GBOS Greens

First Monthly Meeting of 2012

2012-01-17T13:08:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year 2012 to all Greens!
Please be advised that our first Green Monthly meeting will be held on Thursday January 19, 2012 at 7:00 pm at our office in Owen Sound.

As always, parking is available at the 3rd Avenue parking lot behind the office and the office door is well signed.

Hope to see you there!

Programming Meeting

2011-11-16T22:24:00.003-05:00

Green Party Members,
You are invited to attend a Programming discussion. This meeting is being held at our Owen Sound main office starting at 7:00 pm on the 23th November 2011. Our Green office is located at 237-10th St E, Owen Sound, N4K 1S4. As always, there is plenty of parking available off 3rd Avenue in the municipal parking lot - the back entrance to the office is well signed!

The purpose of programming is not only to engage our current membership but to inform the general public about Green Values, who we are and what we stand for. This discussion is the preliminary meeting about how we as the local Greens, provide informative and timely information about topics of importance to the membership and potential membership.

The Programming discussion may include the following topics: Special Events ideas and their planning, Green Learning Days, Movie Nights, Political Activism and other forms of community participation.

Anyone who is a member is welcome to attend. Any suggestions not listed above can be emailed to lynnmorgan@wightman.ca

Hope to see you there!

Monthly Meeting for November 2011

2011-11-15T08:32:00.004-05:00

It's that time again! Time for our monthly meeting. Our meeting is being held at our Owen Sound main office starting at 7:00 pm on the 16th November 2011. Our Green Party Office in Owen Sound is located at 237-10th St E, Owen Sound, N4K 1S4. As always, there is plenty of parking available off 3rd Avenue in the municipal parking lot - the back entrance to the office is well signed! Everyone is welcome.

See you there! :)

Upcoming Meetings

2011-11-09T21:43:00.002-05:00

Green Party Members,
Please take note of our next upcoming meetings.

The first of these meetings is our regular monthly meeting at our Green Party Office in Owen Sound. Our meeting starts at 7:00 pm. The Green office is located at 237-10th St E, Owen Sound, N4K 1S4. Plenty of parking is available off 3rd Avenue in the municipal parking lot - the back entrance to the office is well signed! Hope to see you there.

The second meeting is scheduled near to the end of November.(Please watch for confirmaton of the date.) We are trying to get a date that accommodates the most people. The meeting will be on 'Programming.' Previously, programming meant "how do we keep people involved & participating in our local Green efforts and how do we keep ourselves informed about being Green? How do we have timely discussions on current Green topics? What events or speakers could provide us with information? What kind of programming do we need? How often? Where? etc." There are many other potential areas that could be covered in this discussion. This meeting is open to any member to attend and will be held at the Green Party office in Owen Sound.(See the address above.) The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm.

If you are interested in attending and want to ensure that you are aware of the date, please send me an email. lynnmorgan@wightman.ca
Thanks - hope to hear from you!

Monthly Meeting for October 2011

2011-10-18T12:56:00.004-04:00

Hello Greens!
We have scheduled our monthly meeting at the Green Party Office in Owen Sound for 27th October, 2011.

Please plan to attend and hear the review of the Provincial Election, our report from our candidate Don Marshall and views on how we can move forward.

Our meeting starts at 7:00 pm. The Owen Sound Greens office is located at 237-10th St E, Owen Sound, N4K 1S4. Plenty of parking is available off 3rd Avenue in the municipal parking lot - the back entrance to the office is well signed!

Hope to see you there!

Postponement of Monthly Meeting

2011-09-20T13:55:00.004-04:00

Green Members and Green Supporters,
Attention Please!!!
Due to election commitments and other scheduling circumstances, Bruce Grey Owen Sound Greens have postponed our monthly meeting scheduled to take place at the Owen Sound office Tuesday 20 September 2011.

As soon as the new date becomes available, we will have it posted for your information. Feel free to call our office 519-416-2100 and leave a message if you want to be contacted with the new meeting date.

Thank you for your patience!
Lynn Morgan
GPC Co-President

Owen Sound Campaign Office Official Opening

2011-09-06T22:23:00.004-04:00

Hello to Everyone,
Come and join us to celebrate with the Owen Sound Green Party of Ontario - Don Marshall Campaign Office in Owen Sound opening on Thursday September 8, 2011 and leader visit.

Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario will be speaking at 6:00 pm followed by a question and answer period.

Come out and meet and mingle with Don Marshall, ask questions and voice your concerns for our area.

The Owen Sound Greens office is located at 237-10th St E, Owen Sound, N4K 1S4. Plenty of parking is available off 3rd Avenue in the municipal parking lot.

Everyone is welcome!

Minutes have been posted!

2011-08-25T21:17:00.005-04:00

Just a note to let everyone know that the Minutes of the 16 August 2011 monthly meeting have been posted to the bulletin board. You need to be a member of the board to login.

Read and enjoy!

Monthly Meeting

2011-08-15T10:32:00.003-04:00

Welcome to All!
Green Monthly meeting to be held Tuesday 16 August at 7:00 pm at Bruce-Grey Owen Sound Riding Association office 237-10th Street East, Owen Sound, ON. Come out and share your concerns and thoughts about the upcoming Provincial election. Come and meet Don Marshall our Green candidate.

Parking is available in the municipal parking lot off 3rd Avenue East.

Come join us and learn how you can get involved!

Green Shirt Alert - Don Marshall at Keady Market

2011-07-29T09:04:00.004-04:00

Hello Grey-Bruce Voters!

Don Marshall, our Green Candidate for the Provincial Election, will be at Keady Market this Tuesday 2 August 2011. Look for the bright green shirt!

If you have a Don Marshall green shirt, be sure to wear it and show your support for Don and the Greens!

If you don't have a green shirt but would like one, there will be shirts available to purchase.

Come out and speak to Don - get to know your Green Candidate - the best option for our Provincial Parliament!
See you there!

Notice of Meeting 11-July-2011

2011-07-06T12:25:00.009-04:00

Hello to Everyone!
We would like to invite you to attend our monthly meeting being held on 11 July 2011 at the Owen Sound Riding Office. The office is located at 237-10th St E, Owen Sound, N4K 1S4.

The office, for those who haven't been there before, is located between Nancy Lee Clothing and the Golden Sand Restaurant on 10th Street in Owen Sound. The best and most accessible parking is to be had off 3rd Avenue East just south of 10th Street in the municipal parking lot located to the rear of the building. The entrance to the lot is across from Shorty's Restaurant. Go to the back of the parking lot, park and walk a short distance - you'll see the back entrance of the office with the Green Party sign beside the door.

The meeting starts promptly at 7:00 pm.
Come and meet the new Green Party of Ontario Candidate for our riding Don Marshall!
Hope to see you there!
Thanks
Lynn Morgan
Co-CEO Green Party of Canada

June 2011 Green Party of Canada AGM Invitation

2011-06-14T14:22:00.010-04:00

June 2011 Green Party of Canada AGM Invitation

Hello members of the Bruce-Grey Owen Sound Green Party of Canada:
This is your invitation to our local GPC Annual General Meeting, Tuesday June
21st at the Harrison Park Community Centre at 7:00 p.m.
Our AGM gives us a chance to elect a Green Party Executive for 2011/12, to hear an excellent guest speaker and to touch base with fellow Green Party members from all over Bruce Grey.
As a member we hope you will make every effort to attend the AGM. Only current members of the Green Party of Canada may vote and a quorum of 10% of our membership is necessary for decisions to be binding. Please invite friends who are interested in Green ideas or are
considering becoming members of the Green Party. We always need new ideas and new energy.
We also hope you will consider putting your name forward for an Executive position. See the enclosed constitution for a list of the Executive positions. Please contact Leigh Greaves or Bob
Watson to put your name forward before June 18, 2011 to ensure that your name is on the ballot.
Nominations from the floor will only be accepted for positions that are vacant at that time, and voting shall be by a show of hands.

Our guest speaker at the AGM will be Don Marshall, who was recently nominated as our Green Party of Ontario candidate for the upcoming Provincial Election. This will be an excellent opportunity to hear Don speak about the issues that matter to him, and how he plans to become the first Green Party candidate elected to the Ontario Legislature.
The Agenda is as follows:
1. Call to order and Welcome at 7:00 p.m.
2. Guest Speaker, Don Marshall
3. Report from the co-CEOs, Leigh Greaves & Randy Dryburgh
4. Report from Chief Financial Officer, Richard Askwith
5. Presentation of the Slate of Officers for 2011/2012 and a call for nominations
6. Voting for the Executive

7. Discussion re GPC membership development, public events, etc.
8. Adjournment approx. 8:30 p.m.
We look for to seeing you at the AGM on Tuesday, June 21 in lovely Harrison Park. Refreshments will be provided.

Sincerely,

Leigh Greaves
leighgreaves@earthlink.net - Female CEO
Bob Watson
bobwatson10@sympatico.ca - Membership Chair

*Due to the threat of a postal strike, this email message will replace the regular mailed notice required by our constitution. Members without email will be contacted via telephone.

Constitution of the GPC
Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound EDA

Part 1 Name, purpose and membership
1.1 The name of the association shall be the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound
Federal Green Party Association herein after called the Electoral District Association or the EDA.
1.2 The Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound EDA is a subsection of the Green Party of Canada (the GPC), and is bound by the constitution and bylaws of the Party.
1.3 The purpose of the EDA is
to:
1.3.1 Support and promote the principles, objectives and policies of the Party and maintain an
effective EDA for that purpose.
1.3.2 Provide organizational and financial support to the Party candidate for the ED.
1.3.3 Raise money to support the fundamental purposes of the Party and the purposes and activities of the EDA;
1.4 The EDA is formed pursuant to the provisions of the Canada Elections Act. The boundaries of the EDA are the boundaries of the Electoral District of Bruce-Grey-Owen
Sound, as those boundaries are set from time to time by the Government of Canada.
1.5 All members in good standing of the Party residing within the boundaries of the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Electoral District are members of the EDA. Only members of the EDA are entitled
to vote at meetings of the EDA.
1.6 Unless it dissolves, the EDA will continue as long as the Electoral District exists with the
boundaries as set by Elections Canada. The EDA may not change its name or merge or join with
any other federal political party.
Part 2 Procedures for conducting business

2.1 The EDA shall hold an annual general meeting (AGM) once per calendar year or no later than fifteen (15) months following the previous AGM.
2.2 The Executive shall provide notice of the AGM to the membership by regular mail, postmarked no later than 14 days prior to meeting.

2.3 The business of the AGM shall include the election of the Executive of the EDA. The Executive shall be the governing body of the EDA between general meetings.

2.4 A quorum at general meetings shall be the lesser of ten (10) percent of the membership or twenty-five members.

2.5 Motions shall be passed with a simple majority of those entitled to vote at the time the motion is proposed.
2.6 Members of the EDA may only vote at a general meeting so long as they have been in good standing for 30 days immediately prior to that meeting.
2.7 Proxy voting is not permitted.
Part 3 The structure and responsibilities of the Executive

3.1 The Executive of the EDA shall comprise:

3.1.1 Two (2) Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)

3.1.2 Financial Agent (FA)
3.1.3 The Executive shall also endeavour to include the following:

3.1.3.1 Two (2) Recording Chairs

3.1.3.2 Two (2) Membership Chairs

3.1.3.3 Two (2) Fundraising Chairs
3.1.3.4 Two (2) Organizing Chairs
3.1.3.5 Two (2) Communications Chairs

3.1.3.6 Two (2) Young Greens Chairs
3.1.3.7 Area co-ordinators, to a maximum of six (geographic representation)

3.1.4 Member of Parliament or candidate nominated to represent the GPC in this Electoral District in an upcoming election.

3.2 The positions of Chief Executive Officers, Recording Chairs, Membership Chairs,
Fundraising Chairs, Organizing chairs, Young Greens Chairs and Communications
Chairs are to be filled by a man and a woman.

3.3 In the event of a vacancy on the Executive, the Executive may appoint a replacement who shall hold office until the position can be filled by election at the AGM of the EDA.

