Rob Oliphant: I think I’ve had a life of public service as a minister in a congregation. I’ve been working with people in communities and in groups and I’ve decided to expand my territory to take it to a broader scale and go to Ottawa, where you can actually get something done at a bigger level.

 

 

CM: What do you think is the most important world issue right now that you feel should be addressed?

 

RO: There are several. I’m involved in several, actually. The ones I’m particularly involved in my riding have been the conflict in Gaza, and the ongoing Palestinian-Israel conflict which has echoes throughout the world. It has echoes throughout the Arab world and also anti-Semitism against Jews around the world. I think secondly would be climate change, and just the way the whole globe is going to be affected by the way the world is changing; we’re going to have environmental refugees and we have to be able to take action now and change our lifestyle. The third one would be international human rights. Whether it’s Darfur, Sri Lanka, or other hotspots; the reality is that the international community has to stand together to say that there is a basic level of human rights that every citizen is allowed.

 

CM: Why did you choose the Liberal party?

 

RO: I’ve always been a Liberal. I’ve been a Liberal since I was 12 years old. I joined originally because of Pierre Trudeau; he was a leader, and he was a charismatic leader with a vision for justice and inclusion in the country. I would say if there was one reason I’m a Liberal, it’s because of Pierre Trudeau.

 

 

CM: What’s the biggest issue in the riding of Don Valley West that you would like to address?

 

RO: The riding is so varied; we have Leaside, North Toronto, Lawrence Park, York Mills, Don Mills, Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park. We have a variety. So each area has its own concerns; some areas have a concern about wealth, some areas have a concern about poverty. I think the most pressing issue probably has to do with the inclusion of new Canadians into the full fabric of the society of Canada, issues with exclusion, prejudice, and racism. That would be my biggest issue, and it manifests itself in many ways.

 

CM: How can young people get involved in politics?

 

RO: Sign up. Join. Get involved in, I prefer the Young Liberals, but there are Young Progressive Conservatives, any party; to get involved in a political party is an interesting process. You meet other kids who are involved, you get to go to policy conventions, you try to influence things; numbers matter, the more kids who get involved in things, the more influence they have. You can also take on an issue and make a difference; you can work very locally in the community, and say we want to help other kids in this area to do this or that we want to raise awareness about climate. We want to raise awareness about poverty, or one issue, whether it’s Darfur, or Sudan, or Zimbabwe and the human rights struggle there. It could be any kind of issue you want to take on, and it comes through teaching, learning, raising money, raising awareness, that kind of stuff. But I think it’s more fun to be in a party because you do it with a larger group.

 

 

CM: What’s the best advice you can give to young people today?

 

RO: Expand. Learn more, grow more, don’t limit yourself; the world doesn’t want to limit you. I always say that the world is as big as your imagination, so keep one dream going and ask more questions.

 

 

CM: What was your first day at parliament like?

 

RO: Oh, it was fun! It was kind of chaotic; you don’t know where to go or where to sit, how to do things…you kind of just follow around like a sheep and do what other people are doing. You stand when they stand, even though you’re not exactly sure why, you sit down when they sit down, you clap when they clap, and then you gradually get to know what’s going on. I have a lot of meetings. That’s what I do. I meet. Some are great, and some are useless. I try to discern ahead, and I used to go to everything but now I start to not go to everything.

 

 

CM: What’s the best part about your job?

 

RO: The people. The variety of the people I meet. People of every age, background, religion, culture, people that are crazy in the best sense and crazy in the worst sense, people with ideas that want some help to make them real, people trying to do something to make a change, people that have problems that I can help with, people with problems I can’t help but I can support.

 

 

CM: And what’s your least favourite part about the job?

 

RO: The people. (laughs) Just kidding. The meetings. Sometimes you’re not sure if you’re actually accomplishing anything.

 

 

CM: In your opinion, what are some good qualities of a leader?

 

RO: Curiosity. I think that’s most important. Imagination. Intelligence. Ability to focus. And not get distracted by the small stuff. Fairness.