Big Day Tomorrow

Hi everyone. I have alot of nervous anticipation about tomorrow. I have never been more excited about and cared as much about the outcome of a campaign. What I have had in my mind throughout is the vision of what Canada could be and how many people are fighting for it. Here it is articulated by Elizabeth May...

Vision Green - Submitted by Elizabeth May on 10 October 2008 - 10:00am.
Politics aside, I want to let Canadians know right now what our country could be under a Green government.
After attending the Global Greens meeting in Brazil this spring, I have a real appreciation of what international cooperation can look like. There are Green Parties in over 90 countries around the world. We have been in coalition governments in Germany, Denmark and Sweden. We have had representatives in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. I saw the Green Party representatives of Jordan, Israel and Egypt sit together on their break, and it inspired me to believe that a truly global movement could turn this world around.
Green Members of Parliament would work with decent parliamentarians of all stripes. We would create a culture of respect and an ethic of responsibility and accountability within the House of Commons. With just a few MPs, I believe the Green Party can bring about significant change, prompting other parties to move toward implementing the Kelowna accord, bringing in sound environmental economics, creating universal childcare and protecting our public health care.
If the Green Party’s platform went forward starting today, I believe Canadians would quickly see local community-based projects accelerating. We would bring in a national vision for transit, for energy and tourism. We would implement the national water strategy, and all of our policies would work together to achieve the Canada we want. These national strategies would be guidelines with which we could direct investment to small business operators, infrastructure development and other economic stimulus.
Within our first year of government, I believe we could move toward quality child care, including work place care that helps families stay closer together. We could give low-income Canadians better access to mass transit, particularly in rural areas, and implement a health program to pay for the pharmaceutical drugs we need.
Through tax shifting, we could begin to instantly Green our economy, investing in sustainable energy business, protecting our natural resources at home and ensuring that they exist to serve us well into the future. We would immediately shift taxes to alleviate the burden on the unemployed and low-income families. We would give married couples income splitting, a fairer tax policy. We would use our resources and our revenue to help Canadians prosper in a changing climate.
In foreign development, we would start talking to our NATO allies, our UN associates and the powers that be in Afghanistan about the strategic route to a peaceful resolution, focusing on development assistance, defense and diplomacy. We would not leave our men and women to a dangerous and failed mission.
We would commit to investing 0.7% of GDP to international development assistance, as requested by the campaign to Make Poverty History. We would begin the process of giving Canada back its role in peace-keeping and the mission to end the arms race.
We would once again be a voice for social justice and world peace in international negotiations, signing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, renewing our commitment to the Kyoto protocol, seeking nuclear disarmament, signing and implementing the Rotterdam Convention to protect developing countries from hazardous imports.
This would only be the beginning, and there are many more places where we need to affect change in this country right away, from electoral reform to preventative health care to reducing student debt.
I’m talking about vision because that’s what it takes to give people optimism. We need Canadians to take notice of this election campaign and vote for change, vote for the future. We named our policy document Vision Green because our policies all work together as common sense solutions that will help us to be stronger. The vision of the Green Party is for a better world, healthier, greener and more secure. With vision, people can achieve a great deal.
I want to ask all Green supporters and candidates to think about values in this campaign. The values that Canadians have always espoused: honesty, courage and integrity. We look to one another for vision, and we share in a common goal. This election is about nothing less than choosing to create a better world.

Thanksgiving

I just returned for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my family. Meals are usually pretty "loud" when we get together. Now they are even more active because one of us is always playing with our little son, who didn't love the turkey but enjoyed lots of pumpkin pie.

I would like to thank Leor, Jason, Ella, and Fred for volunteering to canvas with me in South Calgary today. You all had other plans today, but made time for the campaign anyway. Thank you very much! It was particularly significant to me that Ella, a new Green Party volunteer, is not yet old enough to vote, but is eager to take part in a campaign. I am so impressed with her conscientiousness. Ella has many interests, including art, and is a curious, intelligent young person who takes initiative. Her parents must be very proud of her.

Many Green candidates are exchanging well wishes through our email distribution list. It's quite sad that it's winding down so quickly. I know that each of us, the campaign team and volunteers are tired from non-stop effort and looking forward to spending time with their families again.

