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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, April 2, 2015 | 6 A nal inspiring interview with the late Max Khan Lauren Maharaj Guest columnist Spotlight "Connected to your Community" T he task at hand was to simply get the interview. As the trials of rst semester began to wind down, an assignment of particular peculiarity dawned upon me and the class of Sports Journalism at Centennial College -- seek out a local politician, get the interview and write a piece about it. The obvious challenge was a test of patience and determination -- try to interview a gure, who is completely out of your realm of knowledge, and do it soon because politicians can offer a tireless chase. Being a young person indifferent to politics and devoted to the likes of sport, the challenge in itself was merely guring out who I would be able to convince to speak to me. What bene t could I offer this person? How can I present the interview to them as something that would not rob them of their time? And where do I start? Because I knew my limited insight on local politicians would guide me into an abyss, I turned to my father, a Liberal supporter, who assured me his admirable friend, Max Khan, would be more than happy to speak with me. Khan was the Ward 6 Town councillor and federal candidate in the new Oakville-North Burlington federal riding. Making the contact Quickly, like any young and aspiring journalist, I made my contact -- a concise email introducing myself, my connection with him and my task at hand. Since I expected the chase for an interview to be a dif cult one, I made my connection early (about a month before the assignment was due). To my surprise, Khan proved my suspicions were completely unfounded. In a few short sentences, the 46-year-old wrote to me of how he was reminded of my family's continuing support and without hesitation offered his time and personal number. Despite the fact Khan worked as a lawyer at a Bay Street law rm, was a father and a federal Liberal candidate, he seamlessly found the time to chat with me -- for my bene t. "So, family's good?" Khan asked as we Politicians don't typically canvas an area that is socio-economically oppressed or poor. Why? Because those people are less likely to vote, it's statistically proven. But the thing is, maybe they don't vote because politicians don't go out there. Maybe if a politician went out there, gave a damn and got their views, it would show that they count and they would come out and vote. Oakville Ward 6 councillor Max Khan Max Khan | Oakville Beaver le photo opened conversation during our interview last Tuesday. He continued by speaking brie y about his respective relationship with my father that began back in 2006 during his early years campaigning. But what was more interesting was how vibrantly open Khan became when I steered the conversation into his territory. A pleasant and upbeat voice consumed him and it was clear to see where his integrity lay. The issues "One of my biggest issues running under Liberal policies with Justin Trudeau is to bring back some resemblance of what Canada used to be and what our values stood for," said Khan as his deep-rooted care for his community began to shine through early in our conversation. "I think we've gone off track since 2006. It's interesting because if kids opened up a history book and said, `What have we accomplished between 2006 and now?' -- incredibly very little," he said. "The environment is not better, our international reputation is not better, we are not better when it comes to aboriginal affairs or veterans' or women's issues. There is nothing that we can point to as a legacy of this government to say `We're ahead on this aspect," he said. "So, I think we need to go back to values that made Canada stand so strong. And that's going to be a part of my mission." Dedication and pride Khan's mission was one that would not have cut any corners. In conversation alone, it was clear to see the extent of dedication and pride he took in what he did. Prior to hearing the memorable tone in his voice as he spoke, it was evident in my research that with such a grand presence on social media and in the community, he was using all platforms of communication to great effect. "I think social media is a great tool. But here's the interesting thing about politics: people don't have the time or bandwidth to get in-detail analysis of what's happening in the political world," Khan said con dently. "If you give them bits and pieces at a time, it's more effective than a 50-page platform and saying, `Have a read.' It's a way of getting messaging across." An understanding man If there was an underlying theme in our conversation, it was the idea of understanding. For me, it seemed as though Khan understood his surroundings brilliantly. By the way he generated well-thought and articulate answers alone, I was convinced. What that said about his attitude was only later con rmed when he spoke of his joy in meeting the people he hoped to represent. "I love canvassing, I love going door-to-door. I love meeting people. It's my favourite thing to do during a campaign. I love having discussions and it's interesting to see the different perspectives," said Khan. "I think because I'm a lawyer, when I do jury trials and I look at them I need to see if I can tell `Yeah, I'm winning them over' or not; you learn how to read people very, very quickly. I love canvassing, it's a good gauge of what's happening out there." We hear it all the time. A politician's utter dedication to achieving goals for the people. But there was something truthful, raw and intellectual about how Khan spoke about his goals as a Liberal. They weren't far-fetched or unrealistic; they were formed on the basis of a man who truly tried to understand the people who he hoped to lead. Yet on a personal level, his generosity in speaking to me was enough to educate my perspective and stimulate my interest in voting. "Here's the interesting thing, which is very unfortunate. Politicians don't typically canvas an area that is socio-economically oppressed or see Councillor on p.11 NEIL OLIVER Vice ­President and Group Publisher DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Halton Region Editor in Chief Volume 53 | Number 26 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington (905) 845-3824 Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. 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