to vote. Click here to renew your membership online.

The annual membership fee is $15 or you can purchase a 5-year membership for $60.

We look forward to seeing you at the AGM.

Sincerely,

Marnie Silver
President, St. Paul’s Conservative EDA

Download PDF version of notice

This issue contains:

• A message from Maureen Harquail – St. Paul’s CPC Candidate, 2011
• In the news from Steve Stinson, Communications Chair
• Last chance for 2011 Political Contribution Tax Credit

The full newsletter is available here.

If you would like to receive future newsletters and other updates from the St. Paul’s Conservative EDA, please subscribe to email updates.

Feature Article: Victory in St. Paul’s within striking distance

I write this on December 25 after a wonderful few days celebrating the holidays with family and friends. With the end of 2011 fast approaching, it seems appropriate to reflect on what we have accomplished in St. Paul’s during the year and particularly assess the 2011 election results.

Like most EDA’s, St. Paul’s was required to put a top-notch team into place. Unlike most ridings, we did so with less than a week’s notice. As some readers may know, my nomination took place within days of the writ being dropped and my outstanding team came together shortly thereafter.

Our campaign proved that with hard work and a strong leader with a vision for Canada, we were able to make significant inroads in St. Paul’s and indeed delivered the best results in 20 years!!!!  In just five weeks, we gained six points in the polls, as compared with 2008, and the Liberals fell 10 points. Below are the results since 2004 and it is clear that Liberal support in St. Paul’s continues to decrease and we are now within striking distance of victory in St. Paul’s.

St. Paul’s Election Results – Number of Votes

.                                       LIBS               CPC                   NDP
2011                              22,409            17,864               12,124
2008                              26,286            13,948                 6,666
2006                              29,295            15,021               11,189
2004                              32,171            11,226                 8,667

St. Paul’s Election Results – Percentage of Votes

.                                        LIBS               CPC                   NDP
2011                               40.6%             32.4%                 22.0%
2008                               50.6%             26.9%                 12.8%
2006                               50.3%             25.8%                 19.2%
2004                               58.4%             20.4%                 15.7%

St. Paul’s can and will be represented in the Government benches if we work conscientiously and steadily towards that goal. The recipe for success is not a well guarded secret (like those for Coca-Cola or KFC). To win, we need the following:

• A well respected leader – Within the party, Stephen Harper is a very well liked and popular leader. His appeal nationally is evidenced by the results in May. In St. Paul’s, Prime Minister Harper proved a valuable asset at the door and on the campaign trail.
• Credible and determined candidate – I will leave the former for you to decide. On the latter, I am deeply committed to St. Paul’s success and to working hard over the next four years to see it happen.
• A talented and hard-working team – St. Paul’s is fortunate to have experienced, perceptive, and talented individuals who applied themselves fervently to the campaign and who continue to apply themselves on the EDA Board. They were an integral part of our success in May and, with your support, will continue to work hard to win the next election. There is nonetheless enough work to keep an army of volunteers busy. Whether or not you volunteered in the last election, it’s never too early to get involved in the next one. Your support is invaluable.
• Financial support – Your donations will make the difference between a win and a loss in the next election. Our ability to canvass, drop literature, poll, and host events before the writ is dropped will determine the outcome of the next election and these events depend entirely on your generosity.  In St. Paul’s, it’s as important to give in non-election years and it is during election years.

Thank you for all your support this past year. It’s been a true honour to serve as your candidate of record.

Kindly accept my heartfelt best wishes for a happy and healthy 2012,

                                                                                         Maureen Harquail

This issue contains:

• A message from EDA president, Marnie Silver
• Photos from our Grey Cup Party with Argonaut Jason Pottinger and John Carmichael, Member of Parliament for Don Valley West
• A calendar of holiday celebrations in St. Paul’s
• A donation form (If you haven’t reached your contribution limit for 2011, now’s the time to do so.)

