For some of us, the writ dropped and… life went on as usual. For some of us, the writ dropped and we jumped into high gear on an election campaign. Our CHP members and supporters, fall somewhere between these two opposite ends of the electoral activity spectrum.

Our Leader, Rod Taylor, was already in the midst of a by-election. He did a quick change of gears, and started again on a full general election: gathering signatures again, having his Official Agent open another bank account, preparing and filing paperwork with Elections Canada again. Everything had to start over, but this time with more exposure and experience. Happily, Rod is now confirmed by Elections Canada as having completed all of the requirements!

Our Election Readiness Team also needed to make some changes. Peter Vogel moved from Election Readiness Chair to Campaign Chair. Work that was moving forward to be completed at the end of August went to a fast boil as of August 2^nd.

The dropping of the writ changed the summer for our candidates who had already been elected by their EDAs. Their detailed planning of a campaign expected to start in September suddenly had a fuse lit under it. They, and their election teams, exploded into action. They had a job to do and they were ready to do it.

For a political party, life changes with the announcement of an election.

I asked our Provincial Presidents how the planning was going with this unexpectedly early election call. There are many unsung heroes who are preparing to run. I’m just highlighting a few of the varied approaches of candidates in this election. Check our website for updated information on candidates running.

In Alberta, the first confirmed candidate was Ernest Chauvest in Sturgeon River - Parkland. Following that, we saw a real team effort from the Lethbridge EDA to ensure there are candidates in several neighbouring electoral districts. Lethbridge nominated Geoff Capp to serve as candidate. In the surrounding areas, Marc Slingerland will run in Foothills (to follow-up on David Reimer’s efforts in the by-election last year) and Frans VandeStroet will run in Bow River. Lethbridge will serve as contact for these southern campaigns; they will provide the Financial Agent and campaign central support.

In Ontario, training has been high on the priority list. On June 6^th, Ontario held a mini-conference including candidate training and professional photo shoots. It was a great election readiness kick-off for those who attended.

Hamilton Mountain gets a star for the most prepared EDA. They had their candidate nomination in place with Elections Canada in November of 2014 and completed their fund raising and campaign plan in July.

Ontario President, Jim Enos, reminds us, “It is vital we take a team approach in all of our efforts and that we maintain a healthy balance between our CHP tasks and all the other responsibilities we carry. Set achievable goals and spread the load.”

British Columbia is home to our youngest candidate, Adam De Kroon. Adam is forging forward enthusiastically after being the first of BC’s candidates to declare.

Manitoba anticipates presenting at least three candidates in the upcoming election and Eastern Canada currently has one candidate preparing in PEI.

There are many people nation-wide who are called upon now to decide if this is the year, and the election, in which the Lord has called them to make a stand. We need many more to step up, as we receive emails from numerous places asking if there is a CHP candidate to vote for.

While the candidates I’ve mentioned and many other workers who were not mentioned by name are busily preparing for a campaign, what can the rest of us do to help?

Many things. Of course, funding is a major one; everyone needs to understand that our party and candidates are funded exclusively by the generosity of our members and supporters. If our financial supporters contribute minimally then our campaigns will be minimal. If our financial supporters provide strong support then our campaigns will reflect that.

The Canada Elections Act controls how much a maximum donation can be. We cannot rely on a few huge donations to take care of things. Our wealthiest supporter cannot give more than the limit, and so we ask again for everyone to make a big or small donation at this important time.

It is up to us all to support those who, with the support of their families, have stood up to be the voice for godly governance in the political realm.

Some of our candidates may have plenty of funds in their account but need hands to help deliver brochures, put up signs, etc. Time and effort are as essential as funds for an active campaign!

Our candidates can only be as good as the support we give them. Let’s show our appreciation by getting behind them with our finances and our efforts. And, as always, our prayers are very much needed. Serving as a candidate requires a huge outpouring of energy; we need the Lord to sustain our candidates and electoral teams.

You can donate online at our website and at some candidate websites. May the Lord be pleased with the outcome!

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