Personal Policy:Why I’m Passionate About Politics

Kelsey MacDonald  //  March 8, 2013

Most students in high school spend their free time with friends, being active in sports or playing musical instruments. I did a bit of all three, but it was during that time that I also had my first taste of public office. I started out working in the constituency office for my MLA, Ron (as I lovingly referred to him). Every afternoon, I’d take my last school period and go to his office to learn about case work and what it meant for him to be a politician.

I discovered early that I had an uncommon penchant for politics. Not long after, I was studying up on my new pastime and friends started asking what I was doing. Most of their confused or concerned faces told me right away that the cheese would indeed stand alone. But how could I blame them? There are so many other things that fill a young person’s life; I just happened to pick the one with a significantly older cohort. Thankfully, that wasn’t a big concern of mine, which I think was directly related to my upbringing. My parents (my mother especially) have always encouraged their children to think outside the box and to not follow the crowd.

I’m certainly well aware of the common views and perceptions of most young people in respect to politicians and I can relate. Not all politicians are in it for the right reasons. Some are power hungry and self-satisfied. But not Ron. He was, in my humble opinion, a man of his word. He served his community because he cared about his personal history with it and he cared deeply about the people who had elected him.

Ron was an inspiration to me. He believed that there was no greater duty than to serve by representing your community. Compassion infused his work. I remember sitting in his office after a meeting with him thinking to myself, if this is what it means to be involved, I want in.

The more I got involved, the more rewarding I found my political experiences to be. I was able to meet and build connections with people who shared my passion for ensuring the betterment of others. Those connections even gave me the opportunity to meet some of my personal heroes, like Senator Romeo Dallaire.

While I was flying high on feeling like I was making a difference, I also noticed two things: First, that having such partisan activity on my CV was becoming a factor in whether or not I was hired for jobs. The other was that my peers and friends were type-casting me as the ‘Liberal supporter’ and nothing else. While I’m always proud to stand by the party that shares my values, I was feeling torn between owning up to my commitment to my party and being a well-connected communicator based on my talents.

For years I battled with this by being expressly vague about my pastime or ‘hobby’ as I’ve lovingly called it.

One afternoon, I was discussing this dilemma with a friend hoping to get some sound advice. She simply looked at me and said: “Yeah, but why would you want to work somewhere that doesn’t have the same values that you do? Obviously they mean a lot to you and you won’t feel fulfilled at work if you’re doing something you aren’t passionate about.” My word. She was absolutely right. Why did I not see this before? After all, my passion for politics and public policy stems from a man who had such strong convictions he couldn’t imagine himself doing anything but what he believed in.

What I learned that day is that everyone having a different point of view is what makes the world so interesting. More importantly, I don’t want to spend my life hiding a part of me that some will recognize as valuable. Instead, I’ll strive to be honest with myself, because that’s what matters most to me.