3.4 The quorum for all Executive meetings shall be more than forty (40) percent of members of the Executive at the time the meeting is called to order.
3.5 The Executive will appoint an auditor as per the requirements of Elections Canada.
3.5.1 The accounts of the EDA shall be audited as required by the Elections Act.
3.6 The Executive, on the approval of two-thirds (2/3) of those present and voting, may remove an Executive member who has missed four (4) consecutive regularly scheduled meetings of the
Executive without reasonable explanation; or whose conduct is judged detrimental to the objectives of the EDA. The removal may only occur at a meeting called for that purpose.

Part 4 Procedure for selecting a candidate

4.1 The EDA Executive shall arrange for the selection of a Candidate in accordance with the rules and guidelines as provided by the Green Party of Canada.

Part 5 Amendments to this Constitution

5.1 Notice of amendments to the constitution shall be included in the notice of a general meeting at which the amendments shall be considered.
5.2 Amendments shall be adopted by a majority of the votes cast at a general meeting.

Congratulations to our two E's........... ....Emma and Elizabeth!

2011-05-04T01:33:00.016-04:00

Congratulations are in order both locally, as well as nationally, as we enjoy the celebrations of all Greens across Canada.

Today, the day after 02 May 2011, we need to congratulate and thank Emma Hogbin, the candidate for the Bruce-Grey Owen Sound Greens, and her whole campaign team including all the volunteers, for their tireless work in representing the voice of the Greens in our area. For her first election campaign ever, Emma garnered 9.98% of the vote - no easy feat. I think that deserves our extended applause!

As Greens nationally celebrate the victory that is Elizabeth May, and her history making election as the first Canadian Green Member of Federal Parliament, we can rest assured that the future of federal politics in this country is about to change forever. Greens, facing almost zero media publicity nationally, struggling with the archaic first-past-the-post voting system, and adding being excluded from the National Debates, 'we' were not suppressed! The voice of the Greens across this nation will be represented finally; no longer excluded, no longer relying on 'sub-media' or solely on social media to discuss those things that are important to the lives of Canadians.

I'm quite sure that having the Conservatives win another term is certainly not what any of us expected, or wanted... I haven't quite come to grips with how the Conservatives have managed to create what I believed was an impossibility in today's political landscape - a majority government. I believe we have to remain optimistic at times like these... although admittedly it is difficult.

The NDP having formed the official opposition is a first for their party. It could be suggested that this sudden swing is representative of the fact that Canadians DO desire change. If the NDP 'can do it', then so can the Greens, especially once Canadians learn that we have so much more to offer.

The first ever collapse of the Liberal Party suggests to me two things... on one hand, it appears that voters didn't connect with Mr. Ignatieff. Second, I believe we are seeing the results of the powerful 'use of media' to sway the vote. We must never underestimate the force of media manipulation in the 'personality contest' (read smear campaigns) conducted at a federal level. I am not a proponent of negative media campaigns, I'm just saying these are incredibly powerful tactics that can be used both for the positive and for the negative. Combine the media assault with the short term voter memory (in some cases read 'general obliviousness') and the very masterful disregard of the multitude of major issues Canadians face (and global citizens) by the 'big two' as we move forward in this century and... we get...what we got...and never wanted. Now we must begin to strategize on how we can deal with this.

The real issues were being discussed by Greens everywhere, but without the media advantage, those voices were struggling to be heard above the din. Having elected to use Elizabeth May's voice inside parliament was the Green Party's 'FIRST' in this election. We have only a single voice, but it is our most powerful and influential voice. I am confident that is just the beginning of 'MANY' positive parliamentary firsts for our party.

Elizabeth May has opened the door. She is our Leader and she will truly lead the way into our future. Greens can now be both seen and heard. We had already established that Greens are here to stay and now we have achieved a level of credibility with the election of a sitting member of Parliament. Not quite 'mainstream', but no longer 'to be dismissed.' Look at this way Greens, we have increased our representation in national parliament by 100% all in one day!! We have a lot of building to do so that in our next election, we can increase our representation by 1000% or more!

I am so proud of our Green values and vision. I am celebrating our success both locally and nationally...we are 'on the map' my friends...this is a day that has gone down in history...how many more historic days can we create by working together?

- Lynn Morgan...Green as a new Canadian Maple Leaf :)

Greens Tap in to Desire for Positive Change

2011-05-03T18:47:00.004-04:00

Canadians made history yesterday by electing Green Party leader Elizabeth May as our first Green MP. Voters in Saanich-Gulf Islands have opened a new chapter in Canadian politics. Electing Greens is not only possible, it is doable.

Elizabeth will be a strong voice for a sustainable future and bring a breath of fresh air and decorum to the House of Commons. She tapped into a strong desire for positive change, a new way of doing politics.

With this seat, the Green Party will never be excluded again. We are a permanent part of Canada's democracy. Exclusion from the leaders' debate meant that 4.3 million voters who watched the debate did not have an opportunity to see what voters in Saanich-Gulf Islands did: a bold Green vision with practical policies to improve our great country. Canadians deserve better at all levels of government, and we have another opportunity for change in the provincial election this fall in Ontario.

Ontario Greens are eager to build on this historic moment. There is clearly a strong desire for a fresh, new approach to politics. Ontarians want more local democracy and fewer political insiders. The old parties have had their chance. It’s time to move beyond the cynicism and hyper-partisanship. It's time to embrace a positive, sustainable future.

Elizabeth has taken the first step. Ontario Greens are ready to take the next. It's time!

Mike Schreiner Leader, Green Party of Ontario

Emma 'Opens Up'

2011-04-28T09:41:00.000-04:00

Note: this speech was given as part of the Elizabeth May virtual visit to the riding during the campaign. Speeches that aren't an All Candidates intro often get a working title. This one is "Open Up."

On Saturday I went down to Durham for a meet and greet and had the most interesting conversation.

Let me give you a little bit of background first. I'm a professional nerd. I teach people how to make Web sites. I write books about it, and I've contributed code to the software that the White House uses for their Web site. I love data. I got a Kindle for Christmas and spent an embarrassing amount of time downloading free samples so that I could sort them into categories. (I swear it wasn't intentional. It just sort of happened.) On the Internet I am “highly available.” You can see my schedule through my campaign Web site. When you interact with my Twitter account, you're interacting with me. I'm a member of the CivicAccess mailing list and I get passionately excited about open and accessible government data.

So on Saturday in Durham, you can imagine my delight when someone brought up the question about how we can engage citizens between elections. How we can make parliament more accessible. How we can make our MP s more accountable and how we can really make a difference in Ottawa.

Right before the writ was dropped I registered the domain name Bruce Grey Owen Sound.ca. Between elections I don't think the Member of Parliament should use a vanity domain name. On May 2nd you might be voting for Emma Hogbin—whose Web site is emmahogbin.ca, but between elections it doesn't matter who you voted for. It matters that we can all work together to figure out what's best for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. In my crazy vision of how participatory democracy could work, we'd have regular reports from Ottawa explaining the legislation that was being worked on in the house and including the pros and cons of the legislation. We'd have our own Wiki space where people—not just politicians and pundits—could put into their own words what it would mean to them to have this legislation or these regulations. The Web site would need a commitment from you to participate though. The technology part is easy—it's the commitment that's hard. Over and over again I've worked on projects that had an “If you build it they will come” attitude. It doesn't work that way online. Online, “where there is community, friends will invite neighbours to participate.”

So that's an information piece where you can find out more about what's happening. You can help to shape the opinion for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound. Maybe we'd see multiple edits like they do on Wikipedia where the “no” camp edits the page one way and then the “yes” camp reverts the edits and we have a back and forth to the point where each gets its own page to be able to fully flesh out the ideas. We have collaboration. We have conversation. We have communication. We have a coalescence of ideas. We form a coalition and together we figure out what message gets sent to Ottawa.

Each time a Member of Parliament stands up in the House to vote they have one of two options: “yay” or “nay.” The Green Party of Canada has a different kind of voting system for policy development. It's not just “yes” or “no” there's also “I need more information to make a decision” and “I like the concept, but the wording needs to be fixed.” It's called the Bonser Method. Now imagine if we could do this between elections. Let's create a pact right now to scrap the photos of oversized cheques and ribbon cuttings, and let's use that space in the monthly newsletter to talk about what matters.

We don't have to use the Internet. We could use regular ol' telephones to have meetings so that you don't have to drive to Tobermory or Dundalk to take part...and you don't need to have a high speed internet connection either. Imagine if I called you once a month, or maybe on important pieces of legislation to ask for your opinion. Imagine how much more exciting and relevant politics would be.

But you'd have to promise to be committed with me. The technology part is trivial compared to the commitment it would make to have truly participatory democracy. When you elect this Green on May 2nd don't think I'm going to let you off easy. I want your voice to be heard in Ottawa and I need your help to make the right decisions. There won't be a party whip in Ottawa—you'll be the whip.

I, more or less, agree with what's described in Vision Green. Some of it is a little bit too urban to help us out here, and some of the ideas could use a little more meat. I mean, it's only 120-odd pages. You can't describe completely how to run a country in that short of a document. Every now and then I come across an issue that makes absolute sense to me, and then with a few well placed comments, I change my mind. Participatory democracy is about us having that conversation. It's about you sitting down beside me to show me how you see the world. It's about neighbours stepping out of their house and being proud, not afraid, to see a rainbow of lawn signs at election time. Without conversation and disagreement we get stymied into thinking that only one way is possible. We need to talk to our neighbours.

On a number of occasions during this campaign I've had a voter get spitting mad about something a leader has done and apply that anger to their neighbours because of a lawn sign. It's a shift in language. It usually starts with “Harper” and ends with some application onto our riding. Right now Larry Miller is hovering around 50% of the vote. For all the attack ads that have happened nationally, for all of the anger that I've seen on the left of the political spectrum, I'm not surprised to see people rise up to defend themselves. If shoved that hard into a corner, I bet I'd shove back.

When you spend your time throwing out punches, you get punches back. We need to stop punching. The Green Party of Canada is the only party to launch an attack ad on attack ads. I am desperately proud of our leader, Elizabeth May. She has been classy and respectful. She is a wonderful inspiration and she is the reason I can confidently say to someone who's been drawn into the attack ads, “Stop. These are your neighbours you're talking about. Have you talked to them, or have you simply made a judgement because of the colour of their lawn sign.” After the election, when the signs come down, we go back to being non-partisan neighbours.

So many times I've heard from conservative voters that they're a Progressive Conservative. Many “blue” voters don't feel represented by the leader of the party, but what options have we given them? I don't see how anyone could watch an attack ad and then be delighted about changing their vote because someone said mean things about their leader. The Green Party is the true conservative party. “Conservative” in the sense of conservation. In terms of strong communities, smart economies and true democracy. Together we need to step out of our houses and have conversations with our neighbours. We need to be brave, and we need to be the first to listen. I bet you'll find, as I have, that not all conservative voters feel represented...and that they are looking for a party who wants to see our community strengthened.

So how do the Greens strengthen our community? We get to the root of the problem. We cut wasteful subsidies. We stop throwing your tax dollars at corporate bail-outs for big business. We stop subsidizing fossil fuels. We get the prices right for long-term sustainability. We build a “Made in Canada” Green economy. We start putting real prices in imported foods. We fix our devastatingly broken food system. We pay farmers. We stop importing maple syrup. We expand access to employment insurance for those who paid into it. We protect pensions of retired Canadians. We reduce EI and CPP contributions. We create a sustainable forest industry with more emphasis on value added and less raw logs. We make more jobs for more people making real things. We support our scientists. We support our inventors. We support the future.

We improve the quality of life for all Canadians. We create decent housing, strong schools, a public health care system which strives you keep you healthy and out of hospitals. We reduce the burden on the medical care system by making Canadians healthier through access to local food, bike paths, playgrounds. We make food, not lawns. We make poverty history.

