What’s happening with NIPR?
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.
In fact, we’re looking for new members all the time. Members can join now and be “interim” until whenever the AGM happens. We need help with: Planning events (currently all events have to be virtual) with supporters/volunteers; connecting with new members; creating the newsletter; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; studying the 2019 platform and GPC policies in general; writing press releases/articles/policy statements; and much more. Write to us at northislandgreens@gmail.com and we can explore options.
Leadership Race
A Green Party EDA must neutral in the leadership race. We are not allowed to endorse any one candidate.* Therefore, NIPR is inviting all the Green Party leadership contestants to an online event. If there is any candidate who is unable to attend our event on June 29, we will make every effort to host that candidate at another time. (See below for details on leadership contestants.) Members and Green-curious are invited to RSVP here.
When: June 29, 5:30-7:30 pm Pacific Time
Where: Zoom link to be announced after you RSVP
RSVP: https://vote.greenparty.ca/rsvp/eve_7a4cb8a5d
* Of course, as individuals any of us can endorse the candidate of our choosing.
2019 election data analysis
AFP PHOTO / Don MACKINNON (Photo credit should read Don MacKinnon/AFP/Getty Images)
Two NIPR Executive members - Blair Cusack and Chris Tithecott - worked together with 2019 campaign manager, Mark Tapper, to start looking at the voting results of the election. We’re looking at doing a ‘deep dive’ into the data to see whether we can glean valuable information for the next election. If you’re interested in participating in this project, please connect with Blair Cusack at bcusack16@gmail.com.
A stalwart NIPR supporter/volunteer and defender of the Earth died this week. Christine Morrison, who preferred to be known as Dandelion, was active in many issues throughout her life. She was kind, generous, and funny. Dandelion had a poem that was meaningful for her. This poem version was by Starhawk.
Traditional “Charge of the Star Goddess”
I who am the beauty of the green earth
and the white moon among the stars
and the mysteries of the waters,
I call upon your soul to arise and come unto me.
For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe.
From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return.
Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold –
all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals.
Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion,
honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.
And you who seek to know Me, know that your
seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless
you know the Mystery;
for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself,
you will never find it without.
For behold, I have been with you from the
beginning, and I am that which
is attained at the end of desire.
Green Party of Canada (GPC) Leadership Race
There are currently five (as of May 29) approved candidates: Amita Kuttner, Annamie Paul, David Merner, Glen Murray, and Dylan Perceval-Maxwell. Have a look at the GPC website for information on leadership race. There are also other contestants who have put their name forward but who are not yet approved. We have a varied slate of people, which is great! You are encouraged to check out each of their platforms (on their websites), and attend at least some events to get a sense of who you think would be best to lead the Green Party. We haven’t had a new leader in 13 years, so this is an exciting opportunity for you as Green Party members.
You must be a member by September 3, 2020, in order to vote for the leader. You can become a member here. If you’re unsure about your membership status, you can write to support@greenparty.ca and they’ll tell you.
Online voting will open from September 26, 2020 to October 3, 2020 and will be available to all eligible voting members. To be an eligible voting member, you must be a member in good standing of the Green Party of Canada.
Here are all the candidates we are aware of at this point:
APPROVED CANDIDATES
Amita Kuttner
Twitter I Facebook I Instagram I Website
Annamie Paul
Twitter I Facebook I Instagram I Website I Interview
David Merner
Twitter I Facebook I Instagram I Website I Video
Dylan Perceval-Maxwell
Twitter I Facebook I Instagram I Website
Glen Murray
Twitter I Facebook I Website I Instagram I Interview
CANDIDATES PENDING APPROVAL
Alex Tyrrell
Facebook I Instagram I Website
Dimitri Lascaris
Twitter I Facebook I Website
Judy N Green
Twitter I Facebook I Instagram I Website
Meryam Haddad
Website I Twitter
Silverado Socrates
Facebook
A Young Green named Victoria Galea has been doing interviews with leadership contestants. You can see them on her YouTube account. They are well worth watching.
Nominating someone to run as candidate
Nominations close June 3, 2020. That’s only a few days from now! Nominating someone DOES NOT mean you endorse them. It simply means that you believe they have the right to run as a candidate. You can go to this page on the Green Party of Canada (GPC) website and add your name to nominate any or all of the candidates.
Leadership Contestants and Fundraising
You can donate to your local EDA, you can donate to the Green Party of Canada, and you can donate to individual leadership contestant campaigns. Fundraising during a time when groups are not allowed to congregate in person is very difficult. The contestants each need to raise a significant amount of money before and after they are approved. Please do your research on which candidate you support, and help them by donating to their campaign. Whoever becomes the Green Party of Canada leader will be leading us into the next election campaign. This is an important decision. PLEASE do your homework and make an informed choice.
Federal Council and Young Greens Council Elections
The results are in! Check out who won in your region here. And the results of the Young Greens Council are here. The Federal Council works for the membership, so don’t hesitate to write your regional representative to see what they’re doing for the region. They will probably all get a Green Party email and the general naming convention is firstname.lastname@greenparty.ca.
Voter turnout amongst GPC members was 19.7%. Before you think that’s appalling, note that it was around 14% in 2019. Pat Carl, a NIPR member who sometimes writes for us (and other organizations) has written an opinion piece on this. Read more here.
