I knew the day was going to be hectic, but I had no idea how vigorously I would have to work to keep up with Olive Crane.
I was on the campaign trail for a day with the leader of the Progressive Conservative party.
I jumped in a van covered with giant images of Crane, and was immediately whisked away with her and her press secretary to a radio interview at CFCY.
Although this was the beginning of my day with her, Crane’s day had started hours before. Her days usually start before the sun comes up, she said.
Nonetheless, she was filled with energy and excitement as we pulled up to the radio station.
Once inside, she got even more excited. She’d spotted Georga Dawn Moase, host of the Saturday Night Hoedown. She immediately went over and gave Moase one of her trademark hugs.
Crane hugs people everywhere she goes.
“Have you ever heard the hoedown? It’s the best show,” Crane said with a big smile.
“I got to co-host it this summer. It was the just the best time. I can’t wait to do it again.”
Despite her jovial spirits, she was all business when she sat down for her interview. When asked questions about different issues, she easily rhymed off her platform policies, constantly finding places to insert her core message — that she wants to “roll up her sleeves” and “stick up for all Islanders.”
Then it was off to get ready for another media event. This one included some of her candidates.
An hour before a pre-scheduled news conference, Crane and all five Charlottetown candidates gathered in the Charlottetown PC headquarters. Also there was a group of party volunteers and staff, including campaign chair George MacDonald and party field organizer Jordan Fraser.
Holding photocopies of their speeches, the candidates stood in a line and practised.
Crane joined them, running through her script. Afterward, one of the volunteers gave her advice on what words she should try to emphasize and told the candidates standing behind her the times when they should clap.
They did the whole thing again — their final run-through. When finished, the staffers began posing questions reporters were likely to ask. They focused especially on making sure the Charlottetown candidates were well-versed in how to handle media queries. All five are political rookies and were jittery about appearing before the press.
Crane assured them they would all do great.
“If this isn’t the sharpest group of people I’ve ever seen,” she said, eliciting smiles from all.
After the rehearsal, volunteers and staffers scattered, and Crane sat down for a personal chat with her candidates.
They traded stories about situations they’ve encountered on the doorsteps.
“At one place, this little girl took one look at my brochure, looked up at me and said, ‘You look a lot younger in this picture’,” Parnell Kelly joked.
Everyone laughed.
They also shared frustrations about their election signs being constantly kicked down, stolen or defaced.
“Its kids, mostly,” Mike Gillis said.
“But one woman told me she saw an adult taking one down, and she said it made her so mad she wanted to say something, but being a single mother, she didn’t want to make trouble. It’s awful.”
Crane gave them advice about how to handle tougher issues that come up, such as addictions and mental health.
“No one knows what it’s like until you go door to door,” she said.
“You spend 15 minutes with people and you hear their stories. You’re problem-solving at every door.”
She advised them not to spend too much time at each home and to focus on getting people’s support rather than trying to solve everyone’s problems.
“You have to be careful,” she told them.
“You can’t do anything to help them until you get elected.”
After the news conference, Crane demonstrated first-hand her own skills on the doorsteps.
Her Morell-Mermaid riding encompasses a large rural area, where she must drive from house to house in her campaign van.
As soon as her driver pulled into a driveway, she was out the door like a shot, excited to meet whoever was inside.
“I hate it when they’re not home,” she said.
The issues people raised were as varied as the colours of their homes. And the economic situations of each household were vastly different.
One woman invited Crane to sit down at her kitchen table. She told Crane how she is worried about access to treatment for addictions. Her brother is an alcoholic.
Another man hobbled to the door, telling Crane he didn’t understand why he couldn’t access disability support.
Crane offered phone numbers to those needing immediate help and cited platform promises to others who raised more general concerns about health care, education and the state of province’s finances.
Crane said going door to door is her favourite part of running for office.
“I just love people and I’m all about the people,” she said.
Driving through her riding, she said she doesn’t care what people may be saying about her chances in this election.
She plans to work hard and show Islanders what she’s capable of.
“(Other candidates) might be more charismatic and good speakers, but I’m working hard and it’s all about the people. No one is going to beat me for work,” she said.
“I’m going to shock people once again,” she said smiling, referencing her party leadership win.
“And you know, there’s something different in the air the last week or two. I think that’s a good thing.”
This is the first of a two-part series where The Guardian spends a day on the campaign trail with the leaders of P.E.I.’s two main parties.
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To Optimism... You seem to be the only one on here that has brougt up PNP, surely you can see the forest for the trees, or wait, maybe you still have your head in the sand.