What’s happening with NIPR?

Welcome to the June North Island-Powell River Electoral District Association (NIPR EDA) Newsletter. As the pandemic continues and BC moves into Phase Three of response, politics at the local and federal levels has never been more important.  Our Green MPs continue to press the government to improve social and environmental accountability every day and crowds of people are protesting inequalities with greater zeal.

Message from Elizabeth May:

We are at a hinge moment in history. They come along rarely. These moments in time – Kairos moments – change everything. This is an end to incrementalism. It is time to sweep away the remnants of an unjust, unsustainable world.

It is too early to use the past tense to describe the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is not too soon to begin learning from it. The unprecedented events of the past months have reminded us that we value one another and that we are stronger, united. They have also taught us that:

• In an emergency, governments can move – fast!
• In an emergency, we can put aside our differences and work together.
• In an emergency, our heroes are front-line workers, people who have been earning too little for too long.
• Women, in particular, perform vital tasks and have been underpaid and undervalued for too long.
• The globalization of everything allowed the virus to spread.
• The globalization of supply chains made it harder to access what we need.
• What we thought was normal and acceptable is no longer acceptable – a world of deep inequality and unacceptable levels of pollution.
• Billions of people around the world can all respond to share a collective responsibility.
• Governments around the world can decide that life is more important than money. 

We have a lot of work to do to get Canada on track.  I want to share with you that I am hopeful it can be done. (Courtesy of SGI EDA)

Elizabeth

The NIPR Executive has developed with a vision statement. Is this a vision you can get on board with? Leave your comments in the Comments section on the website, at the bottom of this post.

The Electoral District Association (EDA) will be holding its AGM sometime this summer or fall. It will, in all likelihood, be an online event and we are in the process of figuring that out. Now is the time to start thinking about whether you want to contribute to your local Green Party by being on the Executive Committee.

Members can join the Executive Committee now and be “interim” until the AGM happens. Write to northislandgreens@gmail.com if you’re interested in talking more about what being on the Executive means. We can have you as a guest/observer at one or two of our Executive meetings, if you’d like to get a sense of how we work.

This is a year of change for the Green Party. With a new Executive Director, a new Federal Council, and a new Party leader, it’s a great time to get involved. Plus, we need to start preparing for the next election. There are persistent rumours that Prime Minister Trudeau will call an early election in an effort to capitalize on his positive ratings from the coronavirus pandemic emergency measures. 

Following on from the appeal above, we’re also looking for volunteers to help with projects. It’s not necessary to be on the Executive to make things happen. Whatever your particular interest, get in touch and we’ll see how we can manifest your ideas. Areas we need help with include:

• the website (WordPress)
• social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
• candidate search for the next election (possibly sooner than we think)
• general election readiness
• creating an Asset Library of written materials on Green Party policy that can be used at short notice
• organizing events on topics you may be interested in (virtual for now, but in-person later)

Again, write us at northislandgreens@gmail.com

Leadership Race

On June 29, 2020, the NIPR EDA hosted all ten GPC leadership contestants in a virtual forum. Over 50 people attended and were able to move about from room to room to meet those contestants they were most interested in. We used the breakout rooms for an hour, so people could connect one-on-one with the contestant(s) of their choice, and then we all convened in the main room and carried on for another half hour. Most of the contestants stayed for that as well, and we continued with questions. There were still 30+ people on the call at the end of two hours. From feedback we got, the event was a success!

In last month’s newsletter, we told you about the passing of a friend and Green Party supporter, Dandelion. Here is a short story from Pat Carl about working with Dandelion during the election campaign. 

Leadership Race

Check out the contestants’ profiles and websites at greenparty.ca.

Check out the Fair Vote Canada debate with most of the leadership contestants.

Check out the TVO debates with Steve Paikin of The Agenda. Yes, it is debates plural. With ten contestants, they decided to break it up into two sessions.

The Huffington Post did an article following the TVO debates. “Moderated by TVO’s Steve Paikin, the debates were broken into two 37-minute sessions with mostly the same questions posed to each group of five contestants. While there was unanimity against the building of new pipelines, and on the necessity of the Green party (several candidates noted the B.C. NDP’s support for carbon-heavy projects), the mostly collegial exchanges did expose some fault lines on where and how the candidates believe the party should grow.” Read more.

Just a reminder - in order to vote in this historic leadership contest, you must be a member of the GPC by September 3rd.  We strongly encourage all Green voters to become members and take part in this important event!  You can learn more here.

Welcome Letter to GPC’s Executive Director

As you know, we not only have a new Federal Council, but we have a new Executive Director - Prateek Awasthi. Both Prateek and the new Federal Council have made commitments to connect with EDAs across Canada.

It is in the spirit of welcoming Prateek and of extending the hand of friendship, so to speak, that we are encouraging you to send a welcome email to him.

Here is the webpage for the form letter.

Reimagining Our Future

The Green Party’s plan for how we can move forward after COVID-19. Read more.

Other GPC items of interest

If you haven’t signed up yet for Elizabeth May’s Good Sunday Morning, you can do so here. You can choose to receive only the Good Sunday Morning in the area below your sign-up information. It’s well worth getting the perspective of our Past Leader and current Parliamentary Caucus Leader on events happening in Canada and globally.

