The Council elections results are as follows:

Councilor at Large: Huguette Allen, Susan Stratton, Donna Dillman, David Coon, Dan Murray

PEI: Jeremy Stiles

NB: Burt Folkins

NS: Sheila Richardson

QC: Sameer Muldeen

ON: Camille Labchuk

MB: Michael Moreau

AB: Peter Johnston

Territories: Kim Melton

I’m looking forward to working with the solid team of incoming councilors. It is disappointing, however, that many strong Council candidates did not win, especially current Chair Kate Storey, whose dedication and insight have been unparalleled during her time on Council. It’s good news that six women were elected. I wrote about gender equity on Council last month, and although the incoming Council is still short on women, this is progress.

I’m impressed — but not surprised — that members have elected Council candidates who emphasize respect and cooperation, as opposed to those who seem preoccupied with settling personal scores and publicly badmouthing the leadership, staff and volunteers of the Green Party.

I applaud every Green who took the time to cast a ballot in the Council elections. A huge thanks to my supporters, and a round of applause for Robert Routledge, who also ran for Ontario Representative. Although I have yet to meet him, I’m impressed by Robert’s background and ideas, and look forward to his future contributions.

I promise to continue working  hard to represent Ontario Greens while on Council, while also focusing on preparing our party to crank it up a notch by sending a Green MP to Ottawa in the next election. We have a lot to accomplish, and I welcome your input. Please feel free to contact me anytime with questions, concerns, suggestions or ideas, at camille -at- greenparty.ca.

The Greens have made electing Elizabeth May our top priority in the next election. With this in mind, we have focused on determining which of Canada’s 308 ridings is the most fertile ground for a Green breakthrough. It’s no secret that polls have been commissioned, and that several ridings have been under consideration, including SGI, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, Guelph, and, until recently, Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, where a by-election will eventually be called to replace the formidable Bill Casey. When May announces her chosen riding, I know this crucial decision will be made based on the best available polling and other information.

Personally, I’ll be very pleased should May decide to run in SGI. Of all the ridings under consideration, it’s abundantly clear that SGI offers the very best shot at sending May to Parliament. Here’s why.

If the Green Party has a base, it’s in BC. The GPBC, founded by Adriane Carr in 1983, was the first Green Party in North America, and, as a result, Green politics have been on the radar for decades in BC. British Columbians are used to considering the Green Party as a viable alternative to the old-line parties (the GPBC consistently brings home 8-12% of the vote — more than in any other province). It goes without saying that environmental protection is a hot issue in BC, and there’s a clear recognition that Greens have the best environmental policies. BC voters have already elected many Greens to municipal governments. All of this to say that BC is Green-friendly territory. With many seasoned Green campaigners in the province, a SGI run for May would also mean an influx of experienced, BC-knowledgeable, high-quality volunteers.

SGI is already one of the greenest ridings in Canada. Voters there have given serious consideration to the Green Party as an electoral force since the 2004 election, when the riding was touted as our best chance to elect a Green, with candidate Andrew Lewis winning a record 17% of the vote — the best ever federal result ever to that date. Provincially, Lewis won over 25% in 2001. In recognition of the popularity of the Greens in SGI, the Liberals and NDP recruited former Green activists as candidates in the 2008 election — a clear indication that voters in SGI hold Green values near and dear, and that our issues are ballot questions.

Also relevant is the strong anti-Conservative sentiment in SGI. Conservative cabinet minister Gary Lunn has held the riding since 1997, but has managed to keep his seat only because the progressive vote is split between the Liberals, NDP and Greens. Progressives in the riding have acknowledged the problem of vote splitting and have gone so far as to launch a Shun Lunn campaign, encouraging voters to rally around one of Lunn’s opponents to vote him out. Strategic voting website Vote for Environment also showcased SGI in 2008, urging voters to vote Liberal to defeat Lunn. Liberal candidate Briony Penn came within a few points of knocking off Gary Lunn. Clearly, many voters in the riding want to rid themselves of Gary Lunn, but have been unable to rally around a single opponent. Introduce Elizabeth May into the equation, and you’ve got a rallying point. In previous campaigns, May has easily built support among voters who usually support other parties, and I expect SGI would be no exception.

Of less significance, but still noteworthy, is that Tommy Douglas represented the Nanaimo—Cowichan—The Islands from 1969 to 1979, which then encompassed part of the territory now included in SGI. Perhaps a further indication of SGI’s historical progressive leanings.

