Stef Paquette announced his nomination as the federal NDP candidate for Nickel Belt in a typically Stef Paquette fashion: he made it funny.
Here’s the cartoon he posted:
Now, not everyone might cotton to Paquette’s clearly non-political approach to announcing his candidacy, but he says he is a serious candidate. An entertainer, first and foremost, for more than 25 years, his first instinct is to entertain.
Asked why he’s running for the NDP, he prefaced his answer with a few jokes: he looks better in orange than he does in red or blue, so the New Democrats seemed the best fit; party leader Jagmeet Singh’s last name and one of Paquette’s chosen professions (he sings) are homophonous, so NDP seemed a good fit.
Jokes aside, he actually had a real answer (exclamation points are Paquette’s).
“NDP is also synonymous with grassroots, with fairness for all, with fighting for social justice. I like how real and down to earth Jagmeet is,” he said. “I really got hooked onto the NDP after meeting Jack Layton, a leader who never made me feel like he was superior to any Canadian because he was leader of a major political party!
“It's the party that I feel won't try and 'change' me if or when I get elected. And once again, in a democracy, I feel it is important that we make politics as accessible as possible to all! Being part of the NDP, a political party that doesn't have $1,500-a-ticket fundraisers is the right fit for me!”
He said he’s always followed politics and MPP France Gélinas once told him he’d make a good politician, so at 45 and with three children and one grandchild, he said he’s ready for a new challenge.
“I'm also disgusted by today's state of affairs, from kids in cages, to climate change inactivity to girls and women going missing just because they are Indigenous?!?” Paquette said.
“I guess I'm tired of being an 'online' or 'social media' activist. Sometimes you just gotta take the plunge to try to make a difference. I love my life as an artist and as cultural mediator in Indigenous Education for the CSPGNO (Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l’Ontario). But I feel the time is right to take this leap into the world of politics! And it's never too late for new challenges. Heck, my whole professional artistic career has been nothing but reinventing myself.
“I am ready to represent the people of the Nickel Belt riding in Ottawa!”
Plus, his entertainment background isn’t as far from politics as some might think, Paquette said. In fact, he thinks his career has given him particular skills and insights that dovetail nicely with politics.
“My success as an artist has always depended on me connecting and communicating with the audience. I feel that's a solid tool to have going into this world of politics; a world that is too often a sterile one,” he said. “I was told by a good friend that to be a good politician it just takes someone with good judgment who won't sell out! As an artist, you are constantly faced with selling out for greater popularity or more money, etc... Selling out your core values to become more 'known'. I have no interest in selling out!”
Besides life experience, Paquette said he has the drive and determination Nickel Belt needs.
“I've been an entertainer for more than 25 years. I've made a living from it despite many people telling me it couldn't be done by staying in Greater Sudbury, especially not in French,” he said. “I honestly feel I can be a breath of fresh air in a system that has made too many Canadians apathetic towards politics! I am not from a political background and I'm quite fine with that! Maybe someone with a fresh perspective on things is just what Ottawa needs?!? I'm approaching this new challenge, my role as a politician, with the same dedication, passion and commitment I have put towards my artistic career!”
Paquette said he thinks people are tired of politicians who appear one way during the campaign, only to govern in a pretty typical fashion once elected. He knows he’s tired of it.
“We've seen it time and time again, Justin Trudeau being the prime example; candidates making us believe that they are different but once they get in, they end up being the same type of politician we have come to know and dislike,” he said. “I get that as MP you are part of a political team, but that doesn't mean you have to lose your authenticity or individuality once you are part of that said team!?!
Asked if he wanted the last word, Paquette encouraged Nickel Belt residents to mark Oct. 21 (Election Day) on their calendars (or cellphones or laptops) and to get out and vote.
“It is the American Author Louis L'amour who said: To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain,’ ” Paquette said.
Et, Voilà!