We fix the tax system. We lower income taxes, introduce full income splitting. We make sure child care is accessible. We help local governments repair its decades-old crumbling infrastructure. We support municipalities through transfer payments for water works and sewage. We provide funding for high speed internet infrastructure. We ensure all Canadians can live with dignity through a Guaranteed Annual Income. We build for the future.

We make your voice heard. We increase access to information. We become a transparent government who is proud of our actions. We participate in our democracy.

These aren't election promises. This is what Canadians need. Your Green vote on May 2nd confirms you too want Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound to thrive and that you're ready to help Canada's first Green MP make the right decisions for a prosperous future.

Emma Hogbin, April 25th 2011

A Reminder

2011-04-22T08:12:00.000-04:00

Advanced Polls are open today April 22nd, tomorrow April 23rd and Monday April 25th.

Advanced polling stations are open from Noon to 8pm, see your voters card for locations.

You may also vote by 'special ballot' at the local Elections Canada Office until 6pm on the 26th April, where you can also correct your voter information and / or address.

They are located at:-
Elections Canada
810 10th Street West
Owen Sound, Ontario
N4K 3S1

Elections Canada
137 Garafraxa Street North
Durham, Ontario
N0G 1R0

Elections Canada
306 Berford Street South, Suite 2
Wiarton, Ontario
N0H 2T0

They are open Monday to Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sunday: 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

On election day Monday May 2nd the polls are open from 9am to 9.30pm, see you voters card for the location of your poll, or go to http://www.elections.ca/ for more information.

The Green Candidate for Bruce – Grey – Owen Sound is Emma Hogbin, you can find more information or contact the campaign office by going to http://emmahogbin.com/
Campaign Headquarters are located at 937 2nd Ave East in Owen Sound (in the old Looney Tooney store) which located mid block between 9th St W and 10th St W.

The detailed Green Party Platform is available for download at http://greenparty.ca/platform2011

Greens will protect Internet access

2011-04-11T09:54:00.000-04:00

The Green Party is the first political party to support a bold new OpenMedia.ca public engagement initiative. OpenMedia is inviting Canadians to bring political attention to the online communications crisis in Canada that has been largely ignored during the election campaign. The organization is asking political candidates to pledge their support for the Internet.

"The Greens are proud to be the first party to announce support for OpenMedia's proposition," said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. "The internet is critical for modern day citizen engagement and an integral part of our economic competitiveness. The Greens pledge to adhere to OpenMedia's Stop the Meter campaign on Internet access. We are committed to enhancing broadband access, competition, transparency and choice."

A decade of neglecting the Internet regulatory issue is stifling Canada's economy, global competitiveness, free expression and Canadians' personal budgets.

"A vote for the Greens is also a vote in support of open and democratic Internet access in Canada" said Emma Jane Hogbin, the Green Party Science and Technology critic. "Vote Green – vote for the internet."

Visit http://openmedia.ca/ to learn more about the initiative.

Democracy Denied

2011-04-05T19:21:00.000-04:00

The Federal Court of Appeal today rejected the Green Party’s application to have its case heard prior to the national leaders’ debates. The Greens argue that excluding leader Elizabeth May from the televised leaders debates in the election is contrary to the Charter.

“It is deeply disturbing for democracy that the consortium argued that the other leaders might not participate in a debate if I am included, and raised the spectre that there would be no debate at all if the Green Party was there,” said leader Elizabeth May. “The arguments from the consortium hinged on their convenience, the difficulty of changing a format, and failed to address questions of fundamental importance to democracy.

“The reasons for this ruling will not even be released until Monday and the debates begin Tuesday night. But it seems the judge was unwilling to accept that the timing of the Green Party’s application was not within our control. Up until March 29, we believed we would be included.

“When the Green Party learned the consortium would exclude us, we made every effort to get before the courts in a timely fashion, given that there was no case to be heard prior to the consortium’s decision on March 29 and their choice to hold the debate April 12, essentially depriving the Green Party of access to the courts.

“We continue to plead with the consortium to reverse its wrongheaded decision and we thank Canadians for their overwhelming support and urge them to continue to express their disapproval to the consortium,” said Ms. May.

“Now that the consortium’s lawyer has alleged that the leaders of the other parties may not be prepared to participate if the Green Party is included, we are contacting the leaders of the parties included in the debates to seek the truth,” said Lois Corbett, Campaign Manager for the Green Party. “And for any leader that does believe the wishes of a majority of Canadians should be respected in this matter, they should not participate in the debates if Elizabeth May is not included.”

http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2011-04-05/democracy-denied

Elizabth May Excluded from Debate

2011-03-31T09:57:00.000-04:00

Today, on Power Play with Don Martin, I began, “déjà vu all over again.”
Haven’t we been here before? Didn’t the issue get resolved?
Why did the Consortium say I could not be included in 2008? Because, they claimed 3 of 4 leaders said they would not participate if I were included. That was the only reason. So when Jack Layton and Stephen Harper relented I was included.
This time they have a new reason. Invitations only go to parties with MPs in the House. They are making this up as they go along. The debate decision-making is an unregulated, ad hoc process that makes decisions without benefit of rules or criteria. The decision makers are the so-called Broadcast Consortium, as the news directors from CBC, CTV, Global, TVA and Radio Canada style themselves when making all the decisions about the leaders' debate.
How can a group of five television executives decide to exclude a party running in 308 ridings when they include a party that only runs candidates in Quebec? How can debates, a critical part of the democratic process, operate in such a high-handed and arbitrary fashion? How can a party with the support of one in ten Canadians be excluded? And most fundamentally, how can TV executives tell Canadians that a vote for Green candidates is not a viable vote? That is in fact what they are doing. Far from facilitating a full and fair discussion in a democracy, they are interfering in democracy by dictating what votes are worth casting. What other interpretation can there be when the news media tells the public what leaders have a right to be heard?
Yet, we were the only party in 2008 to receive more votes than in 2006. We had nearly one million votes. We are the only party likely to raise important issues, consistently ignored by others. We are the only party committed to “high road” politics, to rejecting the politics of negativity, the attack ads and the smears.
Canadians are fair minded. Over 70% in poll after poll have argued that the Greens should be included. This is not because 70% of Canadians plan to vote Green, but because Canadians recognize that democracy is healthier when all voices are heard. Right now, 83% of those who have gone on line on the CBC poll support the Greens being in the debates.
Canadians know when something is unfair and wrong. This decision will be pilloried by Canadians from coast to coast because it offends our basic sense of decency and fair play.
Please help us turn up the pressure.

Sign the Petition at demanddemocraticdebates.ca (which is endorsed by the Green Party of Canada).

Send emails to:
CTV - Wendy Freeman President of News wendy.freeman@ctv.ca
CTV - News Managing Editor Dennis McIntosh Dennis.McIntosh@ctv.ca
CBC Jennifer McGuire General manager and Chief of News Jennifer.McGuire@cbc.ca
Global - Troy Reeb troy.reeb@shawmedia.ca
TVA - Serge Fortin rédacteur en chef, au service de l'information de TVA Serge.Fortin@tva.ca

Send this text message, “We Want Democracy” to the Chair of the Consortium, Mr. Troy Reeb of Global TV, at 647-261-3752
Thank you!
Elizabeth May

Finding Common Ground - High-speed Rail

2011-03-29T12:23:00.000-04:00

The Green Party of Canada has released its second policy proposal in its challenge to all parties to go positive and find common ground in an effort to keep voters engaged.

“We are calling on all parties to agree that Canada will benefit environmentally, socially and economically from investing in high-speed rail on major corridors across the country. Fewer voters will stay at home on election day because they feel disgusted with the whole political process if we can show them some cooperation between parties,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.

The Green Party is proposing a national project to establish separate high-speed rail lines on the Windsor-Quebec and Calgary-Edmonton corridors, as well on the Halifax-Sydney and Regina-Saskatoon routes. These lines will as much as halve the travel time between major centres. With downtown-to-downtown service and no airport security delays, it will make taking the train faster and easier than flying.

“For example, high speed rail would cut travel time between Calgary and Edmonton by as much as fifty minutes compared to driving – to a busy family trying to fit everything into the day, fifty minutes is a lot,” said May. “Not only would the development of high speed rail infrastructure create jobs, but with the average Albertan spending 13% of their total household budget on transportation, it would provide commuters significant savings.”

According to Calgary-Edmonton High Speed Rail Pre-Feasibility Study, the average number of vehicles per family is 1.66 and the average distance traveled is 18,900 km per year, with an average vehicle operating cost of 25 cents per km. Given these costs, a high speed rail line could save a family up to $4000 per year.

“I believe we can all agree the benefits of high speed rail links would be significant for both regional and national economies,” said May. “Building the necessary infrastructure will create jobs. Separating freight from passenger rail traffic will allow both to move faster and cheaper, enhancing Canada’s economic competitiveness. And better rail service will take cars off the roads and reduce air travel between major cities, reducing our national greenhouse gas emissions and congestion on our highways.”

“High speed rail on major corridors in Canada. I think it’s an idea where all parties can find common ground and agree,” said May.

The statement is on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ckm-otj7UU

http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2011-03-29/green-party-calls-common-ground-high-speed-rail

Historic Election

2011-03-27T08:35:00.001-04:00

"Let us be your voice for better. Let us replace fear and division with hope and compassion. Replace Contempt with Respect. Replace Divisiveness with Cooperation. Replace self-interest with the spirit of service toward the Common Good. Join with us. Send a message."

There are a number of ways in which this election is historic.
It is the fourth election in seven years, but that doesn’t break a record (there were elections in 1962, 1963, 1965 and 1968). It certainly is historic to see a government defeated for a confidence vote due to findings of being in contempt of Parliament. That has elements of Nixon’s loss of power due to likely impeachment, but the Prime Minister, far from feeling shame at being found in contempt, acts as though he is blameless and surrounded by conspirators. (Maybe he does share some traits with the former US President).

The real potential for this election to make history is in seeing the election of Green MPs to the House of Commons.

The strong probability is that this election will end in another minority. If Canadian media and political culture paid attention to the meaning of an election in which no party had a clear majority of seats, we would be talking about a “hung Parliament” already. That is how the media in the UK and Australia described their 2010 electoral results. If Canadian media had been covering the Australian election, it would have named Liberal/National Coalition leader Tony Abbott the PM, even though the Parliamentary system resulted in Julia Gillard and Labour forming government thanks to the support of the Greens and a few independents.
Likely in any event is that neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives can get a majority. The fact that Mr. Harper has burned bridges to Quebec is a nearly insurmountable obstacle to the idea of a majority. Thank goodness.
So what will change? Greens in the House.

In my own riding, I am in a close two-way race. It won’t be easy, but I can win in Saanich Gulf Islands. We plan a very sophisticated campaign across Canada. We are running a full slate and all the ridings matter. Every vote counts. Every vote sends a message to the political class in Ottawa. To the cynical and the Machiavellian, every Green vote sends a message in defence of responsible government.

Apparently the end of my speech this morning was not heard due to political commentary, but here’s what I think I said from my scribbled notes:
“Let us be your voice for better. Let us replace fear and division with hope and compassion. Replace Contempt with Respect. Replace Divisiveness with Cooperation. Replace self-interest with the spirit of service toward the Common Good. Join with us. Send a message.”
Let’s make history!
Elizabeth May, 26 March 2011

http://greenparty.ca/blogs/7/2011-03-26/make-history

Destroying Democracy

2011-03-10T10:02:00.001-05:00

Wow! I've been absolutely thrilled by the overwhelming positive response to the Green Party’s attack on attack ads. Change the Channel on Attack Ads campaign went viral when it was launched on Monday. Over 36,000 views on YouTube at time of writing, and yesterday it was even listed under “Most Popular” on YouTube’s home page. In an online CBC poll, 88% of respondents said they dislike attack ads. A friend of mine said that it felt like a rare moment of victory in the “otherwise grim political mess” within which we are mired.

On Monday I promised a longer post on attack ads, and here it is. Consider this piece a response to the lame column penned by Jeffrey Simpson in today’s Globe, where he utterly misses the point. Although he acknowledges “the Greens are right in theory”, he takes the defeatist stance that attack ads are here to stay. Well, this is why should go.