Green Party of Canada Announces New Executive Director
Prateek Awasthi has had a varied and interesting life thus far in advocacy and leadership. Now he begins the next chapter with us. Read more here.
For more background on him, read this article from The Indian Express.
Green Party Statement on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
Other GPC items of interest
Green Party press releases:
- Greens stress post-COVID-19 recovery stimulus most effective when developed with climate in mind
- Green MPs condemn Israeli plan to annex more Palestinian land
- Preparing for the echo-pandemic: Green MP calls for direct investments in community mental health services
- Canada’s tourism sector needs urgent support
Articles and letters Elizabeth May wrote after attacks over “oil is dead.”
- Elizabeth May responds to John Ivison: The oilsands are not worth investing in (National Post)
- Yes, Oil is dead. Just read the writing on the wall. (National Observer)
- Letter to the Editor, May 14 (Times Colonist)
Parliamentary petitions needing your signature
- e-2525 Eliminate Fossil Fuel Subsidies (closes June 15)
- e-2447 Open Competition for Research Funding (closes June 23)
- e-2450 Legalize the Transportation of CBD Products Across the Canadian Border (closes June 26)
- e-2416 Mandatory Labelling of Food Containing GMOs (closes July 4)
- 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-2583 Guaranteed Livable Income (closes August 19)
- e-2565 Request that Israel Immediately Lift the Blockade on Gaza (closes September 4)
BC Greens Connect: Winding Down BC’s Fossil Fuel Industries with guest speaker Marc Lee
RSVP now
June 4, 5 pm
We will discuss the report: Winding Down BC’s Fossil Fuel Industries: Planning for climate justice in a zero-carbon economy. By Marc Lee & Seth Klein.
Q & A with Marc Lee! - We are pleased to announce report author Marc Lee from CCPA will be joining our call to discuss the report and to answer questions.
Report Summary: For British Columbia to meet its emissions targets and not perpetuate the climate crisis, it must phase out its fossil fuel industries by mid-century. This means strategically and thoughtfully planning for the coming energy transition, including full decarbonization of the economy by 2050 and a fair transition for workers and resource-dependent communities.
The report outlines a four-part framework for a managed wind-down in BC, which must be planned with First Nations, to phase out fossil fuel industries over the next 20 to 30 years.
Governments and industry must engage in an honest conversation about what’s needed to get to net-zero emissions by mid-century, rather than focusing on extracting and exporting as much fossil fuels as possible, the report says. The proposed wind-down approach is informed by climate justice and just transition and the authors explain that the path forward must ensure that no one—in particular workers and communities in existing fossil fuel sectors—is left behind.
Download the report here.
Seniors Care in a post COVID world
RSVP now
June 11, 5 pm
This week we will discuss the report: A billion reason to care by Isobel Mackenzie
Please join guest speaker Isobel Mackenzie from the Office of the Seniors Advocate as she talks about “A Billion Reasons to Care” the shocking report which exposed the flaws in BC’s $1.4 billion-dollar contracted long-term care sector. Isobel will answer meeting members’ questions about the report and its importance in a post COVID world.
Download A billion reasons to care report here.
Drug decriminalization vs legalization. What is the best path forward?
RSVP now
June 18, 5 pm
Drug decriminalization vs legalization: What is the best path forward? Presented by Cheyenne Johnson, Inter ED, BC Centre on Substance Use
If you want to lessen the harms caused by drug use, why is possession ever a crime? Canada has legalized and regulated the possession of marijuana. Why stop there? Wouldn’t the money and effort that goes into prosecuting drug use be better spent on providing better health care for drug users who are experiencing harm?
Join as Cheyenne Johnson from the BC Centre on Substance Use, answers these questions and more, and helps us to understand the pro and cons of drug decriminalization and legalization.
Earth Day
Your local Greens created a thank-you video for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
There were, of course, many messages from all over the Earth. We have one from Bev Howden, who is a Green Party supporter in the Comox Valley. You can read her Earth Day message here.
Here’s a very important question: “Earth Day 50 is over, so how to we get to Earth Day 100? “April saw a lot of reflection about the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, considered the birth of the modern environmental movement. Taking stock of the trends of the past 50 years — a tiny fraction of the 3.5 billion years of history of life on Earth — is a sobering exercise. We cannot be certain whether it is already too late to stop current climate and ecosystem trends, but the science is clear that another 50 years on the current trajectory will not end well.” Read more.
Creatively United did a whole series of webinars during Earth Week. They are well worth watching to help us move forward.
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.
While this issue’s Profile in Green isn’t either an individual or a business, I think it’s appropriate to profile them here because of what they did during the month of April and ongoing. All their presentations are recorded and available on their website. Topics span eco-forestry, gardening, de-glaciation, water security, food security, art…and much more.
Creatively United is a website that is connecting people who are looking at or for creative solutions to dealing with the climate emergency. You can read more about Creatively United and how they are connecting/creating community here.
This year, 2020, was the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. So, during Earth Week, Creatively United conducted daily webinars on a variety of issues. They called this series Creative Solutions for a New World. The series featured an incredible line-up of presenters who will explore a multitude of transformational possibilities and creative solutions to move us forward.
Each webinar was recorded and will be made available on CreativelyUnited.org for those who are unable to attend the live presentations, or who would like to view them again. Check out the list of webinars here. Each webinar was unique, and well worth checking out.
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
Doug Cowell, Courtenay
Elizabeth Crum, Campbell River
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.
