This has been an amazing campaign. I said at the outset, that you, the people of Winnipeg and especially my supporters, have given me hope. You have given me the energy I needed to keep going until today. While we did not win, we still made an impact. Just a few months ago, I was considered a fringe candidate. Tonight, there’s no question we were contenders. And it happened because of your support. This really was a citizen-led, citizen-driven campaign. It started with the dream of one city, united. And though I won’t be your Mayor, we have started to build bridges across the divide. This campaign had Aboriginals from the suburbs and white people from the North End and vice versa. We had people of every age, and background. I had supporters and donors and campaign workers from every political party. And we made a difference. And we inspired many, many people to vote for the first time, or for the first time in a long time. My message to you: do not be disappointed. Don’t be discouraged, that this time, the vote you cast didn’t get the result you wanted. Voting still matters. It is still the best way to change the world. But true success isn’t just having an easy win: it’s being able to pick yourself up after NOT winning and keeping going. How often was it that the issues we were debating were issues that we put on the agenda. That is something we can all be proud of. Now I want to wish congratulate and thank my fellow candidates for their commitment to democracy and to our community, and I wish Brian Bowman the best of luck as Mayor. There are a few people I would like to thank. First, my wife, Catherine, who has spent the campaign caring for our five children. She will finally get me back after months of campaigning. It’s up to her whether she thinks that is a good thing or not, but I will be happy to be back at home by her side with our kids. I want to thank my extraordinary campaign team, who built an incredible, all-volunteer organization around me. There are so many people who played critical roles in my campaign. Each of you made the campaign possible. You are too many to mention, and if I start I am sure I will leave someone out. I will thank you all separately later. Thank you. It’s been a long campaign, and we’re at the end of it. While our work is not yet done, it is done, at least for today. Let’s celebrate the work we did, and how far we’ve come. Thank you Robert-Falcon Ouellette
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 02:54:30 +0000
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