The truth of the matter is that attack ads contribute nothing to the national political discourse. Neither do they play a meaningful role in election day deliberations, and voters most certainly do not need political attack ads to help them make sophisticated, informed decisions at the ballot box.

The effect of these ads is decidedly detrimental. There’s no question, of course, that attack ads work – otherwise, politicians wouldn’t bother with them. It’s how they work that is the problem. Political attack ads chip away at in the essential underpinnings of any functional democracy – citizen engagement and participation. They don’t simply provide voters with helpful information upon which they can assess their political options – attack ads encourage voters not to vote at all, and trivialize political discourse.

But how does driving down voter turn out help a political party? Look again to the last election – the nastiest ads were run by the Harper Conservatives. The function of these ads was not to encourage voters to support the party that ran them. Rather, the point was to discourage voters from casting a ballot in the first place. An Angus Reid poll found that Conservative “roll-the-dice ads” on then-Liberal leader Stéphane Dion and his green tax shift plan may have persuaded 11% of Canadians not to vote at all. Even though some of those who stayed home were Conservative voters, the ads still delivered electoral advantage to the Conservatives, because about half a million more Liberal voters than Conservative voters didn’t bother to vote.

US researchers have linked exposure to negative ads with lower turnout in both local and national elections. This trend has appeared in Canada, too. Attack ads first became prominent in Canada in the 1993 federal election, when voter turn out was 72%. Only 15 years later, we see that voter turn out has plummeted to a record (and disturbing) low a mere 58% of eligible voters bothered to exercise their democratic right to vote in the October 2008 federal election.

And recently, the use of poisonous attack ads has ceased to be confined to the writ period. The Harper Conservatives have perfected the art of going negative between elections. Without election-time spending caps in play, the sky is the limit. They have also pioneered the use of personal attack ads against their (mostly) Liberal opponents, as a pre-writ, offensive move – an attempt to shape public opinion not simply on issues, but on personalities. Whatever your political leanings, I hope we can agree that the Dion “Not A Leader” ads, and the Ignatieff “Just Visiting” television ads were slanted personal attacks that were at once an embarrassment and did nothing to inform voters about the actual issues. Presenting an idea for honest discussion has intrinsic value, but personal attacks merely attempt to divert attention away from real problems.

So how do political parties get away with it? You may be surprised to learn they are exempt from broadcast advertising standards. That’s right – Tim Horton’s couldn’t run attack ads against Starbucks the way Harper can against his opponents. Shouldn’t political parties be held to a higher standard than coffee vendors?

Higher standards might help, but there’s a better solution. We should follow the lead of other countries like the UK, South Africa, Belgium, Chile, Sweden, Ireland, and more, and disallow political parties from running TV ads in the first place. If we don’t do something about attack ads soon, it won’t be long before Canadian politics looks even more like the vitriolic brand of politics we see south of the border – an atmosphere we see fueled year-round by biased, misleading, and personal attack ads.

People around the world are taking to the streets to take back democracy. Yet in Canada, our own democracy is being manipulated by backroom political operatives and spin doctors who seek pure partisan advantage, rather than dialogue on real issues. Democracy cannot function without an engaged electorate capable of honest debate on topics of importance. Attack ads are antithetical to this goal, and it’s time to send them packing.

Camille Labchuk is the Ontario representative on the Green Party’s Federal Council.

http://www.camillelabchuk.ca/2011/03/09/the-truth-about-attack-ads-theyre-destroying-democracy/

Environmental Funding Gutted

2011-03-04T08:12:00.000-05:00

The Harper government has clearly laid out its priorities with the latest slashing of environmental budgets. Gone is funding for climate change, air pollution, wildlife and toxic waste clean-up – instead the government is proceeding with funding corporate tax cuts, tar sands subsidies, fighter jets and new prisons. “It is clear that the priorities of the Harper government are not in line with Canadians, who consistently put environment at the top of the list,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.

Environment Canada’s budget has been cut 20%, in particular, climate change and air pollution programs have been cut by 59%. The action plan to clean up contaminated federal sites has been cut by $19.5 million and programs to protect wildlife have been cut by $3 million. Natural Resources Canada’s budget has been cut 21%, including energy efficiency programs. Overall, the government will be spending about 14% less on environmental programs.

"Canada is confronting a triple deficit -- economic, environmental and democratic -- and we are not dealing with any of them," said May. “Unless the recently announced emissions reduction initiatives and whatever is renewed in the budget are greater than the cuts, Canada’s environmental deficit will grow deeper. As a nation we can't afford that any more than we can afford to continue to afford the economic deficit this government has put us into.”

"We urgently need a greater government commitment to rapid emissions reductions even to reach the Harper target which would still take us in the opposite direction of Kyoto a decade too late," said Green Party Climate Change critic, Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu. "Industry investment in clean energy and retrofits requires confidence of government support over the long term. Letting funding run out and threatening not to renew it stifles progress."

“This government does not understand or care that long-term commitments are needed to make progress on environmental issues. It's very difficult to plan retrofits and wind farms when every year the funding runs out and you have to wait for the budget to see if there's going to be any money,” said Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu.

http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2011-03-02/harper-government-guts-environmental-funding

Climate Change and EU Negotiations

2011-02-27T07:33:00.000-05:00

The Harper government is once again destroying Canada's international image by deliberately sabotaging the efforts of the European Union to meet their climate change goals, this time by flinging up a trade roadblock. “The Harper government is looking for a two in one bargain – protection of their beloved (but internationally shunned) tar sands oil and blocking any progress in effectively regulating greenhouse gas emissions,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.

“If ever there were any doubt that the Harper government is trying to sabotage international efforts to halt the climate crisis, this latest revelation should put them to rest. Once again in secret, and behind the backs of Canadians, negotiators are pushing for a trade deal which only benefit the profits of corporations instead of protecting our environment and our communities,” said May. “The Green Party is calling for openness and transparency in these negotiations so that Canadians can have input on what we feel is right for our country and for the global community.”

Fuel suppliers within the European Union will be required to reduce the carbon footprint of fuels by 6% over the next decade. This policy has the potential to block imports of carbon-intensive tar sands oil, which has been found to have 23% higher average emissions than oil from other sources. According to reports, Canadian negotiators have threatened to scrap the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement over this fuel directive.

“If these trade talks fail, we stand to lose significant trade value from important Canadian industries such as agriculture and auto parts because of the Harper government’s protection of the Alberta tar sands and insistence on weakening any progress on the climate crisis. We should be pushing for trade deals that put global equity, Canadian sovereignty, human rights, and the environment first, not corporate business interests.”

A poll released today by the Public Policy Forum and Sustainable Prosperity and their project partners shows that 65 per cent of Canadians want to see government take action on climate change.

http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2011-02-23/government-damages-canadian-image-again-attacks-eu-climate-change-policy

Per-vote funding fairest to parties, voters and taxpayers

2011-02-19T11:33:00.000-05:00

Canada is embroiled in a slanted debate about political finance, deliberately framed by one party to their own advantage. Hopefully voters will seek a deeper understanding, for shallow decisions will diminish democracy.

The bugaboo is Canada’s per-vote funding system, whereby each federal party receives $2 annually for each vote earned in the election. The Conservatives have their gun sights on this, hoping to kill it, effectively maiming other parties. That’s because the Conservative Party makes the most effective use of other public subsidies, ones they don’t mention or propose to kill.

Democracy costs money. Crafting effective policy, organizing, and communicating with voters isn’t free; without it, we can’t have good platforms or an informed vote. Money must come from somewhere, and where it does determines the bias of political parties. Funding based on vote share encourages parties to seek greater public support. Private donations leave parties beholden to those with cash to spare for political causes – currently fewer than 2% of Canadians.

But make no mistake, those “private donations” are also publicly-funded, through tax rebates starting at 75%. So while some parties cater to the political wishes of their wealthy donors, your tax dollars pick up the tab.

We also have election rebates: candidates can get 60% (and parties 50%) of their election spending repaid. Available only to candidates over 10% vote (or parties over 2%), this favours established parties with deeper pockets.

Of these three subsidies, which do you think matter the most to the Conservatives, and which is proportionately their least important? If you guessed they benefit the most from tax and election rebates and least from per-vote, you guessed right.

Per-vote funding makes your vote more powerful, because even if it doesn’t elect the MP of your choice, it supports the party that best represents you. By withholding your vote from a party, you withhold money, too.

Top pollster Nick Nanos believes if we eliminate this democratic funding, the result will be a two-party system, leaving us just centre-left and centre-right. Most Canadians believe there are more than two approaches; limiting choice is no way to fix our democratic deficit.

Do you prefer party funding and power determined by how much money they attract from rich private interests, or a fair system based on share of public support? Should those with the most money have the most influence, or should every voter count equally? Should parties be trying to attract more money, or more votes? Cancelling all political subsidies will just tighten wealth’s grip on the levers of power. If subsidies must go, it should be rebates to donors and candidates. Fund parties fully and fairly based on how much voter support they earn, and preserve democratic choice.

Erich Jacoby-Hawkins is an educator, father, volunteer, and politician and Green Party candidate for Barrie. The above was written for the Root Issues column in the Barrie Examiner, published under the title "Understanding a democratic bugaboo". It also appears in Erics blog at www.erichthegreen.ca/

CRTC may allow False and Misleading News

2011-02-08T09:46:00.000-05:00

The Green Party of Canada is calling on all party leaders to reject the CRTC proposal that would allow broadcasting of intentionally false and misleading information as long as that information "does not endanger, or is not likely to endanger the lives, safety or health of the public.”

“Under what circumstances would the commission believe it is acceptable for a licensee to broadcast something it knew to be false? It should always be unacceptable to knowingly tell a falsehood. That is what we teach our children. That is what we expect of our friends. And that is what we should be able to expect from our news reporters,” said Elizabeth May, Leader of the Greens.
“In essence, this proposal would dilute the quality, veracity and integrity of current affairs and news in Canada,” said May. “It is not in the public interest to permit greater latitude in allowing false and misleading information to enter public broadcasts. Under the Nixon administration in the US, the FCC rules requiring honesty, fairness and balance in newscasts were relaxed. The impact on US culture and political literacy has been devastating -- from Walter Cronkite to Glenn Beck in a generation.”

Canadian broadcasters have not faced difficulties in adhering to the current prohibition against the broadcasting of false and/or misleading information. The new rule would actually permit the deliberate and willful distribution of false news so long as such misinformation was not a threat to public health and safety.
The attached background documentation on the CRTC website would appear to suggest that the proposed changes were made in response to concerns raised by the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations. “The Green Party has reviewed the publicly-available reports and minutes of proceedings of the Standing Joint Committee and can find no record to indicate the Committee ever discussed, let alone formally recommended, such an Orwellian amendment," said May.

“We find it unacceptable that such a dramatic and regressive step is being proposed with such inadequate public notice. To slip the notion that Canadian newscasts can produce fiction onto a website in early January, provide 30 days notice and then move to relax standards for truth and accuracy is deeply disturbing,” added May.

Take Action ---http://greenparty.ca/stand-up-for-truth-

Green Party of Ontario Announces Shadow Cabinet

2011-01-26T14:46:00.000-05:00

The Green Party of Ontario (GPO) announced today (2011-01-25) that there is a positive alternative to the same old parties at Queen’s Park. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner introduced several outstanding candidates serving in his new GPO Shadow Cabinet. The Critics will tackle key issues in Ontario, run as part of a full slate of 107 candidates in the upcoming provincial election, and continue to hold the old parties at Queen's Park to account by providing a fresh vision for a stronger Ontario.