A Green in Rural Alberta

I would like to share this letter that was sent to the local paper by William Munsey who is the Green Party candidate in Vegreville - Wainwright. Mr. Munsey, who is a father, farmer, and railroader, describes his campaign experience eloquently and I share his sentiments about family and why we feel so strongly about what we are fighting for... please take the time to read this.

Dear Green Supporters (and skeptics) and Wainwright-Vegreville Press,
Well, I am done campaigning. I have visions of Leon Benoit scurrying around the riding trying to pull in supporters... but I have farm work today before I settle into my Thanksgiving dinner seat with my family around me. Tonight I have to work on the railway. Monday, I have more farm work and Tuesday I can vote and watch the numbers role in.When I started this I have to admit that I had no real goals other than to get the Green message out and prove that Greens are not whackos... that most of us are just really plain folks concerned about the way we neglect the environment.Then a funny thing happened along the way. I started to hear what I was saying from somewhere outside myself. I started to believe in a deeper and more profound way what I was hearing... what I was saying. I watched people as I spoke and saw them nod and agree. Sometimes when I talked about a lack of time with family and friends and my sorrow at losing something special in rural Alberta, I saw people's eyes mist up.I could not believe they were moved by MY words.. by the things I worry about.That is what changed. I opened up my heart to talk and people let me in to their own hearts. That sort of sharing of hopes and dreams and fears is a very powerful thing and I have been overwhelmed by it. There is a great desire in this country to do things better, but many people have shut off. What I saw over the past month is that they would open up if they had something to trust in and hope for.I don't pretend that 'something' is me, or even the Green Party. I only know there is a huge wealth of goodness left in this country to make it a better and more compassionate place for us to live in and raise our families. What we have to do is find a way to tap that spirit and the ideas that will make that possible.I did my best this last month. I don't know that I could have done much more. It has been hard on my wife and it has broken my heart to call my kids while driving back late at night from somewhere and hear my youngest daughter crying on the phone because I was not there for her.I would not have done any of this if I did not think that in some way I was doing it for my family.Thank you all for your support, encouragement and help over this last month.Tuesday, we will let the chips fall.Vote! Our democracy is a gift to one another... something to be truly thankful for.I will no longer sign off with my Green Party title. I am back to being a father, farmer and railroader.I will write again with my thoughts and impressions a couple of days after the election. William Munsey, New Sarepta, Alberta

"PM should try copying these words"

This is a clever piece by Mike Buckthought in the Toronto Star about Mr. Harper's recent plagiarism "incident"...

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's campaign has received worldwide media attention following the admission he copied a speech by former Australian prime minister John Howard. If only he would copy the speeches and policies of leaders around the world who are committed to taking action on climate change.

Canadians would be pleasantly surprised if he copied a speech by David Cameron, leader of Britain's opposition Conservative party. Harper would say, "Since becoming leader of the Conservative party I have sought to push the environment up to the top of the political agenda."

More... http://www.thestar.com/FederalElection/article/511683

Hello Rosscarrock Elementary School!

On Thursday I had the pleasure of visiting Rosscarrock Elementary School. The grade six students who I met were going to be voting for a federal election candidate later in the day. Rosscarrock is a remarkable school for the fact that among the 140 students, 25 languages are spoken!
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I would like to say "hello!" to all of the students I met, Mr. Pye and Mrs. Soleil (I hope I'm spelling that correctly!) I really enjoyed our discussion and all of the thoughtful questions you asked. You have been learning so much with you wonderful teachers and you have become very knowledgable about many important federal issues. I am very moved that you are concerned about the struggles that people here in Calgary are facing. Thanks for having me and for the wonderful pen. My little boy really liked it, just as I thought! I can't wait to see the results of your election. The MPs in Ottawa should pay close attention to this.

Best wishes,
Natalie

p.s. I visited the Alberta College of Art and Design yesterday afternoon and I wanted to mention it because that is also a post-secondary school that you may be interested in one day - especially someone who is interested in design.

