We Are All In This Together
We Are All In This Together
Convention Speech as delivered June 6, 2009
Watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N7vuF_oJFE
Best served after listening to this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTeZcHWHeW4
We are all in this together.
Together. Ensemble. Razom. Mamawe. Together.
That's the defining principle of our movement. It's why I'm here, it's why Deb and Dwain and Yens are here; it's why we're all here today.
As New Democrats we have a strong history of visionary policies for all of us.
From rural electrification to Medicare, from the crown corporations to the Saskatchewan Bill of Rights, we have a legacy of putting our principles into practice. We're here today because we know that legacy is as much about tomorrow as is it is about yesterday.
Our values: of equality, integrity, and social justice, are what make our party different. They are the reason our party has been chosen to lead the province for 47 of the last 65 years.
Like all of you I am here today because I see the NDP as the best choice to build a better future for the people of Saskatchewan.
You know entering politics was not in my plans when I set off to become a family doctor.
It’s been quite a journey from growing up on a farm near Courval, to a med school lecture theatre in Saskatoon -- -- to standing before you today asking for your support to be the next leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party.
As a physician, I've worked with patients and communities:
in Saskatoon's inner city neighborhood where I live and where I helped to establish SWITCH, a student-run clinic that serves the core;
in Northern communities such as La Loche, Ile a La Crosse, and Dillon;
in rural communities like Turtleford, Kerrobert, Wynyard, and Esterhazy;
in Southern Africa, in Mozambique, helping to treat and prevent Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV.
Being a family doctor has been very rewarding - it's also frustrating.
Frustrating because people don't get sick when they walk in the clinic or the emergency room. They get sick in their real lives.
If we're truly serious about improving people's health, we need to focus on what really makes a difference: employment, education, nutrition, housing, the environment.
The roots of ill health are political. And they have political solutions -- if we have the courage to pursue them.
Building a healthier society is the very reason our party exists.
It’s because of this that I’m running to be the new leader of the NDP, and the next Premier of Saskatchewan.
As New Democrats we know that if rents rise faster than wages, leaving people homeless in a Saskatchewan winter, we’re not building a healthy society.
If we extract our natural resources at an alarming rate without investing in the future we’re not building a healthy society.
If a family farm holds no future for its children
If workers lose their right to organize
If dozens of communities have to boil their water before they drink it
If our economic policy is such that we might as well change our provincial motto from, “From Many Peoples’ Strength” to “Every Man For Himself” - we are not building a healthy society.
It doesn't have to be that way. We can do better and we know it. We can face our challenges and make the changes we need.
We can choose a new direction that will inspire and empower the next generation of New Democrats.
When we invest in renewable energy and long-term economic and environmental sustainability, then we're building a healthy society.
When a growing First Nations and Métis population is seen as the sign of a bright future that it can be, should be, then we're building a healthy society.
When we help rural communities to thrive again;
when child care is available to support families;
when we stop simply defending Medicare, and work to expand and improve it;
when we remember that we're all in this together
then we are building a healthy society.
And the best part is, it works. Improving people's lives, helping them to escape poverty, decreases our costs and strengthens our economy.
It's not just the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do.
This is where I get excited. This is where politics has the power to inspire, to energize, to mobilize: where strategy meets philosophy, where our heads meet our hearts.
Over the last few months I've met thousands of people across the province and what they told me was very moving.
They said that they were joining the party for the very first time, or for the first time in years. They said they felt like they could finally vote for something they believe in rather than against something they don’t.
Our campaign has won the hearts of a great many New Democrats. Today I'm asking for your heads.
For too long we've been offered false choices: jobs OR the environment; labour rights OR a strong economy; rebuild the party OR win the next election.
But our party is not about separation and division, it's about unity and vision. It's about coming together around the values we share.
We are a party of principles. We're also a party that wins elections so that we can put those principles into action.
If we want to win again, we must show that we are a renewed party, a vibrant movement.
We must distinguish ourselves clearly from the Sask Party with a vision of social democracy for the 21st century.
We must excite and inspire people once again.
To do so we need to stop putting the future off until tomorrow.
We need to reconnect the leadership with the membership and rebuild the party now.
We need to articulate and demonstrate our values and principles.
We need to develop a plan for the practical application of those ideals, create a visionary platform for the coming election, and put our principles into action.
We must excite and inspire people once again.
Together – Our future as a party can be better.
Together – Our future as a province can be better.
Together – We can build a healthy society.
I'm ready to get started.
How about you?
Alright! Then let's get started.
Let's get to work.
Let's build Our Future.
Together!