• GPO Leader Mike Schreiner takes on the role of Critic for the Premier's Office and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. In his second year as Leader, Mike Schreiner will be running in Simcoe-Grey for the 2011 general election and has extensive experience advocating for local food and farming in Ontario.
• GPO Deputy Leader Judy Smith-Torrie takes on the role of Critic for the Ministries of Environment, Health and Long-Term Care and Health Promotion and Sport. Smith-Torrie is the Executive Director of the Go Green Together Centre in Cobourg. This will be her second run as GPO candidate in Northumberland-Quinte West.
• Prince Edward-Hastings candidate Treat Hull takes on the role of Critic for Energy and Research and Innovation. Hull, a resident of Picton for the past four years, spent more than 30 years as a management consultant and more recently as a marketing executive in the software industry before his retirement last fall.
• Dufferin-Caledon candidate Rob Strang takes on the role of Critic for Economic Development and Trade, Finance and Revenue. Strang is a former Orangeville town councillor, self-employed occupational health consultant and father of three.
• Parry Sound-Muskoka candidate Matt Richter takes on the role of Critic for Education and Tourism and Culture. Richter is a local teacher and resides in Port Sydney with his wife and two children.
• Ottawa Centre candidate Kevin O'Donnell takes on the role of Critic for Infrastructure and Municipal Affairs and Housing. O'Donnell is an active community volunteer and currently works as a senior software developer for a national telecommunications firm.
• Ottawa-Vanier candidate Dave Bagler takes on the role of Critic for Community and Social Services and Training, Colleges and Universities. Dave is a software and web developer in Ottawa and started a local food drive in the Sandy Hill community in Ottawa-Vanier.
• Trinity-Spadina candidate Tim Grant takes on the role of Critic for Transportation. A former high school teacher, Tim has been the co-editor of Green Teacher magazine for the past 20 years.

http://gpo.ca/media-release/green-party-ontario-announces-shadow-cabinet

Learning lessons from Arizona

2011-01-14T08:45:00.000-05:00

By Elizabeth May
We have all learned a lot more about Arizona this week. We now know that it has the least restrictive gun control in the US. We know that there are exemptions at gun shows where even the rudimentary form that has to be filled out in the gun stores is not required.

We also know that Arizona spends less on mental health than any state in the US. It is a recipe for disaster: lax gun laws and inadequate help to those with mental illness. Allow that mixture to stew in a marinade of what Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik described as “a mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”

I leave it to those in the US to do their soul-searching, although Sarah Palin’s video response suggests she doesn’t understand the meaning of the term. Still, I believe there are lessons for us in Canada. Yes, thank God, we are a country where people do not legally carry concealed hand guns. We are not a gun culture. We can and must improve our gun control laws, and measures to combat smuggling, but we are markedly ahead of the US in this area.

However, we have no bragging rights when it comes to mental health services. We have allowed far too many people in need of help to go without. It was just last week we heard the tragic interviews from Nova Scotia with the family of Glen Race. Although it seems clear that he murdered 3 people, it was not possible to listen to his mother and brother’s description of their efforts to help him, without feeling immense sympathy for him as a person suffering from a terrible disease. In his university years, he developed schizophrenia. His family was unable to get help. When they feared he might become violent, they went to the police, the RCMP, only to be told they could not intervene if he was not a threat to himself or to others. In jail, he could finally get medication and help. The victims of Mr. Race were, of course, truly and ultimately innocent victims. But Mr. Race and his family were victims of a system that could not support them.

These stories of random acts of violence by people who themselves are in need of help are becoming all too common. One event that really tore into the heart of Victoria was the June killing of a Grade 10 student who was waiting for a bus. Justin Wendland was a much loved young man with no connection to his killer. The man who stabbed him turned himself into police 15 minutes after the murder. Cory Daniel Barry, 39, was charged with the killing and was described as a person struggling with mental health issues. He was a street person and local merchants knew him as gentle. In earlier years, before deficit cutting and cut backs, he might not have been on the streets. Institutionalization is a harsh word, but steady care and mental health services could have saved that beautiful 15 year old boy’s life.

This morning, on CBC-The Current, I listened to the raw, searing pain of people who suffer from mental health issues or who love those who do. Story after story made it clear, as if we didn’t already know, that we are failing to provide the kind of mental health and addiction counseling that so many of the members of our society desperately need.

How much longer can we afford to turn a blind eye to the need for improved mental health services?

Meanwhile, there is more we should learn. While Canadian political culture is not steeped in vitriol and hatred, the trend lines are not good. We are allowing increased levels of incivility to creep into our culture. Abuse, vilification of political opponents, is becoming increasingly commonplace. The nastiness of anonymous postings on websites I mentioned in my last blog. That new anti-social use of social media is a large part of the problem, but it is not the full extent of it. Mainstream media is turning nastier. Even before the Sun Media TV channel gets to the airwaves, its “star” players, people like Ezra Levant and Lorrie Goldstein, are bringing a level of rude, boorish behaviour to Canadian radio and TV. Our political discourse has dramatically worsened in the last five years. The heckling and abuse in Question Period set such a low bar that citizens turn away in disgust. Treating each other with respect is a foundational aspect of a decent society. “To disagree without being disagreeable” has long been a Canadian way of discussing differences. We are losing that.

Now is a good moment to reflect, as so many are now doing in the US, how we can reverse those trends that nurture intolerance. Political discourse, from the local resource use conflict to the House of Commons debate, needs to be examined, rabid partisanship and character assassination explicitly rejected, and our behaviour towards each other held to a higher standard.

From http://greenparty.ca/blogs/7/2011-01-14/learning-lessons-arizona

What was decided at Cancun

2010-12-14T07:48:00.000-05:00

“The documents do not by themselves obligate governments to take any new steps. What they do is build a strong foundation for agreements to be reached at COP17 next year in Durban, South Africa.
The language is strong and unequivocal. In the LCA decision it is stated “climate change represents an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to human societies and the planet, and thus requires to be urgently addressed by all Parties.”
The decisions confirm that the science and IPCC advice is compelling. It commits to find ways to avoid allowing global average temperature from increasing to 2 degrees C, but recognizes the need to consider that the high point should be 1.5 degrees C. For the first time in a UN decision, it mandates that all nations should immediately determine the year by which GHG emissions should peak and begin to fall. It states all parties agree “that Parties should cooperate in achieving the peaking of global and national greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible.” It states that industrialized countries should reduce emissions by 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020.
Further it states that “addressing climate change requires a paradigm shift towards building a low-carbon society that offers substantial opportunities….”
It deals extensively with the need for adaptation (creating a Cancun Adaptation Framework and Adaptation committee), for financing, it creates a new Green Climate Fund, as well as funding to help arrest deforestation. There are many detailed elements. Not all were great. Many were disappointed to see Carbon Capture and Storage added to acceptable technologies for the Clean Development Mechanism,
New and welcome elements were language recognizing the importance of human rights in implementing climate policy, respect for indigenous peoples, women, and gender-related issues, and a clear victory for labour in the reference to the need for a “just transition.” Cities and sub-national governments finally get the respect they deserve as partners.
What does it mean?
It means Kyoto is still alive, but the parties are not committed to a second commitment period when Kyoto’s first period ends in 2012. It just means there could be a second commitment period. Anchoring of voluntary pledges from the Copenhagen Accord may fit into the language of the LCA text, but the Copenhagen Accord targets are laughably weak. Hence, the language calling for industrialized countries to “raise the level of ambition” in their targets.
Somehow in Durban at COP17 we will have to find a way to either continue this two-track process (Kyoto and FCCC) or merge them in one agreement.
What can Canadians do?
Once again, our government won the Colossal Fossil Award for being the most obstructive nation in the negotiations. Before Durban, we have to get a change in our government’s position, or get a new government. Canada stepping up to commit to a second commitment period, even on weaker targets, could help shift the balance to saving Kyoto. It would help the EU and low-lying island states and poor African nations in insisting on Kyoto.
The bottom line is that we are running out of time. In the next 12 months, we must seize the small ripples of hope that are emanating from Cancun. We must build a mass public mobilization that insists on real action to bring the words and framework of the Cancun agreements to life.

The above is an extract from E Mays Blog, where you will also find posts detailing some of the speeches and reactions during the conference.
http://greenparty.ca/blogs/7/2010-12-13/copenhagen-cancun-what-just-happened

Greens Announce New Green Party Cabinet Members

2010-12-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

OTTAWA — The Green Party of Canada is pleased to announce seven new members of the Shadow Cabinet. “Our Cabinet is full of dedicated and incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable people and we appreciate them giving time toward providing critique on policy matters for the benefit of all Canadians,” said Deputy Green Leader Adriane Carr.
The new Industry Critic is Ottawa resident Jen Hunter, a professional facilitator and professor at Algonquin College in the Green Business Management Post-Graduate Program. Also from the Ottawa region and taking on the Small Business portfolio is Jean-Luc Cooke, founder of a successful information security consultancy firm. Vanessa Long is the new critic for Social Services, bringing her passion for environmental health and her wealth of experience with schooling and caregiving of both the elderly and children.
Brian Timlick of Manitoba, having been active in the labour movement in Manitoba for many years, including sitting on the Board of Directors of Manitoba Government Employee Union, will take on the portfolio of Labour and Employment. New Critic for Infrastructure and Community Development is Ralph Torrie, an expert in the field of energy and environment with over 30 years of entrepreneurial and consulting experience that includes hundreds of initiatives in research, business development, and advocacy.
Emma Jane Hogbin builds on-line communities and works with not-for-profit organizations on the implementation of technology-facilitated communications and will bring her technical knowledge to the portfolio of Science & Technology. The Critic position of Public Works and Government Services will be capably filled by Chris Hill, award-winning fleet manager for the Public Works Department in the City of Hamilton.
“The Green Party is increasingly attracting people who are well-known and have found incredible success in their field. Each of our Cabinet members brings a unique set of skills, knowledge and experience which will enable them to bring a critical eye and voice to policies that Canadians care about,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.

Accountability & Transparency in Government.

2010-12-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

News release - 25 November 2010
OTTAWA – The Green Party is calling on the federal government to overhaul the Access to Information Act and begin proactively releasing government information to the public with an open-data policy.
Five years after Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised to strengthen Canada’s access-to-information laws, things remain unchanged. The Obama administration has launched data.gov and the British government has launched data.gov.uk, but government information regarding the economy, spending, access to information requests, and statistics remains secretive in Canada.
“The ability to access information from the government in a timely and efficient manner is fundamental to an informed citizenry. And, an informed citizenry is fundamental to a healthy democracy,” said Elizabeth May, Green Party Leader. “We cannot have accountability in government without transparency in government. There is simply no excuse for a government that hides its spending from its own tax-paying citizens.”
Many of Canada's access to information and privacy laws are outdated and grant little authority to hold the government accountable. In addition, investigators seeking information regarding government actions are often charged exorbitant fees, delayed, provided blacked-out documents, and simply refused information.
“The federal government needs to begin making transparency a top priority,” said Jared Giesbrecht, Green Party Justice Critic. “We are moving into an information economy in which the free-flow of information is essential to the health of our economy and our democracy. A responsible government can do nothing less than open up data resources and proactively release data to the public.”
“The Privacy Act must protect citizens and the Access to Information Act must empower citizens. Anything less is irresponsible and antiquated government,” said Mr. Giesbrecht. “And, if this government was serious about reducing the deficit, it would be asking Canadians to help identify wasteful spending with a pro-active release of all government expenditures over $50,000.”
A Green government will:
Proactively release government information that is of interest to the public with an open-data policy that includes information on all government expenditures over $50,000;
Strengthen the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act to ensure the government is required to release information in a timely and efficient manner;
Implement the recommendations from the two previous Information Commissioners, Robert Marleau and John Reid, to reform the Access to Information Act;
Give the Information Commissioner the power to cover the release of information;
Expand the Access to Information Act cover the administration of the Senate, the Commons, and the courts.
http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2010-11-25/greens-call-federal-open-data-policy

Greens Decry Conservative Snap Vote on Climate Change Bill

2010-11-24T08:43:00.002-05:00

GPC News Release 18 November 2010 - 9:51am

OTTAWA -- The Green Party of Canada is denouncing the decision of the Canadian Senate to kill the Climate Change Accountability Act, Bill C-311, and in so doing, killing Canada's best chance to take real action on climate change and move into a Green economy.