The newsletter is available here.

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Note: The newsletter is published in PDF format. To open this file, you will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your device. Adobe Reader is free software that can be downloaded from www.adobe.com.

“My idea of a good dinner is, first to have good food, then discuss
good food, and after this good food has been elaborately
discussed, to discuss a good topic” — Winston Churchill

This past weekend, Conservatives from across the country met in Ottawa for the Conservative Convention, 2011. St. Paul’s was represented at the convention with a full contingent of 10 elected delegates. Each day, Sim Brigden, one of our delegates, gave us his impressions of the event. Excerpts from his emails are provided below.

Day One

Minister John Baird opened the speeches. He gave a rousing speech extolling the virtues of our party without getting himself into too much trouble.

Senator Pamela Wallin and Minister Steven Blaney then kicked things off as MCs.

When was the last time you heard a politician talk about conservative values? Jason Kenney gave an impassioned speech focusing on how the Conservative party did not just win a seat in every province or in both Territories. The real story was that Conservatives have increased their vote in a record four elections in a row. Conservatives went from having 20% of the immigrant/New Canadian vote to have over 60%. This made the difference in riding after riding. This was supposed to be Liberal-owned territory. We showed that Conservative values resonate with New Canadians.

Stockwell Day followed with very insightful descriptions of the realities of Conservatism vis-à-vis the debate with the now, true, Socialists. He pointed out that socialist Provinces always lowered the standard and quality of life of those under their jurisdictions. The NDP strategy is to find someone who is suffering and use that one person to say that the whole system is at fault. The problem is that you don’t take care of one person by making everyone suffer.

Since we’ve been in government, Canada was the first country to rush to China, Haiti, and to not support Hamas. At the G8, 20 world leaders made a pledge to reduce their deficits by 2013. This was achieved through Canada’s leadership.

The media: we have freedom of speech and freedom of the media. With great freedom comes great responsibility. The media need to stop the personal attacks. This also goes to reports of our troops’ misbehaviours. These reports were proven time and time again to be false. Media has been lopsided.

11,000 women passed literacy tests in Afghanistan. A further 6,000 children were vaccinated for Polio. These efforts due largely to Canadian troop presence went completely unreported.

The press has a long way to go.

In short, Stockwell Day gave a wonderful and impassioned speech culminating with a protracted standing ovation.

Peter MacKay followed by presenting Minister Day with a flag flown over Khandahar airfield. The evening closed with an introduction of former Candidates and past Tories such as Chuck Strahl.

Day Two

The schedule is packed, PACKED!

Firstly, quotes from our Delegates:

Megan Patterson:

• Important decisions are being made in the policy meetings
• This is a great opportunity to meet people
• The energy level (post election) is still high and will carry over to the provincial election

Benjamin Sharma:

• There has been a lot of passionate debate among friends vis-à-vis constitutional direction
• Economic resolutions were surprisingly good
• Everyone is so happy – a truly positive mood

Richard Tattersall:

• People are in a celebratory mood
• It is an inherently friendly atmosphere: Megan talked to a 70 year old guy from Sask. I met an entrepreneur from Winnipeg
• I talked with Senator di Nino who reminisced about starting life in a house shared by three families
• Chris Alexander, M.P. grew up on Hillsdale (St Paul’s) and went to Oriole Park Public School with me
• Debate over the leadership format – one member – one vote – appears to be being beaten back.

Now, on to my report:

They are all here. I’m sitting with Monte Solberg listening to Preston Manning while looking out of the beautiful new Convention Centre at the Canadian Flag flying over our parliament buildings.

This morning, I ran around between various policy workshops.

There are three major ones:

Economic development

This workshop involved (as do they all) the passing of various motions with regards to economic policy. A lot of weight was focused on the north. Exploration, protection and sovereignty.

Canada’s social fabric

This was pretty light, in comparison to the other tracks. Changes here were focused mostly on Electoral reform, Tax reform/relief and crime – mostly tweaks to the existing policy.