Very Exciting Poll Results

A member of the Calgary Centre campaign team has brought some exciting polling data to light. On the inside of a bathroom stall in Mac Hall on the U of C campus, an election tally was discovered last evening. We are reporting that the NDP have 3 supporters, the Liberals 2, and the Greens and Conservatives are tied at 11 supporters a piece. We will update you on the tally as the week progresses. Although it's not clear in which riding the tally participants live, I am packing my bags just in case. Looks like Alberta is going to surprise the country here. Lee Richardson may want to consider setting up a sign in the booth to help his chances.

Elboya Elementary and Junior High School - Proportional Representation

A wonderful experience today at Elboya Elementary and Junior Highschool. The grade 6 students are learning the platforms of all the parties and will hold their own election tomorrow - brilliant! These students are extremely knowledgable! They named every type of renewable energy and alternative fuel, and inquired about hybrid vehicles and methane production. Cudos to the teachers for taking this initiative with their classes. We need to make proportional representation a reality long before these young people vote officially for the first time. I hope to learn the Elboya election results soon after the polls close tomorrow.

Thanks to my brother Alisdair for playing in the park with my little guy while I visited Elboya.

Western Canada Highschool Candidates Forum / Omar Khadr

The Western Canada Highschool Eco-Club did a wonderful job organizing today's Candidates Forum, which was attended by Heesung Kim, Tyler Kinch and me. The Eco-Club has about 100 very enthusiastic members. Question topics included the environment, arts and culture, and education. One of the final questions was about the different parties' position on the case of Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen and child soldier, injured and held in Guantanamo Bay since 2002. As a child, Omar has rights that Canada must protect. Information about Child Soldiers, the Convention on Rights of the Child and the Green Party's position follow. For Moe...

Amnesty International - Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of children under 18 have been affected by armed conflict. They are recruited into government armed forces, paramilitaries, civil militia and a variety of other armed groups. Often they are abducted at school, on the streets or at home. Others enlist “voluntarily”, usually because they see few alternatives. Yet international law prohibits the participation in armed conflict of children aged under 18. It means that in reality girls and boys illegally and under force, participate in combat where frequently they are injured or killed. Others are used as spies, messengers, porters, servants or to lay or clear landmines. Girls are at particular risk of rape and other sexual abuse. Such children are robbed of their childhood and exposed to terrible dangers and to psychological and physical suffering.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989 to protect the rights of children, is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. It encompasses civil rights and freedoms, family environment, basic health and welfare, education, leisure and cultural activities and special protection measures for children.

Greens demand repatriation for Omar Khadr
OTTAWA – The Green Party is demanding that Prime Minister Stephen Harper take whatever steps necessary to repatriate Omar Khadr, a Canadian and former child soldier held by the United States since 2002. Secret documents made public yesterday show the federal government was aware of shocking mistreatment endured by Mr. Khadr at the Guantamamo Bay prison camp. More... http://www.greenparty.ca/en/releases/10.07.2008

Mount Royal College Candidates Forum

An all-candidates forum took place at Mount Royal College today. It is very clear that this young crowd is very aware and engaged. They asked about the economy, climate change, Afghanistan, corruption, the environment, Aboriginal issues, the cost of post-secondary education, and more. Judging from the students' questions and the knowledge and compassion behind them, Calgary has a bright future.

There is a voting initiative supported by MRC students called www.YVote.org that encourages people to become informed and vote. "Y-Vote was started in 2008 by a group of youth who were frustrated with the number of youth turning out on voting day for the Alberta Provincial Election. This election had the lowest voter turnout in provincial history." There are lots of people working hard to change that!

The Wrecking Ball

I attended a wonderful event this evening called The Wrecking Ball. Taking place in 10 cities across Canada, the Calgary edition presented 4 plays, 2 spoken word pieces and performance by the incomparable Kris Demeanor. The Wrecking Ball is "a benefit for the Department of Culture, an independent group of artists who are concerned with the current place of culture in the national political conversation." Interestingly, the plays were written within the last week. For more information go to
http://www.thewreckingball.ca/performances/329/the-wrecking-ball---calgary
Simon Mallett, deep in the theatrical community, organized and MCed. Adding powerful symbolism to the event, Simon took a call from the Winnipeg contigent to get the program started and he also called the Edmonton group part way through. This was truly coast to coast. And standing room only.