"With COP16 less than two weeks away in Mexico, it is stunning that the Conservative majority in the Senate would use a sneak attack to defeat the only climate legislation before Parliament," said Green Leader Elizabeth May.

Elizabeth May is now calling on Canadians to get on the airwaves and into the newspapers letters section to protest this anti-democratic move. The Bill had passed Third Reading in the House of Commons in May. After being presented to Senate 193 days ago, Bill C-311 was defeated 43-32, with no debate and without being sent back to committee, an extraordinary move not seen in over seventy years.

"Voters should be outraged at the hypocrisy of Prime Minister Harper for using the Senate as an end-run around the House of Commons when he campaigned vigorously for an accountable Senate. His obvious abhorrence of the Bill surely influenced the Conservative members of the now stacked Senate who killed this Bill without any consideration," said May.

"Harper’s assertion that action on climate change throws millions of people out of work is utter absurdity. We could be putting Canadians to work in a Green economy, but this government only hears the special pleadings of the fossil fuel lobby. Even though we pledged at the G20 to kill fossil fuel subsidies, we have not even done that," said May.

A 2009 study by the European Commission found almost half a million jobs will be created by reaching their target of 20% of energy coming from renewables by 2020.

The Green Party of Canada has supported Bill C-311 all through the House process and into the Senate, urging non-partisan cooperation. Senator Grant Mitchell stepped up to sponsor the bill. The Bill mandated reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions and regular assessments of progress toward those targets.

From http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2010-11-18/greens-decry-conservative-snap-vote-climate-change-bill

Harnessing Local Energy

2010-11-18T08:34:00.002-05:00

By Mike Schreiner of the GPO

Ontario has an important choice to make about our energy future. Do we continue the old practice of expensive, large centralized generation facilities or do we embrace a 21st-century distributed model where all Ontarians have the opportunity to be green energy entrepreneurs, stimulating local job creation and benefitting our communities while earning income?
Missing from the government’s implementation of the Green Energy Act is the understanding that local communities must be equal partners in these energy projects. The Green Party believes that community engagement and local decision making is essential to the development of an efficient distributed, decentralized system of power generation. This requires local ownership, local benefits and local decision making authority in the development of green energy projects.
The development of successful renewable energy industries in countries such as Germany and Denmark are mostly driven by local projects, such as wind, solar, and biogas, owned by farmers and their communities. We can also have effective development of the renewable energy industry if regulations are predictable, transparent and consultative. We must engage Ontarians and municipalities throughout the process to facilitate the shift from purely consuming to producing energy.
I believe Ontario needs a thoughtful debate on ways that individuals and communities in Ontario can become successful generators of renewable energy, and to have an honest discussion about the barriers they face. I also think we need a frank conversation about ways in which the Green Energy Act needs to be revised to support local ownership, local benefits and most importantly local decision making.
Green MPPs will be advocates for the development of a Community Based Energy Program that will extend the regulatory framework, making it easier for individuals and communities to access the Feed-in-Tariff program. The GPO will also seek solutions for projects at the regional level, such as geothermal, that would benefit from economies of scale.
Investment in conservation and renewables means that we can close dirty coal-powered hydro plants, and stop wasting money on expensive new nuclear facilities while ensuring that Ontarians have access to a reliable and affordable supply of electricity. By locating energy production in the community we can save on transmission and distribution lines while addressing energy security concerns.
The time for renewable energy is now, and measures must be taken to ensure that Ontario and its residents are not left behind. Environmentally sustainable solutions must not be seen in opposition to local planning and economic concerns.
It’s time for an energy plan that prioritizes local ownership, local decision making and local benefits for communities across the province.
From http://gpo.ca/leader-blog-harnessing-local-energy

Electoral System Challenged.

2010-11-11T07:53:00.002-05:00

OTTAWA -- Elizabeth May will be an intervenor in a court challenge arguing that the first-past-the-post electoral system contravenes the fairness required by Section Three of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Fair Vote Canada has also been granted intervenor status in the case. Spearheaded by L'Association pour la revendication des droits démocratiques (ARDD), a Quebec democratic rights group, the case (Gibb v. Quebec's Attorney General and Quebec's Director General of Elections) is currently being heard in the Quebec Court of Appeal, and is expected to go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Both May and Fair Vote Canada will be represented by renowned Canadian Constitutional lawyer, Peter Rosenthal. With a legal team headed by powerhouse Julius Grey, the case has been winding its way through the courts since 2007.

“In the research for my last book, I was struck by the fact that countries that still use the first past the post system - Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom -- are the countries where there is a worrying decline in voter turn-out, particularly among young people,” said May. “Almost a million Canadians voted Green in the last election and under the current system they are not represented in Parliament and that is not fair. It shows how our electoral system is distorted and prevents meaningful participation in the process of choosing our government.” As Leader of the Green Party of Canada and author of seven published books, including the most recent Losing confidence: Power, politics and the crisis of democracy in Canada, May is a leading advocate for a healthier democracy.

There are a number of forms of Proportional Representation (PR). These include pure PR, Single Transferable Vote (STV), and Mixed Member Proportional (MMP). Under all of these systems the Green Party would have elected Members of Parliament in 2006 and 2008. Under pure PR, the 2008 election would have resulted in approximately sixteen Green Members of Parliament, while the other PR systems would have produced between six and thirteen.

Multiple public commissions have examined and debated changes to the voting system and each time recommended a proportional voting system. No referendum has yet been held on this question in Quebec though draft legislation was tabled that would have seen elements of proportional representation introduced. Referenda in other provinces were widely criticized for confusing the public with misinformation campaigns, lack of effective and clear information, too high thresholds to pass and low participation rates.

In February of this year, an Environics Research poll conducted for the Council of Canadians found that 62% of Canadians support "moving towards a system of proportional representation (PR) in Canadian elections, with support even higher among young Canadians.

“We desperately need a renewal of democracy in this country,” said May. “This may mean forging ahead with proportional representation and taking lessons learned by other countries who have done the same to come up with an electoral process that is truly meaningful and engages all Canadian voters. It is a big step and we may need a push from the courts to point out that our current system is not respecting the spirit of the democratic rights and freedoms that our Charter guarantees.”

http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2010-11-09/court-has-granted-elizabeth-may-right-make-case-proportional-representation

You Reap What You Sow

2010-10-13T09:48:00.000-04:00

By Elizabeth May

It was reported on CBC this morning that in a last ditch effort to win over votes for a seat on the U.N. Security Council, Canadian diplomats were giving out maple-leaf shaped bottles of maple syrup.

Maybe our government’s grasp of the concerns of the world’s nations is a bit lacking in substance. Maybe it would have won some votes if the Harper government had sent any member of federal cabinet to the emergency meeting on the food crisis in Rome in June 2008. Instead, we let our Ambassador to Italy sit there without instructions, speaking volumes about Canada’s concern for the world’s poor and hungry.

Maybe it would have helped if we answered the call for peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We were once the world’s number 1 contributor to peace-keeping. Now we are 56th. From over 3,000 soldiers deployed in the past to this year’s compliment – 57.

Maybe it would have helped if we had lived up to our commitments to fight poverty in Africa. Or maybe it would have worked better than maple syrup if Prime Minister Harper had not ignored the special meeting on climate at the General Assembly, leaving for an event at Tim Horton’s instead of staying to deliver a speech.

I remember once, a long time ago, when I was at Sierra Club, speaking to a Conservative MP when Stephen Harper was Leader of the Opposition. I won’t use his or her name. I wouldn’t want her (or him) to feel the PM’s wrath.

I was pushing for any kind of commitment that, in power, the Conservatives would reduce Greenhouse gases. The answer stayed with me. Regardless of how achievable Kyoto would be, the MP saw no chance of the Conservatives being able to support action, because Stephen Harper would “always see Kyoto as one of those U.N. things.”

So, no matter how much we give out last minute bottles of maple syrup, and no matter how sincere the pitch for membership from the PM to the General Assembly seemed two months ago, actions speak louder than words. The actions of the Harper government led to this outcome -- not their words, nor the words of Michael Ignatieff in saying what everyone knew, that our reputation in the world was tarnished after four and a half years of Harper government policies.

You reap what you sow. Let us hope that this is the nadir in Canada’s world reputation. Let us commit to be the country we once were, with a Prime Minister and a House of Commons that understands what it takes to be a constructive member of the family of nations.

From Elizabeth May's blog

Bruce Grey Candidate Nominated

2010-08-19T12:57:00.004-04:00

IT'S OFFICIAL!

EMMA JANE HOGBIN will represent the Green Party of Canada in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound in the next Federal Election.

A very successful Nomination meeting was held on Tuesday August 17 at the Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound, with close to 100 people in attendance to hear the speeches and cast their votes.

We welcomed Elizabeth May, who came directly from a meeting with representatives of local Agriculture organizations, and Adriane Carr, who is on a 6-week cross country fundraising tour.

Here is a short (0:54) clip of Elizabeth May's comments on the prison farm
closures and what message they send to rural Canadians:

Contestants Emma Hogbin and Lynn Morgan each spoke eloquently about their desire to engage citizens in the democratic process, with Lynn focussing on social justice issues and Emma on the opportunities for engagement using technology wisely and well. After some questions and answers from the floor, the meeting paused for voting and refreshments.

While the votes were being counted, Elizabeth May spoke on a number of issues, and referred to the Conservative Government's decision to close the successful prison farm program as a direct indication of the respect it has for the rural community.
She referred to the high hopes the Green Party has for a breakthrough win in this Riding, due to the success of previous candidates here.

Here is a short (1:13) clip of Emmma's acceptance speech:

After the announcement that Emma Hogbin had been nominated, and hearing Emma's gracious acceptance speech in which she commended Lynn Morgan's knowledge and abilities, Emma suggested that we "raise some money"!

At this point, Adriane Carr stepped forward to explain the workings of a "Green Dutch Auction", and with the help of Elizabeth May and a few others as "runners", raised over $10,000 to be split between our local organization and the Central Party.

Many thanks to all those members who came and brought their friends, to all those who donated funds, and to the team of volunteers who put the evening together. Well done, everyone!

And now, let's get ready to help Emma Hogbin become the first Green Member of Parliament!

GREEN PARTY ANNOUNCES CANDIDATE NOMINATION MEETING

2010-07-26T12:42:00.002-04:00

The Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Green Party of Canada will hold a Candidate Nomination meeting at the Harry Lumley Bayshore in Owen Sound on Tuesday August 17 at 7PM. The purpose of the meeting is to select a candidate to represent the riding in the next federal election.

Persons interested in contesting the Green Party nomination have until Thursday July 29, 2010 to submit their application to the local Candidate Search Committee and to the Campaign Committee of the Federal Council of the Green Party of Canada.

No nominations will be accepted from the floor during the Nomination Meeting.

Only those who are members of the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Green Party of Canada as of July 31, 2010 will be permitted to vote at the Nomination Meeting. Recently lapsed (less than one year) members may renew their membership at the meeting to reinstate their voting privileges.

For more information contact BGOS Green Party CEO, Leigh Greaves at 519-376-3565.

GreenFolk Festival, July 24 - Please help spread the word

2010-07-12T16:56:00.017-04:00

Less than two weeks 'til GREENFOLK! Help Spread The Word.

GreenFolk - Celebrate Being Green

Saturday July 24th at Dr Milne Park - Paisley Ontario

Schedule of Events;

4:00 pm - 5:30 Songwriters Workshop with James Gordon
5:30 pm - 7:00 Barbecue
7:00 pm - Live performances begin featuring James Gordon and include a variety of local artists (Beggar's Road and others to be announced) Songs will be interspersed with Green Voices talking about 'What it means to be Green'
Cost: Donations at the gate - to Bruce Grey Owen Sound Greens - receipts available

Plan to be there, and to tell your friends that everybody is invited!

Media advertising has begun and posters are ready to be distributed for GREENFOLK.

We need folks to chip in and help advertise this event to make it a big success. The key areas where we want to promote this event is in Paisley and surrounding areas (Hanover, Chesley, Durham, Southampton, Owen Sound) though everyone from everywhere is WELCOME!

