 WEIGHING OPTIONS: Liberal leadership candidate Martha Hall Findlay talks to Town Crier editorial staff about her chances.
The Bayview Ave. area resident might not be well known in the political arena, but nothing seems to be stopping her in her quest for the leadership of the national party.
The 46-year-old lawyer and businesswoman was the first to announce her intentions to run as the party’s next leader in February.
And while she’s no stranger to comments like "Martha who?" Hall Findlay is embracing her low profile.
"I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think they were pretty good," the mother of three said of her chances. "Every potential candidate has some issue (they have to deal with). The one thing I have is not being as well known. Frankly, that’s the easiest to overcome."
She argued it's only a matter of time before Canada embraces her as a serious candidate.
Hall Findlay can formally file her papers for the leadership when the party declares the race open on April 7. The party will choose a new leader in December.
Toronto MP John Godfrey, Etobicoke MP Michael Ignatieff, as well as Ontario's former education minister Gerard Kennedy have also declared their leadership intentions.
Along with the entry fee of $50,000, candidates will have to raise almost $5 million over the course of the campaign.
Hall Findlay isn’t completely new to politics.
Her first foray into politics was in the 2004 federal election when she ran against then-Conservative candidate, Belinda Stronach, in the Newmarket-Aurora riding.
It was a tight race, with Hall Findlay narrowly losing to Stronach by less than 700 votes.
While she was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate in 2005, Findlay was shut out of the 2006 election after Stronach crossed the floor last year to become a Liberal.
"I'm not as well known because I haven't been in politics my whole life. But in 46 years I have accomplished a lot and not only what I've accomplished but how I have accomplished it," said Hall Findlay, who is the founder and principal of The General Counsel Group.
Fluent in both English and French, she has also served as the vice president of corporate development and general counsel of The Rider Group and as a lawyer with the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie.
She’s also an accomplished athlete, winning a silver medal in a Canadian ski championship in the 1970s.
Hall Findlay, who is the mother of a 24, 22 and 20-year-old, said juggling a parenting and a professional life speak volumes.
"My daughter was born when I was an undergrad. My two boys were born during law school," said Hall Findlay, who put herself through university and law school by working as a carpenter, waitress and ski coach.
Hall Findlay said she is running because the party is in need of a fresh face to represent the Liberals.
"We have a tremendous amount of work to do," she said. "The party needs serious bridge-building."
In terms of policies for the country, Hall Findlay said Canada has to step up its foreign policy, look at concrete and doable ways at improving the environment and address the country's healthcare issues.
"We have a huge opportunity to recognize how the environment and health interact. Healthcare is highly expensive. We can do so much more in terms of preventive health and health maintenance and promotion," she said.
There are other possible contenders for the leadership. They include MPs Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence); Maurizio Bevilacqua (Vaughan); Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul’s) and Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, Que.). Also rumoured to be in the running are former Ontario premier Bob Rae and Nova Scotia fiddler Ashley MacIsaac.
|
|
Do you have something to say about this article? click here
Twitter
Also in the News
Our Readers' Feedback ( 0 )
Publication © Multimedia Nova Corporation 2010 |