Matthew Kalkman’s New Liberalism, is not a commentary on the Liberal political party. Instead, it is an expansion upon an idea he says has been prevalent within government and the public.
It’s protecting the freedom of future generations, the Abbotsford man said, through economic and social sustainability.
“When that word is mentioned, people only think of the environment,” Kalkman said, adding that all three sectors need improvement and strategy to provide for the generations to come.
With Canadian election cycles every five years, it can be hard to determine whether the short-term office and the policies put forth will work 10 or 20 years from now.
While attending law school at Durham University, in England, and finding limited information on long-term political ideology, Kalkman realized this was something that needed to be expressed.
“There is this general feeling that there is a shift going on in politics, that we have to make it more sustainable. We feel it but we haven’t had a way to voice it in a coherent way.”
The 23-year-old author released the novel at the Liberal International’s 187 seminar and reception this past October in London, England.
It has since been endorsed by the president of Liberal International, and former Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, and Anne Pearson, the grand-daughter of former prime minister Lester Person.
His theory of “timeless freedom” has been used by Liberal MPBob Rae.
The author, who practices environmental law in Vancouver, believes the best way for political change is through the vote and not public demonstration such as the Occupy movement, even though he agrees that there is a growing inequality within society.
“There is a disconnect between what the politicians are talking about, and what the public cares about.”