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

FIRST... Posters are available to be picked up at Green Party Office (limited access)

Around the Sound (Thursday-Friday-Saturday at 685 6th St E Owen Sound)

Grey Bruce Pet Hospital (905 7th St E Owen Sound)

or if you live closer to Paisley call Sibylle Ruppert at 519-353-7108 to arrange to pick-up

SECOND ... Print a copy yourself and distribute them wherever appropriate. You can download the poster from here

THIRD ... Tell all your friends and family and remember to mark your calendars

Remember to get permission to put up the posters where applicable and keep track of where you have placed posters so you can remove them in a timely fashion after the event is over.

YOUR HELP AND PARTICIPATION ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Debbie

GreenFolk Chair dboyd@duurstede.com

Directions

Dr Milne Park is located at 61 George St at the south end of Paisley. Turn east off County rd 3 at the south end of Paisley on Arnaud St. The park is located at the end of the street at the junction with George St adjacent to the river.

BGOS Greens Meeting, Monday May 17

2010-05-13T11:12:00.002-04:00

The next meeting of the BGOS Greens is coming up at 7 PM, Monday, May 17 and you are invited.
Please note the following important changes about our monthly meetings:
1. Meetings will take place at the Green Party office, 237 10th St East in Owen Sound.
2. We will begin each meeting with a guest speaker who will speak for about 1/2 hour and answer questions from the audience.
3. Following the speaker the agenda items will be discussed.
Our guest speaker at next Monday’s meeting will be Sean McGivern, who will speak on Globalization and the Threat to Local Agriculture. Sean well qualified to speak on this issue. He owns Grass Roots Organics in Desboro and is a certified organic farmer who grows a wide range of crops from oils seeds to vegetables. Sean is also a Regional Coordinator for the National Farmers Union.
So, please join us for the May BGOS Greens meeting at 7PM, May 17 at the Green Party office, 237 10th St. East in Owen Sound.
Trevor p.p. Randy

Green Party of Canada Annual General Meeting

2010-04-04T16:58:00.001-04:00

Hello Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Green supporters: Please plan to attend our Green Party of Canada Annual General Meeting on Saturday, April 17, 7 PM at the Owen Sound Market Building.

Ralph Benmergui, the well know radio and television broadcaster, journalist and documentary filmmaker, will be our featured speaker. Last year Ralph became a Senior Communications Advisor to the Green party of Canada.

This is a public meeting to which everyone is invited. We will invite the public through radio and press ads. Since Ralph Benmergui is well know and such a good speaker we expect very good attendance. Please encourage your friends to come. The evening will be a good time to introduce people to Green ideas and to be both informed and entertained.

Ralph’s speaking topic will be "What Success Should Mean for Greens and for our Communities". There will be time to ask questions and to meet him.

Refreshments will be provided and there will be door prizes. Activities which relate just to the local Green Party Association will take place at the end of the meeting. For further information contact Marianne mmwilliams@bmts.com or Randy rdryburgh@hsfx.ca

We look forward to seeing you there.
Randy Dryburgh and Marianne Williams Co-Ceos, Bruce-Grey Owen Sound GPC

Green Party General Meeting

2010-03-18T14:34:00.002-04:00

Please plan to attend our Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Green Party of Ontario PO Annual General Meeting, on Monday, March 22, 7 PM at the Owen Sound Market Building.
This is a public meeting to which everyone is invited.
The featured speaker will be Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario. Mike is a dynamic and persuasive speaker: someone you will not want to miss. He will speak on "The Green Economy: Benefits to Rural and Small Town Ontario."

There will be lots of time to ask Mike questions and to meet him. Also refreshments will be provided and there will be door prizes.

Activities which relate just to the local Green Party Association will take place at the end of the meeting.

We hope you can make it.
Randy Dryburgh Communications Chair, BGOS Green Party of Ontario

Elizabeth May Responds to the Budget

2010-03-05T12:29:00.001-05:00

I can remember budget days in lock-ups when there was good news to be found. Even in a bad budget, there would be a new environmental programme or two.In a good budget, like Mulroney’s in 1990 or Martin’s in 2005, you could get dizzy trying to keep track of all the great initiatives.
You can say this for Prime Minister Harper. His budgets will not lead to dizziness or exhilaration. Other health effects may ensue. Depression and nausea come to mind.
For example, the 2010 budget removes all energy projects from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and places environmental reviews in the hands of the National Energy Board and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (if nuclear).
No doubt the government will say this changes nothing. The heading for this is “modernizing the regulatory system.” The problem is that the CEAA was designed to enhance public participation. CEAA has clear processes and access for interveners and the public. The process is informal and accessible. In contrast, the National Energy Board is quasi-judicial. Few interveners will appear without lawyers. It has no history for public participation, nor does it have a strong understanding of the scope of environmental review. The CNSC is also more formal, and has suffered the slap-down in the firing of Linda Keen. How likely is it that this board can provide environmental assessment? This change is a significant disadvantage to environmental and aboriginal groups. Ironically, the stated reason (to save time) will not be met. CEAA worked very efficiently. It is more likely and the real purpose to have projects rubber stamped.

As for Green Energy, the very successful ecoEnergy Technology Initiative will not be continued. It died in mid-2009 as it was over-subscribed in 2008. There are accelerated capital cost allowance measures for renewable energy, but the only new programme was $100 million over four years for the “Next Generation Renewable Power Initiative.” This is designed only for the forest sector, likely for biomass or cellulose ethanol
The budget also hikes payroll taxes. By 2015, there will be an additional $29 billion collected from higher EI premiums. This job killing tax could actually threaten Canada’s economic recovery. And while workers see their pay cheque shrink and small business has to postpone new hires, corporate tax rates will continue to be cut.
The deficit is supposed to be cut back to nearly nothing by 2015. These figures do tend to stretch credulity. Flaherty gets to near balanced books in five years by relying on increasing revenues from a source the government wants to tax less. Corporate tax revenues are set to go up by 40% over 5 years, even as the rate at which corporations are taxed will go down. Other deficit fighting measures include the payroll tax hikes, and cuts to military spending increases ($2.5 billion), to CIDA’s future funding of $4.5, and from Stockwell Day’s cuts to government “administration” -- $6.8 billion.

If you were looking for news on pension reform, there is nothing here. A consultation will begin in March. Interestingly, there was also nothing about change to political party financing.
There were a few good measures: citizen oversight of the RCMP through a new board (few details), $30 million/year to implement an educational agreement with First Nations for K-12, $8 million/year for the Great Lakes (the proverbial drop in a very large toxic bucket) and reducing the tax impact for low-income single parent families of the child tax credit.
Overall, this is a government with no concern for the climate crisis, no plan to avoid runaway global warming, even commenting favourably about the ice-free Arctic and the need to monitor shipping, and no real plan to create jobs.

Give them credit for consistency. In the Conservatives’ never ending attempt to eliminate the colour red from the primary colours palette, this budget blending blue and green arrows and leaves, manages to portray the Canadian flag in blue and white on the back cover. First the national anthem, next the flag. They really don’t like our traditions very much.
From http://greenparty.ca/blogs/7/2010-03-05/budget-2010

Elizabeth May Interview

2010-01-18T08:31:00.002-05:00

Elizabeth May Executing the Green master plan

By Murray Dobbin

I had the opportunity recently to talk to Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada about her party, its policies, its electoral chances and its place on the political landscape in Canada. As always, Ms. May was articulate, enthusiastic and pretty straight forward about the challenges she faces. When she took over the leadership in August 2006, the Greens had high hopes from the high-energy former head of the Sierra Club.

Her ability to attract media interest, her personal commitment to the environment, her personal appeal, all seemed to hold great promise. But it hasn't been that simple. Powerful conservative forces still operate within the party creating tensions. Without a presence in the House of Commons you really are off the bus -- the media and the other parties ignore you because you aren't part of the daily calculations preceding question period.

In the next election, the party and May are determined to spend big to get her a seat. It's their number one priority. But it is still a long shot -- money can't buy you love, or necessarily, votes. Here's what Elizabeth May had to say:

Murray Dobbin: What has to happen to ensure that the Conservatives do not get a majority in the next election?

Elizabeth May: The solutions lie in some fundamental changes because we are a multi-party society in a two-party voting system. We either have to move to a system of proportional representation or we have to change our attitude towards minority governments and decide we are going to make them work. I still feel that the aborted coalition was a very hopeful thing even to just have had it floated on the political stage. I regret Ignatieff's decision not to follow through with what had been set out as a workable modus operandi between the Liberals and the NDP to avoid Stephen Harper continuing his government.

In the next election I draw hope in believing that we can shake the 42 per cent of Canadians who chose not to vote in the last election to get engaged and that would change the whole picture. For those who deliberately chose not to vote it had a lot to do with voter disgust and the behaviour and political culture. We have to convince a good chunk of those who chose not to vote that not voting does not punish the people that you find despicable.

MD: Do you think Harper has deliberately set out to discourage people from voting?

EM: Absolutely. People thought that Harper had become more popular between the 2006 and 2008 elections but not so: 170,000 fewer people voted for a Conservative candidate in 2008 than in 2006. His larger seat count is a tribute to his ability to discourage people from voting. The 700,000 fewer people voting for the Liberals did so on the basis of attack ads. None of what the attack ads do is to make people like the Conservatives more -- it's a question of framing, first Stephane Dion and now Michael Ignatieff in the worst possible terms based on the most sophisticated marketing genius of the Karl Rove variety.

All of these things add up. The next best option to proportional representation is to figure out how to -- through whatever mobilization, viral, citizen grassroots campaign -- to say not only am I going to vote, I am going to make sure that I talk to my friends and neighbours who I don't usually talk to about politics and make sure they vote -- not how they're going to vote just that they vote.

MD: You once told me that very few environmental organizations really understand political power and only a handful ever even lobby a cabinet minister or politician. Has that changed at all in terms of the role they need to play and could play if they are going to change things?

EM: I have a terrible feeling of a weakening of resolve in the movement though I am not involved much any more as I am doing my environmental advocacy in a different way now. And for good reasons they don't share things with me for fear of being partisan.

But the environmental movement is changing a lot because there's the establishment groups which have big infrastructure and tend to be vested in saying that something (like Copenhagen) is a success even if it's not. But what's new is the strength of the youth climate movement which doesn't have that same problem and the 350.org movement which is almost entirely viral and they're not going to fall for safe targets and not-good-enough positions.

There's a grassroots movement happening without the benefit of a famous leader or a common manifesto.

MD: One of the persistent features of progressive Canadian politics is the huge divide between party politics and extra-parliamentary politics. It's almost unique to Canada that movement groups are so rigidly non-partisan when it comes to elections. How do we deal with that?

EM: Well, one of the things that has to happen is that the Revenue Canada rules around charitable status have to change. Look at the David Suzuki Foundation for instance. David is acknowledged as one of the top 10 Canadians. He made a very strong comment about Harper on the CBC's George Strombolopoulos show. Now his organization as a result of that is having its charitable tax status threatened. He cannot possibly support the Green Party.

But the fact is that you don't have to tell people how to vote -- you just have to tell people to get out and vote. The call is -- "Hey people, look at the numbers. Do you think that all those people who stayed at home in 2008 would have voted for Harper if they'd gotten off their duff to vote?"

MD: I wanted to get back to the idea of the coalition. Harper basically forced Ignatieff into a corner last spring and got him to say unequivocally that he would not consider a coalition government with the NDP. Is Ignatieff really unalterably opposed to the idea?

EM: It all depends on what his caucus tells him he should do. He did not follow advice to him in his leader's office. I thought it was a collective decision not to go with the coalition but apparently it was Ignatieff personally who rejected it. He's made it very difficult to now support a coalition.

MD: The Green Party has been accused of splitting the vote and helping Stephen Harper become prime minister. And before you became Green leader you took the position that the party should not be trying to elect members but should be pushing the other parties on environmental issues. You changed your position and are now running candidates in every riding.