Constitution

This heavy, thick volume of motions encompassed so much that I can’t really do it justice. Suffice to say that, for you policy wonks, it was full of fun and excitement. There were two contentious issues which stuck out:

1. One member, one vote vs. Riding weight. In other words, should Conservatives vote as individuals on internal party policy or should the ridings carry the weight of determinations? The concern is that a group of individuals could take over the direction of the Party without regional representation.
2. Youth Wing: Peter van Loan and others argue that, without the OPCYA, they would never have become involved (Provincially). The counter argument (the stronger one) is that we don’t need our youth to be treated separately.

Later tonight, we will have the Leader’s speech.

Tah-toh from the convention floor for now.

Sim

Day Three

“Our party’s great purpose is nothing less than to prepare our nation to shoulder a bigger load, in a world that will require it of us.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper in last night’s speech.

Great news! I shared a quick breakfast bite with Peter Kent. I thanked him on behalf of St. Paul’s for working so hard to lay the foundation for Maureen’s impressive showing. He was, as always, very gracious and sends his regards to all of you, his friends in St. Paul’s.

I told him that Maureen Harquail had moved the yardsticks even further this go-round. On a similar note, to wrap up last night, I was at the Ottawa Arts Centre for some Tory hoop-lah. While I saw many old friends, it was great to meet many new ones. There was also a photo op with Prime Minister Harper. Upon introducing myself as being from St. Paul’s our Prime Minister re-iterated his disappointment with the result. He is obviously very eager to see blue in our section of the electoral map.

Following all the glad-handing, a large crowd of Tories from across this great land cheered in unison as the Canucks took care of the Boston Bruins. Going into the event and feeling the great energy was one thing. Coming out with yet another feeling of victory really made me feel on top of the world!

We are now in the winding down phase of the Convention. After a presentation on the state of our finances by Conservative Fund Chair Irving Gerstein, the Maple Leaf awards were given out. There were some very touching moments. One candidate ran while his wife fought and lost her battle with cancer. Many other members and party faithful were lauded for their long hours and tireless efforts.

From there, we went on to do the final voting on various resolutions. This was a grand gathering of everyone in the hall. We defeated a very contentious motion to have one member one vote as

opposed to riding by riding votes. This defeat ensures riding equality in the voting process of the Party.

At lunch, I had occasion to chat with Co-MC Pamela Wallin. She was very pleased with how congenial the proceedings were.

One thing that really struck me is this: back when Prime Minister Mulroney won, it was, in a large part, because Canadians were “throwing the Liberal bums out”. This go-round, Canadians elected a Strong Stable National Majority Conservative Government because there were voting us in.

We have earned this victory. We have earned the confidence of Canadians and we have earned the right to govern.

The Convention closed with a quintet of MP’s singing the National Anthem. Everyone dissipated to the four winds as we all went back to our respective ridings.

Let me begin by congratulating you for being part of Team Harquail and making a real difference in St Paul’s. We narrowed the margin to a mere 8% and made the best showing in 27 years in St Paul’s!

Whether you installed signs, delivered literature, made a financial donation, acted as scrutineer or walked a few miles with me, please accept my deepest thanks and appreciation. I am very proud of the campaign we ran and the team we assembled.

Thank you again for all your efforts!

With warmest regards,

Maureen

Senator Linda Frum and Senator Con Di Nino invite all volunteers and supporters in Toronto to join the St. Paul’s team to re-fuel and re-energize for the home stretch. It will also be an opportunity to meet our candidate, Maureen Harquail.

Appetizers will be served.

All volunteers, supporters and friends are welcome. The more the merrier!!

