Message from the CEO
Greens dream of sustainable lifestyle, deep meaningful democracy, and limits to growth in respect for finite resources. Your NIPR executive has the courage and a vision to serve and be visible in our communities. On behalf of NIPR Greens, I thank you for stepping up. The future is pregnant with options. Speak up with confidence, know your voice is heard; you are the agent for change.
Inspiration
Elizabeth May talks with Baraa Arar of The Watering Hole about why/how she got into politics originally. From their website: “Life is a series of silent awkwardnesses. But we like to fill that silence by talking about youths, education, creative endeavours, and other stuffs. We believe in telling stories, and that’s the approach we take when talking to people or about people.
We do what we do because we believe in the power of stubborn optimism.”
COP23
Setting the rules of the climate change game: A webinar
This webinar was organized by the UNSSC Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development in partnership with UN Climate Change. ‘COP23 in Bonn: Setting the Rules of the Climate Game’ explains the milestones and key challenges that participants saw ahead of COP23. View the webinar here.
…AND…
Click here to watch live videos of Elizabeth’s first five days in Bonn.
Every conference needs some comic relief: “This is an in-between sort of COP. I have said for years that there are “good cops and bad cops.” This one is a pun waiting to happen, taken from the great Quebecois film “Bon Cop; Bad Cop.” This COP is the first Bonn COP.” (Elizabeth May)
Elizabeth also participated in a Global Greens Press Conference and update while at COP23. Read more.
BC Referendum on Proportional Representation
The BC Government has introduced Bill 6: Electoral Reform Referendum 2018 Act.
Hopefully third time’s the charm in BC, and the voters will say YES to electoral reform.
Some might say, but that’s a provincial issue and we’re a Federal group. That’s true, but I bet the Federal Liberals are holding their collective breath because if BC can pass electoral reform, that may well change the narrative in the 2019 Federal election. read more
The BC Liberals are already ramping up for the fight. Dianne Watts, one of the BC Liberal leadership candidates, has said openly that her first priority is defeating electoral reform. She tweeted, “I’m hellbent on ensuring we defeat it.”
This campaign will need lots of help. Do not be complacent and think others will do it and succeed. Everyone who can needs to get involved. There will be a need for all kinds of contributions – leafleting, staffing tables, phone calls, public events. Whatever you are comfortable doing, there will be a job for you. Contact Fair Vote Canada to find out if there’s a chapter near you, or to start a chapter.
The Fair Vote Comox Valley chapter is going to be bringing Elizabeth May and Terry Dance-Bennink (of Fair Vote BC) to NIC on March 14, 2018. The event will be held at the Stan Hagen Theatre on the NIC Courtenay Campus. That event committee is also working on adding Nathan Cullen to the evening as well. Mark that date on your calendar; we’ll send out more information at a later time.
Also, there is a group called Local Choice of British Columbia who have devised an endorsement form for local, municipal councillors. They are encouraging Municipal governments to endorse proportional representation.
Subscriber Voices
On NIPR’s website, check regularly on the Member Submitted Articles page for new and interesting pieces.
Project Watershed, K’omoks First Nation, and Kus-Kus-Sum
Are you retiring? Having a birthday? Celebrating an anniversary? Need an idea for Christmas gifts?
Pat Carl is challenging people to consider donating retirement proceeds to the Kus-Kus-Sum project. This effort to reclaim the Field Sawmill site is perhaps the most exciting thing to happen in the Comox Valley for quite some time. They need to have $100,000 by December 20, 2017. That’s less than a month from now, and they still have a way to go to get there.
Do you have some creative ideas for raising funds? Read Pat’s challenge and add your ideas to the Comment section.
Vote Swapping: A Symptom of First-Past-the-Post Syndrome
By Gail Wolverton
I have no idea how many times I have heard…”why bother voting…nothing ever changes” and “by the time they count the vote here …the election is over.” I likely said those things myself.
I would go to vote…but it was always because I was fed up with the current government and was hoping to vote them out by voting for who I believed would have a chance of defeating them. It was never that I believed in the party that I was voting for. read more
Please subscribe to our communications to keep in touch. We want input about local events and issues throughout the riding, and information of concern for all of us. No one person can keep abreast of everything out there. Megan is currently doing these communications, so if you have news, write to her at megan.ardyche@greensofnorthisland-powellriver.ca. (You might want to copy and paste that email rather than try to recreate it!)
2019 Federal Election
By Mark Tapper
Though the federal election is 2 years off, the NIPR GPC EDA Election Readiness Committee has begun meeting on a monthly basis. It is important to choose a Green candidate in a thoughtful and timely way.
