NOVA SCOTIA VOTES
In profile
Green Leader: Ryan Watson
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 5, 2009 | 5:38 PM ET
CBC News
Ryan Watson is no longer the "political cynic" he was before.
In fact, Watson, 28, skipped over the years of slogging behind the scenes as a party supporter and jumped right to the forefront when he was chosen as leader of the Green Party of Nova Scotia.
Green Leader Ryan Watson. (Handout) "Anything worth doing is worth doing right," Watson told CBC News.
When Watson heard about the Green party, he immediately liked its "holistic view of the world" — a sense that environment, health, communities, transportation and other issues were all tied together. As a fairly new party, he figured there was room to approach politics differently.
Watson had originally planned to run for the Green party in the last federal election. But by the time the election was held in October 2008, he was already leader of the provincial party, having won the position at a June leadership convention.
So this will be his first general election.
Inspiration from challenge
Watson says he loves the work. He understands the challenges of being a young, new leader of a fledgling party, but he also sees the opportunities. For example, he wants to spread the idea of ramping up local food and renewable energy production.
He said he finds his inspiration through people who have led through challenging times, like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, but also through his job.
For the last three years, he has worked at Authentic Leadership in Action (ALIA), formerly known as the Shambala Institute for Authentic Leadership. He has scaled back his duties since taking over leadership of the Greens, but still handles budget, operations and technology concerns.
Watson likes the idea of sharing ideas and allowing people to participate in politics. He says there are times when direct leadership is called for, but he doesn't see how one person can solve every problem.
Nova Scotia 'feels like home'
His goal is to lead the Green party to its first-ever seat in the Nova Scotia legislature. The provincial party was founded only months before the last election in June 2006. There were Green candidates in all 52 districts and the party ended up with more than two per cent of the popular vote.
Watson has been busy introducing himself to voters in his electoral district, Halifax Citadel. Knocking on doors has meant time away from his wife Shannon and eight-month-old daughter Katarina, but Watson says working for change is important.
"This is something really worth doing," he said. "It is a challenge, it puts demands on family, but it's worth it."
Watson grew up in Nelson, B.C. He completed one year at the University of Winnipeg, where he played basketball. He left school and travelled, eventually settling in Thailand to work at a hotel and he also taught yoga and meditation.
He made a few trips to Nova Scotia over the years before deciding to move to the province in 2005.
"It feels like home," he said.
