Camille Labchuk

Hey Green friends, this is a reminder that today is the last day to vote in a) Green Party council elections (I’m re-offering as a candidate for Ontario representative) and b) vote on policy/constitutional/directive resolutions.

It’s incredibly important that you VOTE – the deadline is today!!!

As many of you are aware, there has been some online discussion regarding several of the constitutional resolutions, specifically those related to the leadership term. The Federal Council, of which I am a member, has put forward a resolution that would replace the party’s inflexible, fixed-term leadership period with a leadership review following an election (G10-c29: Party Leader Term). This is obviously a wise move for a growing party. With Canadian politics in a state of constant flux, with an election possible virtually any time, it makes little sense to adhere to a fixed-term leadership model, where an election and a leadership could easily intersect, shattering any chance of the Greens gaining credibility with the Canadian public.

A Green for whom I have an immeasurable amount of respect, Katie Gibbs, has sent the following email to her contacts. I agree with her recommendations, so I’m reposting them here. Katie is former Co-Chair of the Young Greens Council, meaning that she has sat on Federal Council, and she is also the current CEO of the Ottawa-Vanier Greens. In this email she explains how she is voting, and I share her perspective. Many of you have asked how I wll vote on these leadership motions, so here is the list, followed by Katie’s email that explains the logic behind the recommendations.

Here’s the brief run-down, followed by the longer explanations.

G10-c12: Amendment to Bylaw 2.1.4.5 – Allow Extension to Leader’s Term – YES

G10-c29: Party Leader Term – YES

G10-d02: Leadership Endorsement 2010 – YES

G10-d11: Commitment to Leadership Race – NO

Hey everyone,

I’m sure many of you are aware that there are a few very important BGM resolutions pertaining to the leadership of our party.

The deadline to vote online is AUGUST 2nd. It is VERY important to vote online. Resolutions that receive over 60% support (green) online are automatically accepted and ones that have 60% disapproval (red) are automatically rejected and don’t come to the BGM at all.

G10-c12: Amendment to Bylaw 2.1.4.5 – Allow Extension to Leader’s Term

I get that you might be too busy to go through the ton of governance and policy resolutions, but here are the really important ones that need to be voted on. It will only take a few minutes to read them and vote.

The constitution currently calls for a leadership race every 4 years with no flexibility. This motion would allow a one-time extension to the 4 year term in case a general election is called close to the end of the leader’s term.

Right now this means that Elizabeth’s term could be extended until just after the next general election. I’m voting yes on this motion.

G10-c29: Party Leader Term

This motion actually changes the leader’s fixed four year term to system where we have a leadership review following each general election and if members do not pass a resolution endorsing the Leader by at least 60%, this will trigger a leadership contest. This motion is not compatible with G10-c12, but I am voting yes for both of them because they are both significantly better than the leadership contest section of our current constitution.

G10-d02: Leadership Endorsement 2010

Politically, it is a must for us to come out of the BGM rallied behind our leader. Even if you feel that she has made mistakes, we all need to vote yes on this motion.  If you want us to have any chance of winning a seat in the next election, vote yes for this directive and tell all your friends to as well. Personally, I couldn’t imagine a better leader than Elizabeth to lead us into the next election, I’m voting yes.

G10-d11: Commitment to Leadership Race

This motion directs the party to initiate a leadership race no later than October 2010. With the likeliness of a fall federal election, I think this motion equates to political suicide. We simply can’t have a leadership race during or immediately preceding a general election. Not only does it make us look like amateurs but new Elections Canada laws regarding leadership races would seriously restrict the amount of resources that we could offer to Elizabeth during a leadership race- not something we want to happen during a General Election. In case that wasn’t clear, I’m voting no on this directive.

Please take the time to vote on these important motions and then enjoy the long weekend!

Katie

CEO of the Ottawa-Vanier EDA
Former Co-Chair of the Young Greens of Canada

Finally, how do you vote? You will have received multiple emails over the summer with voting instructions, likely with the subject header “Time to E-Vote! Place au Cybervote!” Follow the instructions, and you should be in good shape. If you need help, write to helpdesk@everyonecounts.com or call 1‑877‑EVOTECA (1‑877‑386-8322).

Happy voting!