A Little About Me
And Why I'm Entering Politics
Hi! My name is Dave Annis and I’m the federal candidate for the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) in the London Centre riding. I’m here to help the PPC provide you a positive vision, a path forward, and a message of hope where the PPC will build on all the positive things that Canadians have accomplished - and there are many, despite what you may have heard these past few years.
A common story I’ve heard from so many people is a lack in trust as well as integrity in Canadian politicians, which I’ve witnessed myself as it has become all too prevalent in a society that no longer has consequences for politicians that lie or break ethical rules. For these politicians, Canada has become a place of ‘rules for thee, but not for me.’
Imagine, if you will, a politician that …
Speaks the truth;
Actually answers questions instead of talking lots but answers nothing, known as a ‘word salad;’
Admits she doesn’t know, but will get back to you, and actually does get back to you;
Has the integrity to admit when his party is wrong and then fixes it;
Has the integrity to recognize when another party has a good idea;
Has the integrity to not smear other politicians but instead challenges their ideas.
This sounds like fantasy, like something out of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings - a political unicorn! Canada deserves a better type of politician, and I promise to do these things and be that unicorn.
What else should you know about me that would assist in delivering on this promise? First of all, I’m a dad; I have three daughters in their twenties. I was an elementary teacher: I taught mostly grades 6-8 for 24 years. I’m currently a vice-principal and have been for 5 years with only five months left. My parents moved to London when I was fifteen and I have lived here ever since, and I’ve always lived in the London North Centre riding. Finally, I graduated Western with a BA in English.
People ask me, ‘Why enter politics?’ I’m entering politics because I’m concerned for the future of my children, my friends and their families, as well as that of every other Canadian. A lot of Canadians have lost hope for a variety of reasons and one doesn’t have to look far or deeply to see why. The price of food, energy, and housing are daily reminders of policies gone wrong, and inflation is just one of many problems plaguing Canadians.
People also ask me: ‘Why enter politics now?’ I’m concerned with the atmosphere of censorship by tech companies, the government, and self-censorship as well, for people are afraid to truly speak their mind. Censorship is the ruse used by the government to provide verbal safety. People that promote this take advantage of us by hijacking our empathy and compassion for others in order for the possibility that everyone be included in any group, and when we dig for details and ask for explanations of ideas, we are called racist, or a type of ‘phobe,’ or a shamer of some type. We naturally recoil in horror that people might think that of us, and then we do something that Canadians are famous for - we apologize. We Canadians need to stop apologizing for questioning ideas or belief systems; we need to question politely, not attack the person, but investigate the ideas. People that do speak out are pilloried, censored, and cast out by the mob for daring to think and voice an opinion outside of the approved narrative. People are afraid of losing their jobs or professional licence if they don’t conform and bend the knee, so they censor themselves.
I’m at a stage in my life where my children are grown and I’m near the end of my educational career - just 153 days left but hey, who’s counting? I’m in a position now where I can speak up for those that cannot, and I will be that shield for those people, until I can make the changes necessary in Canada so that Canadians can once again feel that they can speak freely without fear of retribution.
You might hear people make negative claims about the PPC, that they don’t support a specific group. I urge you not to listen to second-hand information; instead reach out to me, or check out my website or that of the PPC and learn for yourself where the PPC stands, so that you can guarantee that you’re not being manipulated by anyone. In fact, I recommend you do that for every political party, not just mine.
It’s hard to throw a label of Right or Left on the PPC, for these days the meanings of Left and Right have changed so much. Those designations don’t seem to matter as much anymore, when you are a mix of both, and when some of what used to be Left is now Right, and what was Right is now Left. Instead, it’s more about looking at the policies of the current government, determine whether Canada has thrived or not under those policies, and then evaluate the proposed solutions from others.
The cornerstone of the PPC is liberty; it is through freedom of thought, speech, reach and assembly that policy ideas can be brought forward, debated, honed, or discarded by ALL Canadians, not just the elite few. From this type of politicking would flow policies that would have a positive effect on Canadians’ lives.
My name is Dave Annis of the People’s Party of Canada, and I propose a different path, a positive vision forward where we celebrate and build on the accomplishments of our Canadian forebears. Yes there are problems happening in Canada. But there’s nothing wrong with Canada that Canadians can’t fix.
Finally, a party that is dealing with reality!
It has been my experience that if you ignore reality, reality has a tendency to punch you, hard!