Some Greens think May should run in Guelph, based mostly on the fact that the party did well there last time, and that it’s near Toronto.  There are actually compelling reasons for May not to run in Guelph. The overwhelming consideration is that Guelph was won by rookie Liberal Frank Valeriote in the October 2008 election, despite Stephane Dion’s disaster of an election campaign. Any riding that could elect a first-time Liberal, despite horrendous approval ratings for Dion and after the worst national Liberal campaign in history, is not a smart bet for May. Valeriote’s victory indicates the strength of Liberals in the riding, and the dedication of Valeriote’s base. Although Green Mike Nagy was a fantastic candidate, ran one of the best campaigns in the country and was endorsed by the Guelph Mercury, it was not enough to block a Valeriote victory. Valeriote has an additional advantage in that Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is becoming more popular and is getting his party’s act together.

Gary Lunn, on the other hand, is vulnerable. He is widely viewed as a poor performer in cabinet, and was punished for his failings as Natural Resources minister (remember the first isotope crisis?) by being demoted to Minister of State for Sport in 2008. Conservative popularity is waning. And he was nearly knocked off by his (greenish) Liberal opponent last time around, despite the aforementioned Worst Liberal Campaign Ever. Given the expected dynamic of the next election campaign, a weak Conservative is a far easier target than a stronger Liberal.

Also, consider the local press reaction to the possibility of Elizabeth May’s candidacy. When news that May was considering Guelph reached the local media, the Guelph Mercury rejected her candidacy, opining that a local Green should run in Guelph. In Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, the Owen Sound Sun Times stated, in no uncertain terms, that BGOS is “the wrong riding” for Elizabeth May, and that she would be dismissed as a “Johnny-come-lately”. In contrast, SGI media view her potential candidacy more favourably.

And what of Elizabeth May? After a mere three months as Green leader, May pulled in 26% of the vote in the London North Centre by-election, surprising the nation with her second place finish. Despite pundits’ predictions of a last-place finish in Central Nova, seen as Green-hostile territory by many, May brought home another second place finish, increasing the Green vote from less than 2% to over 32%. Elizabeth May is a star candidate and a dynamic and tireless campaigner. I worked day and night on her previous campaigns, and saw her win over voters with her charm and wit, solid grasp of complex policy ideas, and inspiring vision for Canada and communities. With her impressive electoral record in ridings that are not seen as especially Green-friendly (and certainly less so than SGI), Elizabeth May has a great chance at pulling off a victory in SGI.

Of course, there’s no doubt that Greens will have to fight tooth and nail for our first seat. Wherever May runs, we will need to run the most airtight ground campaign in Green Party history. We will need to ID every possible voter. We need air campaign strategies to counter the dirty tricks that other parties will inevitably play (SGI has a history of funny business). But with focus, commitment, and by pulling together as a team, we can and must elect our first Green MP in the next election.

Worse, there is no guarantee that a single woman will be elected, while five men will definitely make it on to Council.

Nearly all provincial/territorial representatives will be men, as no women are running in Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, PEI and Quebec. Only in Ontario, Nova Scotia and the Territories do Greens have a chance to select a woman representative, with one woman and one man running in each. (The British Columbia and Saskatchewan spots are not up for election, but are currently held by men. No one is running in Newfoundland & Labrador.)

Sixteen candidates are running for five councilor-at-large positions, and only five of these are women–less than one third. Of the five councilors-at-large who are not up for election, there is only one woman.

Just as the Green  Party supports equal representation of women and men in federal and provincial politics, we must also work for gender parity in internal governance. Although the current slate of council candidates is unbalanced, it’s not all bad news for Green women, as I’m very proud of the strides we have made in other areas. For instance, many women hold influential positions within the Party. Leader Elizabeth May, deputy leader Adriane Carr, political director Catharine Johannson, executive director Maureen Murphy and council chair Kate Storey are a few examples.

I was thrilled when the Green Party Women’s Caucus was formed at the BGM in Nova Scotia earlier this year. This body was long overdue (other parties have had similar groups for decades), and it’s now time that Green women across the country get down to business and make this caucus an influential force within our party.

I plan to write more on how the Women’s Caucus can provide a voice for women and encourage equal participation, but that’s for another day. For now, the best way Greens can promote equal representation in our own party is by supporting qualified women in the Council elections.  Although there may only be a few of us women running for Council, I’m blown away by the high quality of those on the ballot.

Please note, I’m not urging Greens not to vote for men – there qualified men in the race, many of whom I know quite well and would welcome the chance to work with on Council. This is merely a reminder that gender equity on Council needs major work, and a warning that Council will be seriously skewed toward one gender if we don’t act.

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.