Dog treats and billboards: First-time candidates learn the political ropes

They all talk about the dogs and not in a "politicsisforthedogs" sort of way.

"I don't know about you, but80 per cent of the households have dogs, in my neighbourhood," said JeaneLassen, the Liberal candidate in Takhini-Kopper King.

Lassen, along with Yukon Party candidate DannyMacdonald (Riverdale South) and NDP candidate Shaunagh Stikeman (Mountainview), took part in a panel discussion on CBC Yukon's Airplay, about being first-time candidates. Green Party candidate Julie Anne Ames (Lake Laberge) took part by phone.

"I've actually started going out with dog treats in my pocket," saidStikeman, whoestimates dog ownership in Mountainview is closer to 95 per cent.

"When I get home, my dog is pretty excited to smell the scent of every other dog in the neighbourhood, on my legs."

Macdonaldcalls dogs the "secondary doorbell" when he's out door-knocking.

"Some of the best encounters at doors are some of the dogs that get really excited," he said.

The first-time candidatesare all hoping voters will send them tothe Yukon Legislature in the Nov. 7 vote. They've been quickly learning what it takes to make it as a politicianin Yukon, besides a supply ofdog treats.

Persistence is key, according to Macdonald, who's been knocking on doors for weeks already.

"I wasalittle bit surprised at how difficult it is to get out there and just connecting withYukoners, especially during the summer," he said.

Lassen agrees Yukonersdon't seem to spend a lot of timeat home. She's been campaigning in her riding since Februaryandsays, "I still haven't met everyone.

"I've gone to some people's houses eightor ninetimes, and I'm like 'well, how many times is it polite to leave a note before you look like you're stalking someone?'"

Entering the fray

Macdonald, Lassen,Stikemanand Amesare of different political stripes, but their decisions to run for officewere motivated by the samesimple desire to get off the sidelinesand become more deeply involved in their community.

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It wasn't a huge leap for Macdonald, who's been immersed in politics for years, though behind the scenes. He's been the Yukon Party'sgovernment press secretaryand says he grew up in a political family that would "gather 'round the TV and watch elections." His mother ran for the Yukon Party in 2000.

He says friends and family have been asking him for years when he'd enter the fray as a candidate.

"Then I decided, 'you know what? It's time'. I'm ready for the challengeand I'm ready to put myself out there, and go to work on it," he said.

"Part of democracy is, you have to have avariety of good options on the ballot for people to make those decisions. And I'm looking forward to going through the electionand providing myself as an option."

Lassen, an Olympic weightlifter, who competed in Beijing in 2008,says she was inspired to run after travellingthroughYukon, speaking about her experiences as an athlete.

"Whenever I shared my story, and my challenges, people would always come up to me afterwards and share their adversityand it was quite powerful," she said.

"I just couldn't listen to [their]challenges anymore without getting involved. And that's really why I'm doing this. I think I've had a lot of experience with different forms of adversityand they've strengthened me to have the resolve to get up every morning and try to make things better."

Stikeman describes her decision to run as a little more impulsive. She's hoping to unseat Yukon Party leader, and premier,Darrell Pasloski in Mountainview.

"If you had told me a year ago that I would be here as the NDPcandidate, running against the premier in our community, I never would have believed you," she said.

She says her decision was fuelled by her disappointment in the governmentand its approach to the economy, the environment and First Nations relations.

"One spring day, I realized that I didn't have to remain silent anymorethat I could actually speak upand I could stand up for our community and the values that we share."

Ames has been involved with the federal and territorial Green Partiesand decided it was time to take a run as a candidate.

"I just wanted to offer analternative vote for people who didn't necessarily want to vote for the big three," she said.

'My huge head on a huge billboard'

Despite their resolve, alladmitted it was still a big decision to actually put their name on a ballot.

"I was anxious when I was first announcing, actually." Macdonald said.

He says his work in politics has shown him that MLAs often struggle to balance political obligations with their personal lives.Yukonersexpect their candidates to be approachable, anytime, anywhere, "and they're not shy to let you know how they feel."

He was alsoaware that running for anincumbent party can be achallenge.

"You're worried about the reception at the door,if people are angry with the government," he said.

Stikeman was also nervous about what an entry into politics might mean for her family. She's married with three young kids, "so you could say I was busy, already."

She says her work as a lawyer has made her used to being the one "behind the scenes."

"Before I announced, I think I was worried about what it would be like to be the one in frontto have my huge head on a huge billboard, to just be completely out there, to be open to all ideas, all conversations, all criticism," she said.

"I have taken it with a huge sense of humour to see my face everywhere!"

Lassen admits that she initially had a hard time with door-knocking, "because you're interrupting people in their homes when they're not expecting someone.

"At first I had a bit of difficulty with that, but I realize that it's better for me to be uncomfortable in the goal of including someone, than to exclude them because of my shyness. So I've really gotten to enjoy door-knockingand everyone is super-polite, whether they support your party or not."

Macdonald has had a similar experience, calling Yukoners "invariably polite."

"They recognize that there has to be names on the ballots, and they just appreciate that you're running.So everyone has been really receptive."

Amessaiddoor-knocking has been enjoyable, especiallyto "hear about what the locals think about this issue or that.

"Of course it's daunting at first to put your name forward as a candidate, but I think once you dive into it and have a positive attitude, it can be a really great experience for growth," she added.

Power of social media

If anything has surprised these campaign-trail neophytes, it's how quickly theirnames,ideas and images can come to seem almost like public property. They can't always control the message.

"The biggest surprise is the power of social media, and the power of word-of-mouth has blown my mind. When the door opens and people say, 'oh yeah, I know who you are,' and they start to tell me about myself ... they know what my core values are," Stikeman said.

"And this is a complete stranger that I'm meeting for the first time!"

Macdonald has also been taken aback at how quickly people have started to recognize him, almost wherever he goes.

"Even when you're out doing something that's not related to campaigning and you have people who recognize you or they've seen something on social media that you've mentioned, or they've heard your name in the paperpeople are coming up and talking to you about that now.

"There are some things that are a little bit different once you're the face of a campaign."

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