EM: That's not me. To make it clear the leader of the Greens doesn't determine the strategy for election campaigns and I don't have any particular personal allegiance to the idea that we should run a candidate in every riding across the country. I can tell you that the people in the party who make the decisions have a very strong allegiance to that idea. My own view is that the Greens' primary goal is not gain power -- though it is important to have seats in the House of Commons. But I don't think that the measure of our value in political terms is measured by whether we could ever form government.

MD: You have often said that the GP is neither left nor right but in examining your detailed policies I would to say that since I last examined them in 2007, the Green Party is much more consistently on the left -- for example labour policies, international affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the call for a Tobin tax, abrogating NAFTA, social policy, health care, justice issues. Doesn't this shift to the left put you more in direct competition with the NDP for votes?

EM: In a multi-party system every party splits the vote. Where we have the capacity to get Conservative votes is that we say and mean it that we are fiscally responsible -- that we have a better plan to get ourselves out of deficit and it won't be on the back of workers and small business. Instead of increasing CPP and EI premiums like Flaherty is planning, we would be cutting those. We would also be introducing income splitting which in terms of tax fairness resonates with a lot of people who see themselves as Progressive Conservatives. We would not tax anyone who is making under $20,000 a year and let's really get on with the agenda of the guaranteed livable income -- which is not just a left-wing idea.

MD: I want to explore the persistent controversy around the idea of co-operating with the NDP. It is pretty well established that Jack Layton and the NDP have simply refused to talk to you. Ironically that makes it much easier for you to occupy the moral high ground without actually having to publicly offer anything substantive. So would the Green Party be prepared to leave some ridings uncontested to assist the NDP if the NDP were willing to reciprocate -- details aside?

EM: Given that we did so in the leadership courtesy agreement in 2008 with Dion, and did not run a Green against Independent Bill Casey, we have shown a willingness to consider such efforts. I would take any proposal for cooperation to the party council, but, as you point out, first we have to have something to talk about.

MD: In the 2006 election well over half the Green candidates were chosen by party headquarters. How many Green candidates for the next election will actually be chosen by riding associations?

EM: Our political director thinks it will likely be fewer than 70 appointed, but she stresses that our "appointments" are really more "acclamations" as they generally come from a local area, but without an established Electoral District Association. For many reasons, we try to keep the candidate search local and, only very rarely, have what we call a "right to vote Green" candidate (otherwise called a "paper candidate.")

In the 2006 and 2008 elections there was no strategy that said getting the leader elected was more important than getting any one of a group of 10 or 20 other candidates elected. But in the fall of 2008 and into the spring of 2009 the party decided to ask me to be prepared to move with the idea being we have to put our strongest candidate, which turned out to me as leader, into a riding where the voters are most willing to be somewhat mobile in their allegiance. And that was Saanich-Gulf Islands.

MD: There have been rumours that the party is really struggling financially -- will you have the resources to run a national campaign given that your priority is to win your seat? Or will your resources be focused on your strongest ridings?

EM: We, like the other opposition parties, have debt from the 2008 campaign. In the last year, we have paid off more than $1.4 million and have a little less than a million to be repaid. We are trying to accelerate that debt repayment in order to be ready for the next election. We have every intention of running a strong national campaign, focus on winning in Saanich-Gulf Islands, and help in a number of targeted ridings across Canada.

MD: You have said you entered politics because you wanted to help get rid of Stephen Harper. So if someone who shared that goal -- who desperately wanted to see Stephen Harper defeated -- and they asked you why should I vote Green, what would you say?

EM: If people feel when they go to the polls why should I vote for you, you're not gong to be government, then my choices are only voting for Harper or voting for Ignatieff. The pressure to vote strategically just reduces voter turn out. If you feel sick when you leave the polling booth you are less likely to come back the next time and vote the right way -- or to vote for anyone the next time.

If we ask why should you vote Green, in a system where we are manifestly unhappy with the results and the results are too many elections, too close together, just to get one minority government over another. If that's the way you feel, and you like our policies and you like the direction we would take the discussion within this country then you ought to vote for what you want.

MD: I wanted to touch on a few of your policies, taken from "Vision Green" -- which would have been your election platform had the election been called in the fall. When I look at your tax policies I think they really do fall short in terms of paying for the other things you say you want to do. The country today is short $100 billion a year in revenue due to huge tax cuts by the Liberals and Conservatives -- not counting the ones still scheduled. In multiple places in your policy document you talk about a "revenue neutral green tax shift." That might have worked before these massive cuts took place but the horse has left the barn -- a huge chunk of the money is gone. Are you prepared to roll back some of those cuts which benefitted the wealthy and corporations disproportionately.

EM: In our updated platform documents in terms of how do we get out of the current deficit situation and not increase taxes on EI and CPP or on individuals the only way to do that is through cancelling the upcoming, scheduled corporate tax breaks -- we don't have to roll back the existing corporate tax cuts in order to deliver on this.

MD: When you say you would lower taxes "on individuals" that includes everyone, including very high income earners. We used to have 10 tax brackets -- taxing the last dollar earned by many wealthy people at over 80 per cent. Would you consider returning to a more multi-tiered personal income tax system -- which is still the fairest of all taxes?

EM: I wouldn't say "no" at all. We are always debating -- within our shadow cabinet -- whether we've got it right on exactly how the carbon tax is applied, on top of that how the cap and trade will work. We may not have it exactly right yet. We are always willing to take ideas from elsewhere because we want to have the fairest possible highest level of social justice and lowest gap between the wealthy and the poor.

MD: I wanted to talk about your party's economic policy partly because of the financial crisis but also because so much rests on what kind of economy we build. Your Vision Green document states: "The central driving principle of Green Economic Policy is maximizing efficiency." That really surprised me because it is such a core principle in the neo-liberal approach to the economy. Knowing you as I do, I wonder why the party does not have as its guiding economic principle equity and justice?

EM: The language that makes sense to Greens in that sentence comes from the assessment of consumer society as inherently wasteful and wasteful of human lives and the human spirit and community. It's not a neo-liberal statement.

MD: Why wouldn't you then say our central driving principle is equity and justice because that captures much more than just energy efficiency?

EM: In writing about creating a green economy we get preoccupied with that but in terms of the guiding global green principles we are committed to all of them: social justice, respect for human rights, grassroots democracy, seeking a culture of peace and non-violence and environmental sustainability -- those are all green principles that imbue the entire range of our policies

MD: In looking at your detailed economic policy it seems pretty conventional given that you are the party which stakes out the ground on the environment, climate change and the depletion of the earth's resources. There is a new economic movement developing in Europe characterized by the notion of "prosperity without growth." Is there any place in the party for this concept -- developed explicitly to respond to the economic and climate crises?

EM: We're looking at as much as possible localizing access to venture capital, localizing the economy, support for the family farm, local food support for local industry and that comes through in a couple of different strands of economic policy. One is a commitment that we assure municipalities have a committed sources of funds because we know of all revenue collected by governments only eight per cent goes to municipalities. There are also green transit initiatives. There's the idea that we should be directing RRSP investments to municipal bonds.

MD: I wanted to explore the whole question of how we protect the environment or more broadly how we control the behaviour of corporations in the public interest. I am struck by a lack of reference in the policy document to really strong regulation -- and by that I mean enhanced inspection and really punitive fines for violations. Why not, for example, have a forensic accountant determine how much money a corporation saved by breaking the law and fine them 50 times that amount?

EM: We want regulation and we want market mechanisms. Where you have regulation is to make sure you have a bottom line where no one falls below it. I am convinced that a company that wants to exceed all expectations will move faster and will innovate the technological solutions that others can grab.

It's never all about regulation but it certainly isn't about the "invisible green hand of the marketplace and that's all you need." That is not sensible. On the ground in Germany the Greens brought in major regulatory instruments to make sure that renewables would take off in Germany. They used a combination of regulations and market mechanisms. The Swedish Greens did the same.

We need to make it very clear that we are not afraid as a society, that when a corporate entity so egregiously violates its social contract with us that this unnatural (corporate) life is terminated. We have to shift the relationship between society and economy so that the economy's purpose is supporting healthy communities.

MD: Lastly, there is almost no prospect of the current configuration of political parties agreeing to implement proportional representation. By your own assessment the media and other political parties seem content to essentially ignore you without a seat in the House. You are accustomed to having major influence on the environmental debate, so if you do not win your seat in the next election will you be content to continue in your present situation -- sidelined in the struggle for the environment?

EM: I have learned my lesson in politics and no longer answer hypothetical questions! I do plan on winning the seat. And I would have been entirely sidelined as ED of Sierra Club of Canada. As long as Stephen Harper is prime minister, work within the environmental movement is totally sidelined. I think I can do more good in this scenario as leader of the Greens.

From http://www.rabble.ca/news/2010/01/elizabeth-may-interview

Rally to say no the suspension of Parliament

2010-01-17T12:10:00.002-05:00

Come to the rally to protest the proroguing of Parliament on Saturday, January 23rd. We will gather betweeen 1PM and 4PM outside Larry Miller's constituency office - 1131 2nd Avenue East in Owen Sound.

On the 23rd, at anti-proroguing rallies all across Canada, citizens will stand up against this abuse of democracy and demand that politicians get back to work. For more information on the rising tide of opposition to Harper's actions, see "Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament" www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=260348091419&ref=ts .

Here in Bruce Grey we expect support for this rally will come from all across the political spectrum. Please come out to show that Greens do not accept this insult to voters and to Parliament.

See you there.

Randy Dryburgh

Local MP agrees with suspension

2010-01-10T10:05:00.002-05:00

Bruce-Grey-Owen-Sound's Larry Miller says Canadians don't care about the Afghan detainee issue. And he strongly supports Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to shut down Parliament for the second year in a row, this time until March.
Perhaps, to be kind to Miller, he's not free to speak his mind. Or perhaps he really is speaking his mind.
Either way, he has done himself no credit here. His blank-brush wash of the Prime Minister's actions is not what we expected from the MP from this region.
What became of the Bruce-Grey tradition of independence? And what happened to standing up for the rights and voices of ordinary people?
Let's go through this one more time, just so the issues are crystal-clear.
The Afghan detainee question at its root is not about the detainees themselves. Suicide bombers and Taliban terrorists are not on our birthday-party list. We don't much care for them, as a matter of fact. Take that as a given.
It's not about them.
It's about whether the government and senior figures in the military lied to the people and to Parliament about what they knew.
It's about how the government tried to personally smear a senior Canadian diplomat, Richard Colvin, who did nothing more than offer sworn testimony, as he was required to do, before a Parliamentary committee.
It's about how this government, with its brazen school-yard-bully tactics, and its insistence on never acknowledging any fault, put Canadian soldiers in moral jeopardy.

From the Owen Sound Sun Times

Statement of Values.

2009-12-03T10:07:00.001-05:00

The Grey – Bruce – Owen Sound Greens recently adopted the following Statement of Values.

The Green Party of Canada is a values-based party. We are committed to a new era of true values-based politics. Strong ethical values and our green values of Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice Participatory Democracy, Non-Violence, Sustainability and Respect for Diversity guide our behavior and our place in public debate, and we take them very seriously. We do not condone or tolerate discourse of even a potentially hateful, violent or disrespectful nature.

We are a full spectrum party with a particular strength in environmental issues. We have a diverse, rich, respected and strong professional depth in our Green Party membership in all facets of government and international issues will take full advantage of their counsel, their voice and expertise.

We believe in parliamentary evolution and reform. Canadians expect parliamentarians to govern for all Canadians. A new era of cooperative government and alliances that better reflects and represents the political, ethnic, language and gender diversity of Canada is our future. We will seek to set this example in our party governance and operating structure, that it reflects the diversity of Canadians and the full spectrum of government and Canadian interests from international affairs to health care.

We will maintain a healthy balance between being in continuous election politics and being an effective, contributing and active force in the political issues of the day. We will engage issues of importance and make a difference now.

We will be a strong and engaged part of the Canadian polity. In the last federal election we received the votes of hundreds of thousands of Canadians and in every way that we can we will strongly represent these voters, their values and issues.

"Visit www.greenparty.ca/ or www.gpo.ca for more details.