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O'Connor worked as Alexa McDonough's chief of staff when she was leader of the Nova Scotia NDP. When she became federal party leader, he served as her principal secretary for two years in Ottawa. He's also worked for former Manitoba premier Howard Pawley. But Dan's involvement in politics and his fight for social justice began as a student leader. He was a key participant in the only student strike to shut down a Canadian university for an entire week. St. Francis Xavier University is located in the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic town of Antigonish (former N.B. premier Frank McKenna was also a student union leader there, and former prime minister Brian Mulroney cut his political teeth at St. FX, too). The 1971 strike was designed to force the university to change its "in loco parentis" rule. Although student unrest had forced big changes at many other North American universities, St. FX still assumed the authority of a parent in making rules that governed the lives of its students. O'Connor led a student protest to fight for the right to visit members of the opposite sex in their segregated campus dormitories. In 1971, final exams were mailed out after classes were cancelled and a firebomb damaged one of the campus buildings. But after three years of anti-establishment agitation, the university relaxed its rules on student housing and got rid of "in loco parentis." O'Connor credits a lot of the NDP's success in the current campaign to the "Seven Key Commitments." Senior members of the party brass made a conscious decision to adopt the easy-to-digest platform late this spring. The veteran NDP strategist says although organizers agonized about running a KISS campaign (Keep It Simple, Stupid), he feels the decision to use the theme of "A Better Deal for Today's Families" allowed the NDP to target specific messages to seniors, drivers, and students with an effect previous campaigns failed to achieve. While at times eerily reminiscent of McDonald's "You Deserve A Break Today", O'Connor says the emphasis on pocketbook issues is also a reflection of NDP Leader Darrell Dexter's pragmatic approach. Dexter's belief that taxpayers "deserve" some relief allowed the NDP to side with the Conservatives when the Hamm government proposed a 10 per cent tax cut. After a lifetime spent organizing and strategizing, O'Connor is more than ready for the NDP to assume the reins of power. But you won't catch him saying so – just in case it jinxes their chances or scares off skittish Nova Scotia voters who worry the NDP may be too radical. Dan O'Connor is married to writer and commentator Sharon Fraser. They have one son. NDP gets Hebb
Hebb was only 14 when his mother, Tessa Hebb, ran federally against Tory Stewart McInnes in the Halifax riding. Hebb says he'll never forget the thrill of seeing his mother win the first poll - or his crushing disappointment as the night wore on and she went down to defeat. Hebb moved with his family to Ontario and got his master's degree in social anthropology from the University of Toronto. He moved back to Halifax where he got a job working first as a researcher, and later in communications, for the provincial NDP caucus office. Hebb became provincial secretary in October 2001. He's proud of the fact that since January, the NDP has trained more than 300 volunteers who are all working on this campaign. Hebb says the number of "CFAs" - party workers who come from other provinces to help with the Nova Scotia effort - can be counted on one hand. Hebb is almost as passionate about music as he is about politics. He plays backup guitar down at Bearly's on Sunday nights for his wife, blues singer Dee Dee Slye. Their three-year-old daughter often asks Hebb on the way out the door," Is Daddy going to play music or play politics?" Hebb says he considers himself a lucky guy and hopes his luck
holds until after the provincial election Aug. 5
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Dan
O'Connor's grey beard and mild manner hide a lifetime of experience
at the top echelons of NDP politics. The NDP's chief of staff
has led or worked on a total of 10 provincial campaigns; O'Connor
was also a key cog in the national office of the federal NDP campaign
in 1997.
Matt
Hebb is another part of the NDP brain trust behind the scenes.
His title is campaign director. In a party better known for its
earnestness than its fashion sense, Hebb stands out in a crowd.
He's bright and articulate, and the NDP's provincial campaign
director also has a fondness for boldly patterned shirts, cool
eyeglasses and ear ornaments. At 33 years of age, he's a savvy
organizer whose first memory of working for The Party involves
being sent to buy doughnuts for Alexa's campaign workers.
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