Petitions you can sign:

 e-2416 Mandatory labelling of food containing GMOs (closes July 4)
 e-2655 Extend work permit timit limit for international students (closes July 10)
 e-2471 Grant the RCMP Funding for Body Cameras (closes July 16)
 e-2534 Amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (closes August 14)
 e-2565 Request that Israel immediately lift the blockade on Gaza (closes September 4)
 e-2583 Implement a Guaranteed Livable Income (closes 19 August)
 e-2615 Divest CPP from fossil fuel investments (closes October 3)

“Kim is an entrepreneur, successful business owner & a strong advocate for healthy, just & sustainable communities throughout BC. She will proudly lead the party into the next election, attracting support from all sectors of our rich & diverse province.” from Kim Darwin Leader for the BC Greens Facebook page.

“Sonia is running to be the next leader of the BC Greens because it’s time for leadership that will listen to evidence and to communities, and that embraces new ideas that ensure a secure future for our province.” From Sonia Furstenau for BC Greens Leader Facebook Page.

Interested in being a candidate?

Did you know that any BC Greens member who meets the eligibility requirements can run to be our next leader? Are you interested, or know someone who might be? Apply here.

Provincially, BC Greens are taking action to amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour within our organization and “remains committed to building a diverse, equitable, and anti-racist party. BC Greens are based on principles of respect for diversity and social justice, and we will work and do whatever is necessary to make sure our party reflects these values.” 

Our Riding Association also looks forward to building diversity within our organization. We were inspired and challenged by a recent webinar with Dr. Lisa Gunderson, Anti-Racist Equity Consultant about how we can begin to address issues within our own party. Dr. Gunderson urges us to ‘talk to our people’ - to have a conversation ‘with people who look like you’ about anti-black racism and what it will take to diversify our organizations. 

Here’s two resources she recommended: 

• Why “I’m not racist” is only half the story by American educator Robin DiAngelo 
•  Colour Code - a podcast about race in Canada with hosts Denise Balkissoon and Hannah Sung. Check out Episode 11 for ideas on how we can all move forward with the conversation — how to approach and cope with discussions of race and identity at home, at school and with friends and family.

Let us know if you want to be part of the Courtenay-Comox Riding Association conversation! Courtenay-Comox Riding Association at crc@bcgreens.ca

We are planning to hold a virtual get together to update members and supporters in July. Sign up if you want to hear more about this and other events. 

Like us on Facebook. 

Sign up to volunteer - we’d love to have you join us! 

The NIPR website has a section for submissions from our members. These are stand-alone essays or opinion pieces that we often link to in our newsletter. 

This month we are carrying a piece by Tim Larsen which builds on the Green Party’s Reimagining Our Future plan for building a new economy and a new society post-COVID. “As citizens of our communities, countries and the world, we each bear a responsibility in creating our post-pandemic future.”

We are also carrying two pieces on Policing in the 21st Century, one by Pat Carl and one by Jim MacDougall. Jim’s is from the perspective of the cop on the street, and Pat’s is from the perspective of the supervisory officer.

In Profiles in Green, we will showcase individuals (or businesses) who are leaders in the personal or economic changes needed to ensure a livable future for the next seven generations. If you know of individuals (or businesses) who may be candidates for Profiles in Green, write to us at northislandgreens@gmail.com. We’d love to profile individuals and businesses from throughout the riding.

Vancouver Island startup wins grant to work on carbon sequestration project

“Thanks to this grant, we will be able to further develop our initial findings regarding a novel use for biochar, a carbon-negative material that is most commonly used to increase soil health, by increasing water retention, decreasing nutrient loss, and increasing microbial abundance and diversity,” said Nyoka founder/CEO Paige Whitehead, a Comox resident. “Our goal as a company is to continue to develop material innovations which are better for the health of our communities and our planet. It is an honour to be working together with the UBC Materials and Manufacturing Research Institute, who have worked with similar innovative companies such as the popular Eco-poxy Resins, Performance Biofilaments, and Advanced BioCarbon 3D.” Read more.

Check out NIPR’s calendar of events on a regular basis. You may see upcoming events there before a newsletter goes out.

We’re always looking for events happening in our riding of interest to Greens wherever they live. They don’t have to be Green events. As you’ll see from the calendar, many of the events showcased here have to do with issues that matter to us as citizens, no matter what our political party of choice. And many are events being put on my groups whose work we as Greens support. If you know of events in your community that you think might interest Green supporters, write to the NIPR Greens and let us know. Please provide as much information as possible, with links to the relevant Facebook or event page.

Of course, the coronavirus, COVID-19,  is wreaking havoc with so many plans. All in-person events are cancelled for the time being. But that doesn’t mean your local Greens are going to be slacking off. And check out the Green Party of Canada’s Events calendar for GPC (and other) webinars that are coming up

Greens are defined by a personal responsibility to the community, the quality of decisions we make, and our ability to defend those decisions. We are not responsible for the success or failure of other political entities, and Greens are committed to earning the respect of voters.

Official NIPR email:
northislandgreens@gmail.com

Your NPR Executive:
Megan Ardyche, Comox
Blair Cusack, Courtenay
Mark de Bruijn, Courtenay
Susan Holvenstot, Courtenay
Tim Larsen, Powell River
Susan Short, Powell River
Carol Thatcher, Courtenay
Chris Tithecott, Campbell River
Jay Van Oostdam, Comox
© 2020 Greens of North Island - Powell River  Approved by the official agent.