Date: Wednesday, April 20th

Time: 8 pm start, come when you can

Location:

Fionn MacCool’s, 21 St. Clair West
(Yonge and St. Clair)

http://stclair.fionnmaccools.com

RSVP: info@torontocityevents.ca

Fundraiser: $20 donation (not required)

Also hosted by: Deb Lewis, Marnie Silver, Sarah Schroeder

The change is palpable. Early canvassing in St. Paul’s has been strikingly different from the last election. We’re hearing first hand at the door an appreciation for Prime Minister Harper’s leadership through the recession and concern about what will happen if we don’t stay the course. To translate this momentum into success on May 2^nd we need to knock on every door in the riding. To make this happen, We Need Volunteers Now!

One more shift, one more street could make the difference for St. Paul’s. Voters have a reason to vote – Maureen is a fantastic candidate. Now all we have to do is get out there!

We canvass every day. Here’s the schedule:

Weekdays:

• Subway canvasses from 6:30-8:30am
• Afternoon canvasses from 1pm – 4pm
• Evening Canvasses from 5:45pm – until we stop

Weekends:

• Morning canvasses from 10am – 1pm
• Afternoon canvasses from 2pm – 5pm
• Evening canvasses from 6pm – until we stop

There will also be some rush-hour subway canvasses during the week starting at around 5pm

Subway canvasses meet at the subway station and volunteers must book in advance.

All other canvasses meet at the campaign office at the beginning of the shift. Everyone is welcome: an e-mail or call to let us know you’re coming would be greatly appreciated.

If you would like to volunteer to canvass or to help Maureen’s campaign in other ways, please:

• contact the campaign office at 416-925-8228 or
• email Marnie Silver at volunteer4harquail@gmail.com.

Other Ways to Help

In addition to canvassing, we also need help:

• At the campaign office
• Answering phones
• Putting up signs
• Stopping by the office to offer your support

Any way you can help would not only be appreciated but would put us that much closer to winning St. Paul’s.

We hope to hear from you soon!

Update:

Campaign Office

Supporters and volunteers are also encouraged to drop in to Maureen’s campaign office at:

1421 Yonge Street, Toronto (east side of Yonge Street, just south of St. Clair)

Phone: 416-925-8228

Campaign Website

Maureen’s campaign launch began with a bang with the arrival of Jim Flaherty, Canada’s Finance Minister. This was an unprecedented launch for St. Paul’s, with both local and national media coverage. It was standing room only!

In his speech, Flaherty endorsed Maureen’s candidacy. To see a video of his comments click here.

You can also view pictures of the launch, as well as information about Maureen’s campaign, on her website at maureenharquail.org

Campaign Office

Maureen’s campaign office is located at:

1421 Yonge Street, Toronto (east side of Yonge Street, just south of St. Clair)

Phone: 416-925-8228

But we won’t be able to elect Maureen without your help. So why not join our team?

We need volunteers to help with canvassing, putting up signs, manning the campaign office, telephoning, distributing campaign literature, getting out the vote or scrutineering on election day, etc.  If you can help, please contact the campaign team at stpaulsconservative@gmail.com indicating your preferred activities and the times you are available. Someone will contact you.

Of course it also costs money to run a winning campaign. To support Maureen Harquail’s campaign financially, please make your cheque payable to:

“Ron Goldstein, Official Agent” (campaign contributions may only be accepted during the campaign writ period – up to May 2, 2011)

After May 2, 2011, cheques should be made payable to: “St. Paul’s Conservative EDA”

Please mail your cheque to:

Suite #995
7-B Pleasant Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario
M4T 1K2

Tax credits for political donations are very generous. The chart below shows how your donation costs qualify you for a tax credit:

The refund (or reduction in tax payable) depends only on the amount donated and not on taxable income. One only needs to file a tax return in order to receive it.

For information on contribution limits, please click here.

Finally, to order a sign for your residence, please contact stpaulsconservative@gmail.com.

Together we can make a difference. It is time to send a Conservative to Ottawa to represent the people of St. Paul’s. Let’s all do our part to elect Maureen Harquail as our Member of Parliament.