OTTAWA—The Broadbent Institute’s Stand up for Progress National Tour featuring Harry Leslie Smith kicks off today just as the House of Commons is set to rise before the fall federal election.
Canada’s oldest rebel and author of Harry’s Last Stand: How the World My Generation Built is Falling Down, and What We Can Do To Save It is travelling to six Canadian cities, beginning in Victoria today and ending in London, ON, on July 21.
Harry, 92, survived the Great Depression and fought in the Second World War for the United Kingdom. After the war, he immigrated to Canada and became a supporter of a strong social safety net as an antidote to the crushing poverty of his youth.
“We’re delighted Harry Leslie Smith has hit the road to travel the country to inspire the next generation of activists just as Canada gears up for a federal election in the fall,” said Rick Smith, Executive Director of the Broadbent Institute. “When Harry Leslie Smith speaks, we should all listen.”
In addition to Victoria and London, Harry is travelling to Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and Halifax over the next month. A panel discussion will follow at each event, where he will be joined on stage by young progressive activists ready to make an impact in the lead-up to the federal election.
“It’s exciting to be out on the road again,” said Harry, who recently returned from a national tour in the United Kingdom to encourage youth to vote. “My generation built a strong social safety network, but our greatest achievements are under threat by the politics of austerity. But I’ve been a fighter all my life, and I know we can win this fight because we did it before.”
Canada’s professional fire fighters, represented by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), are the National Tour Sponsor. “We share Harry’s vision of a fair and prosperous society, where hard work is rewarded with fair wages and a dignified retirement,” said Scott Marks, the IAFF’s Assistant to the General President for Canadian Operations.
Additional information about the Stand up for Progress National Tour featuring Harry Leslie Smith is available at http://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/stand_up_progress_national_tour_harry_leslie_smith. The Public Service Alliance of Canada is National Tour Partner.
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For more information, please contact Sarah Schmidt, Director of Communications, Broadbent Institute, 613-857-2814 or sschmidt[at]broadbentinstitute[dot]ca.
