Meeting Anita
I sit beside an articulate, modest and spirited woman for nigh on an hour and I am encouraged. The scenario is not exactly what I expected; in my ashamedly influenced views of what the wife of an MLA would be like, I half-expected an overly-coiffeured lady surrounded with pristine family images dotted across white-washed walls.
There are the pristine images. And she is a well-presented woman.But Anita Anderson opens up to offer a candid outlook on the hardships and heartache that accompany the many highs of being married to the 'liberated, excited and passionate' new MLA of the Wildrose Alliance, Rob Anderson.
Anita Anderson, born to a large political family and raised in Missouri, was accustomed to affairs of state being a topic of conversation at her childhood dinner table. Now the energetic mother of Derek, 5, Bryce, 3, Spencer, 2, and 'the little guy' Joshua, 9 months, she appears adamant to continue this dialogue with her offspring in her own house. Will she be active in educating their boys about the political affairs? 'Definitely'.
With a fitness and nutrition degree under her belt, a brood of boys to entertain and a lifestyle that has now been thrust into the scrutinizing eye of the public, it is any wonder that Anderson has the breath left to talk to me, never mind delve into what she calls her passion.
"I am a songwriter, I play violin and I sing, as well. That is my lifelong dream, to record the music I've written and inspire people with it," Anderson said.
Representing the Calgary-based 'charity for the homeless', Stephen's Backpackers, Anderson hit the high notes at their Christmas finale and it appears that her dream may be coming true. Successful at the finale, Anderson has been asked to write a song for the charity which will be produced. Talk of this vocation, her zeal for music and the way in which her children choose their favourite songs on their iPod to belt out over breakfast, gives this lady a warm and satisfied glow. She smiles as she quite happily admits that, although her degree offers a 'good, solid and practical' career, music is nevertheless her 'passion.'
I find an ironic parallel in this statement and that of her husband's topical move from the Progressive Conservatives to the comparably contemporary Wildrose Alliance this month. Anita Anderson is informed and alert; she is conscious that her husband's decision has been risky, but by shunning the solid for that which he believes in, he has gained her total support. And judging by the animated manner in which she speaks of his move, this support is something worth having.
"I am proud of him for standing up for his ideals," Anderson explains.
"There has been sacrifice for our family life financially, giving up the war chest. Having supporters that don't support the decision. We purposefully made this decision before Cabinet shuffle so that nobody can say that there is an opportunity in this ... ultimately you have to stick with your principles."
As a woman who, despite her astuteness, appears somewhat sensitive, Anderson is tearful, sombre and almost sympathetic as we discuss the demise of the connections, the personal alliances that she and her husband once shared with the figures of the PC party. I am interested in her theory that such people are afraid to speak out. "Some think that if they can only get into cabinet then we can steer this ship around and we won't sink as a party ... Cabinet position is a temporary band-aid.' Anderson enlightens me to the fact that her husband had his position at the Treasury Board directly threatened by a Minister just before Christmas, proving to be the last straw. And it is in these exposures, these frank declarations that I am inexplicably compelled to recall the words of Winston Churchill when he stated that 'some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party.'
This analogy to the life of the Anderson is clearly a source of pride and sorrow for the wife of this politic figure. Her respect for her husband's decision is counterbalanced by the bitter-sweet loss of friendships; breakages from the peers who she explains 'might feel there's a prize waiting for them if they stick it out' (with the Progressive Conservatives). But there is little doubt that Anita Anderson revels in what she describes as 'synergy of people getting together' and I see a perk in her demeanor as she identifies exactly what it is that ties her, her family and her loyalties to Airdrie. This year, 2010 is going to be their year. What does she think has added value to the city in 2009? She is a lady after my own heart: "The new mall," Anderson smiles. What would she add to the city? 'Nothing. It has it all....Good strong Conservative people, great values, great healthcare, the list goes on.'
And I am again encouraged. Not necessarily about political affairs but about the place and the people in which I have chosen to reside., Wherever my political vote may lie, I leave this family home enamoured by well-mannered children, charmed by good conversation and, in the face of her life of true multi-tasking, I nod to the wise words of Margaret Thatcher: "If you want something said ask a man ... if you want something done ask a woman."
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