Re: Experience Democracy

What a wonderful experience Amarit! I’m so glad you got to get an exclusive look into our nation’s capital. I’m even more excited that you want to become a leader someday in the (hopefully not so distant) future. It’s not for everyone and we definitely need more diversity from your demographic. I think there's no higher calling than public service. It’s a chance to make a difference in people's lives and ensure future generations get the same opportunities we did growing up. Individuals like yourself that take the time to get connected to the very institutions that make this country great and then take even more time to share your experiences with the rest of us inspire me everyday.

I do want to remind of something though. To experience democracy ‘first hand’ it’s not necessary to travel all the way to Victoria or Ottawa. You don’t have to have access to an elected official or be a member of any party. True democracy happens right within your community. It’s done in neighbourhood coffee shops, through book exchanges with friends. In the conversations of your workplace staffroom, at one of our cities’ many open houses. Even on the online forum pages.

You know all this already but you may not have thought much about the relative importance of each level of government. Growing up as political junkie like yourself I believed that the real action was at the top. That the people I wanted to connect with were the ones I saw in photo-ops and on TV, I couldn’t have been more wrong. The purest and most direct form of democracy you will witness in your life occurs in the city hall chambers of your local government. So if you’re willing to take one piece of unsolicited advice from a proud Kelowna nobody who had it wrong for too long: Think local. There’s certainly more room for change at the bottom.

Maybe you have thought about all this already but in case you hadn’t I just wanted to put it out there.

Kelly Hutchinson