Topics discussed have included the optimal characteristics of a candidate such as, “holding Green values and ethical principles and possessing the ability to convey both,” and, “having the ability to articulate why the Greens are a different Party”.
In addition, the importance of having women in politics and as prospective NIPR GPC candidates has been emphasized. However they face additional and different challenges to men and this needs to be anticipated.
“Local heroes” throughout the riding are being identified who may be approached to run as the GPC candidate. If you know of people you would like to be considered as the GPC candidate in the next election, no matter where in the riding they live, please contact Mark at mark.tapper@greensofnorthisland-powellriver.ca.
What’s happening In Powell River
Looking Ahead / Glancing Behind
By Cynthia Barnes
I am so grateful to be a member of the Green party. We were so blessed with our last Green federal candidate in the person of Brenda Sayers who was authentic, well loved, intelligent, and had demonstrated prior to the federal campaign her dedication to sustainable trade in her fight against the Trans Pacific Trade Agreement which would have jeopardized our Canadian environment as well as First Nations’ rights.
It is important to me that we have a voice in Parliament to support Elizabeth May. May’s fight for proportional representation, civility in Parliament, Climate Action and more needs our support. I always am surprised that more people do not see the benefit of greater representation of/by the Green party in Parliament. Read more
EDA mobilization webinars
The GPC has a terrific Director of Mobilization, Sonia Theroux. The National office is really working at providing EDA Executives with more tools to organize effectively and to run great local organizations. One of those tools has been webinars for EDA Executive members and for interested volunteers.
So far there have been webinars on what an EDA is and why Executives exist; building successful teams, planning EDA activities a year at a time, creating engaging events, engaging youth, communicating effectively, and more.
The webinars will be repeated in 2018, and we really encourage any volunteers out there to attend. Megan has hosted these in her home, where she can project them onto a large-screen TV. It’s so much more fun when a group gets together to do these sessions.
GPC Committee for motion development
Changes are proposed in how the Green Party of Canada (GPC) develops resolutions to the Party’s biennial Conventions.
At the December 2016 GPC Convention, a motion was passed to form a Committee on Motion Development (CMD). A grassroots response to that resolution saw the formation of an EDA level effort to identify the gaps in our current system and solicit input from all the CEOs of EDAs, national and global Green parties, and the membership at large through a series of 12 workshops held virtually and physically across the country.
The information gathered was compiled into a CMD report, which makes 14 recommendations and offers options for policy development process improvements.
You can view the report here or email Rob Gerbrandt (mgerb@gmail.com), David Hunter (david.hunter@greenparty.ca) or Thomas Teuwen (thomas.teuwen@greenparty.caif you have any questions.
Where are we going next?
The NIPR Executive now has the ability to use Zoom, an online meeting tool which is very easy to use. We plan to use this to have face-to-face meetings around the riding over the next year. If you would like to schedule a one-on-one meeting with the Executive, or with any member of the Executive, let us know.
EDA Executives across Canada are starting to hold regular Zoom drop-ins twice a week. This is an very exciting opportunity to get to know each other, and to share ideas and support. This will make a huge difference with EDAs feeling connected, and it will create a more cohesive, unified, and stronger Green Party. It is very motivating to attend these drop-ins, so we’re getting energized.
Subscribe
Subscribe to our communications to keep in touch. We want input about local events and issues throughout the riding, and information of concern for all of us. No one person can keep abreast of everything out there. Megan is currently doing these communications, so if you have news, write to her at megan.ardyche@greensofnorthisland-powellriver.ca. (You might want to copy and paste that email rather than try to recreate it!)
As the end of November approaches, our thoughts are starting to shift to the holiday season and family celebrations.
But it’s also the time when political parties and other organizations put on special fundraising drives. The reason is simple. Your political and charitable donations result in a year-end tax receipt that provides you with a bigger refund on your taxes. To qualify for that refund in 2018, your donations have to be made before the end of 2017.
NIPR wants to connect with people across the riding. And, as you saw in the previous newsletter, the EDA Executive has done a lot of things in 2017, with no money. Tis the season for giving, so please take this opportunity to keep our momentum going…and maximize your tax deductions for 2017!
Make a comment on our newsletter and/or any of the linked stories and you can win… read more
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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:
Cynthia Barnes
Debra Hughes
Doug Cowell
Jay Van Oostdam
LeRoy McFarlane, CEO
Mark de Bruijn
Mark Tapper
Megan Ardyche
Michael Mascall
Ricarda van Orden
Robin Cahill
Sue Moen
© 2017 Greens of North Island - Powell River Approved by the official agent.
