TORONTO, ON - MAY 27 - Former Liberal caucus member Jane Philpott waves to supporters on her arrival to announce her independent candidacy for upcoming federal election at Reesor's Farm Market in Markham, Ontario, May 27, 2019. Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star

On the corner of a tree-lined street in downtown Stouffville, the new campaign office of Markham-Stouffville’s current Independent MP and incumbent candidate, Jane Philpott, beckons proudly.

Formerly a bank, complete with a safe, the brightly lit space now features a large group of dedicated volunteers working the phones, making campaign buttons, organizing T-shirts and preparing for an upcoming potluck.

Emerging from her office, Philpott moves around the main room, excitedly interacting and thanking everyone for their time. In tune with the awe of her visitor, Philpott smiles. “This campaign is already such a great and energetic community effort. We have an amazing group of volunteers who pitch in to help with everything from making calls to fixing leaky taps.”

When asked how things have been going since announcing her decision in May to run as an independent candidate, the former Liberal cabinet minister is candid. “Overall is it going really well, although I still feel sad at times about everything that happened. I never expected to be in these particular circumstances but am moving forward with a fantastic team of people supporting me.”

Philpott says that the time between her resignation from cabinet and her removal from caucus was perhaps the most difficult. “During that time there was an extremely angry reaction from partisans, and I felt like people didn’t understand that my motivation for the decision was not to hurt my party, but to protect our justice system from being tampered with.”

Despite questioning whether she should leave politics and return to medicine, Philpott felt doing so would ultimately be wrong. “I decided that I had an obligation to offer myself to my riding and let them choose whether they would like me to continue to represent them. I also felt a real sense of obligation to those individuals, and their daughters, who seemed to draw strength from my willingness to stand up and do something that was a bit of a risk. I couldn’t send the message that when the going gets rough you walk away.”

She is also still driven by her initial reasons for entering politics. “I went into medicine because I wanted to see people become healthier and then started to realize that the things that make people sick or well also include the environment, housing, education and employment. Some of the really basic things that we take for granted are not available to everyone in Canada and the rest of the world. I thought that if I could become a policy-maker, I would be able to make decisions that could better the lives of hundreds of people at a time.”

READ MORE: Wilson-Raybould, Philpott will run as independents in October’s election

If given the opportunity to represent Markham-Stouffville as an independent MP, Philpott would love to continue making positive change using a collaborative approach. “In medicine and health care, people are trained to work together, help each other and share successes. In politics there is theoretically a mutual end goal of strengthening the country, but also this horrible antagonist atmosphere where people spend so much energy trying to make other parties stumble, fail and slow down.”

Questioning how politicians will ever solve the big issues facing Canada if they don’t wish success for members of other parties, Philpott believes that the country will not be able to be its best until all communities and ridings succeed, regardless of who they have selected to represent them.

A recent team brainstorming session resulted in a list of reasons to support an independent MP, including Philpott’s No. 1 pick, the freedom to speak up on behalf of your constituents. “I had already really felt that during those last few months in Ottawa I was able to speak loudly and clearly without a party telling me how to vote. My only responsibility was to my constituents and to vote 100 per cent on what they wanted me to do. It felt like a more democratic option.”

If back in Ottawa this fall, she plans on attempting to sit down with all 337 other MPs, over the four-year election cycle, for a coffee or quick breakfast. “I have done the math and I think it works. It would be such a great opportunity to hear their stories, learn about other ridings, listen to their priorities and offer my help. People will say that this type of idea is naïve, but perhaps it could help to end the polarization that exists with big issues.”

As to why more women are needed in politics, Philpott has many thoughts. “Although women can, of course, hold differing positions on issues, there are gendered perspectives that women bring to the table and they also seem to share the ability to work well together.”

Loving a quote from Elizabeth May’s mother — “You can accomplish anything you want if you don’t care who gets the credit” — she believes that women in general don’t care who gets the credit as long as the work gets done. “We want global warming to stop, to come up with creative new energy solutions and to roll up our sleeves and work together.”

And, according to Philpott, fixing the environment will require a massive comprehensive effort from all parties, all levels of government, civil society and individual Canadians working together. “We have one planet, and for the sake of the children and grandchildren of the next generations we had better smarten up and use what we know will work to stop the obvious climate change that is putting our future at risk.”

Checking back in with Philpott in late August, following the findings of the Ethics Commissioner’s report on the SNC-Lavalin affair, finds a candidate who is reflective but moving full speed ahead.

“Everyone has learned lessons from SNC-Lavalin, and it was a wake-up call. We as Canadians count on a firm division between the branches of government and do not want to live in a country where this crosses over. Whatever their motives are, people cannot interfere with the justice system,” she said.

“I think what took place was very concerning and brings out some incredible facts. We cannot ignore that SNC-Lavalin, who is facing a huge criminal trial, was influencing the Prime Minister’s Office, who was writing laws to help their corporate friends.”

READ MORE: Jody Wilson-Raybould, Jane Philpott removed from Liberal caucus

Excited to put up signs and posters of black, white and gold, Philpott is also proud of her campaign’s tag line, Colour Outside the Party Lines. “To me it says, let’s be creative, think differently and work together across all party lines.”

Feeling cautiously optimistic, she is looking forward to the intensity of the campaign and knocking on thousands of doors with her team within the riding. “Going door to door is a super fun thing to do and the opportunity to have so many incredible conversations.”

She says one of the best things about her riding is its incredible diversity. “We have dense urban populations closer to the city of Toronto, and then amazing farmlands and farmers. There are families who have lived here for hundreds of years and then newly arrived immigrants hoping to become new Canadians. People look out for each other and it’s a place that they like to call home.”

So far, the campaign has received great responses from the community. “I think people are really open to thinking about a different model and the idea of Independent MPs who are not beholden to a party or leader. It is my hope that a vote for me is one of optimism, believing that politics could be better. The beauty of being an Independent MP is that you can work with anyone and seek the best for everyone.”