Green Party council elections get underway
You may know that I presently have the honour and pleasure of representing Ontario on federal council, the governing body of the Green Party of Canada. I joined council in January of this year, filling a vacancy left when my predecessor had to step down. Most council positions are up for election over the summer–mine included–and I’ll be running to hold on to my council seat and continue representing Ontario.
So, why should you vote for me? Here are the top three reasons.
1. I know the Green Party inside and out, and I have first-hand experience working at nearly every level of the party. I got involved as a volunteer in the 2004 election, and was a candidate in 2006. I worked full-time on Elizabeth May’s leadership campaign that summer, then joined the national office team as press secretary to the party and leader. After leaving staff after the last election, I became a councilor. I also sit on the board of the GPC Fund (the financial and legal arm), I’m a member of the International Committee, and I help out with party communications. What does all this mean? I hope it means that I understand how the various bodies within the party can and should function, both independently and in relation to each other. I have a good idea of what has worked for us, what has not, and what we still need to learn.
2. I am focused on ensuring we achieve electoral success in the next election, and my top priority is electing at least one MP. The reasons why we need Green MPs are obvious, and failing to send Greens to Parliament in the next election will not only damage our party’s future relevance, it will also deprive our voters of the representation they deserve. There’s also the not-so-minor consideration of our planet’s future, and having Greens in the House will vastly improve the odds that we’ll extricate ourselves from the mess we’re in. Electing our leader and other candidates is absolutely achievable – we simply need to develop a strategy and raise the money to pull it off. Other priorities include providing candidates with the tools they need, improving internal communication, and running a full slate of candidates. As a councilor, I’ll work to make sure this happens.
3. I’m committed to addressing your concerns and I’m here to listen. One of the Green Party’s best sources of feedback and ideas is our membership, particularly those who have taken it to the next step by working on a campaign, serving on an EDA executive or even running as a candidate. It’s important to consult and it’s important to devise solutions to past and current problems we face. We can’t afford to repeat our mistakes. Your feedback is important to me and I will continue to bring your concerns forward during council deliberations. I hope to use this blog as one way to keep the lines of communication open.
I’ll continue to write on the council elections and will share more thoughts as the race moves forward. In the meantime, you can expect to receive a voting package any day now (electronic, unless you’ve opted for paper mail). The deadline to join the party in time to vote is Thursday, July 16, and the voting deadline is Saturday, August 15. If you want to join or renew your membership in order to vote for me, visit http://www.greenparty.ca/join.
If you have questions or comments on my candidacy, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to write to me at camille -at- greenparty.ca or leave a comment.
Dear Camille,
I am happy to vote for you as long as you stay humble and continue to learn.
Our dear Elizabeth May is surely becoming the conscience of Canada, following in the steps of Tommy Douglas and Ed Broadbent. She speaks truth to power.
I notice a mistake in what you just posted, one that many politicians make, including many avid Greens. Here is the key question.
Is your beloved party an extension of the genuine need that I and the Canadian polity have for your party’s purpose, or is the party an extension of your desire to be the one who leads the party to victory?
Quoting you
The reasons why we need Green MPs are obvious, and failing to send Greens to Parliament in the next election will not only damage our party’s future relevance, it will also deprive our voters of the representation they deserve. There’s also the not-so-minor consideration of our planet’s future, and having Greens in the House will vastly improve the odds that we’ll extricate ourselves from the mess we’re in. Electing our leader and other candidates is absolutely achievable …
End of quote
The good part in the quote is “There’s also the not-so-minor consideration of our planet’s future”: yes, said tongue-in-cheek but still poignant. The bad parts are what the good part is sandwiched between: “failing to send Greens to Parliament in the next election will not only damage our party’s future relevance” and “Electing our leader and other candidates is absolutely achievable”, for these are partisan issues, and so naturally disingenuous.
Two aspects of political life are “sustaining the party” and “promoting what the party represents to the electorate”. The former purpose is always invalid, though often well-intended, the latter always valid when genuine. In Elizabeth’s book, we read that “parties” are not part of the definition of Parliament and unnecessary to its serious business.
In the quote, the reason that a good and intelligent person should support you is slipped in between two aspects that are fundamentally disingenuous in that “political” way, you know, the way that causes common folk to despise everything “political”.
Comparing Elizabeth May to the leaders of the two parties that traditionally rule Canada, Elizabeth is always focussed on what the Green Party will do for the people of Canada, while Harper and Ignatieff are characters in a political play in which all the world’s a stage and no one is real. [“I am the Walrus! Goo-goo-ka-joob”: Beatle’s white album.]
So my point is that I hope that you will learn to stay real and shuck the human instinct to be tribal and partisan. [It was Lewis Carrol’s Walrus who ate all the young oysters he had befriended “through the looking glass”.] And then I will continue to support your campaign because I will trust that all the children of all my friends will benefit from your activity, so also my country and planet.
What I ask of you is very difficult. I wish you well. If not you, then I must continue to shop for a good place to park my vote.
Bob Halstead
Green Party,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Earth