Hardest Part of Campaigning

The hardest part of campaigning is spending time away from family. My son is a toddler and I don't like spending any time away from him. This was something I stuggled with when deciding to run for office. In the end, I am powerfully motivated to do this FOR my son. This is my way of ensuring for him and all children a high quality of life, a very rich life. By that I mean interesting experiences, fun, physical recreation, health, connection to nature, a strong social network, fulfilling and challenging work, family, art and theatre, travel, culture, loads of good books, lots of leisure time, and of course love!

High School Reunion!

I took a break from campaigning last night to attend my high school reunion. Great to see everyone while we still recognize each other! Extraordinary effort from some classmates coming from as far as White Rock (with some homemade honey!) and San Fransisco. Congratulations to several in the group who are expecting in 6 weeks, 2 months, and in March. I really, really appreciate the encouragement from everyone about running in the election and the great discussion about it. Thanks to Shannon for getting us organized.

Recommended Reading

Discussing "social entreprise" with some friendly people at Good Earth Cafe, the following two books were recommended to me: The Necessary Revolution by Peter Senge and Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why we need a Green Revolution and how it can renew America by Thomas Friedman. I look forward to reading those after I have moved to Ottawa :)

Art in Schools

Michelle, a campaign volunteer, and I visited constituents in Mission today. Another community where people sit on their front porches. One of the residents emphasized the importance of arts and culture, not only in terms of museums and galleries, but as a communication and healing tool in schools and health care facilities respectively. Schools have had to cut their arts programs and don't have sufficient funds to bring in artists to teach. This makes it very difficult for artists to make this important work viable, depriving young people and those who are ill of the benefits of the arts.

Immigrants are eager to work in their fields.

I stopped into the Good Earth Cafe (11th Street) this morning to meet more Calgary Centre constituents. At one table I met four people, all immigrants to Canada. One of them, a mechanical engineer and another, a veterinarian have been in Canada for seven years but are not able to work in their field. They said that it is possible to become accredited in Canada, but it is a lengthy and costly process. In the meantime, they have to work to support their families. This story is unfortunately very common. Our communities will benefit when we eliminate barriers for people seeking to work in their professional field. Here is what the Green Party will do...

• Press professional societies to remove unnecessary barriers recognizing the professional credentials of immigrants.
• Ensure such professionals being considered for immigration will have the licensing requirements for their profession clearly explained before entry. Landed immigrants with professional qualifications will be supported and given the opportunity to obtain Canadian licenses consistent with public safety.

Canadian Election Debate

The debates on Wednesday and Thursday night were nothing short of historic. Elizabeth May presented the Green Party to the nation. She was articulate, knowledgeable, tough, and passionate. As a result, I have had a fantastic day in Calgary and found myself meeting Green-invigorated Calgary Centre constituents in two new places and two familiar places.

This morning I had the pleasure of taking part in Dave Rutherford's call-in radio show on QR77. CPAC has been filming at QR77 for the last fews days, so it was also televised nationally. I really enjoyed the experience - discussing different points of view - and I found Dave to be extremely personable. I appreciate all the feedback I received afterwards. And I really appreciate Lee Ann arranging and attending the radio interview.

At noon hour, I had the pleasure of meeting several constituents who stopped by the campaign office, may of whom had watched the debate and concluded that their vision of Canada aligns with Elizabeth May and the Greens. One gentleman relayed to me the desperate situation that parents of pre-school children are finding themselves in due to a lack of quality, affordable child care. This issue (among others) is an absolute outrage. Lack of quality, affordable childcare put families in extremely precarious situations. We need a universal childcare program and a focus on early childhood development.

My little son joined our campaign efforts today. He's able to say "Green Party" and is very proud of his campaign button. Lindsay, Bruce, Fred, Art and the two of us greeted Calgarians as they walked home from downtown up 4th Street. We received fantastic response from people who had watched the debate as well as established Green Party supporters. Thanks to everyone who was open-minded about learning more about the Green Party.

This evening I attended a stylish event at Arts Central, a dynamic, novel approach to providing a creative space for artists and art aficionados. This was a celebration for the global launch of 422 McAdam, a home grown fashion line created by Sarah Shell. Well done Sarah! There is indeed world class talent here in Calgary.

This evening I was visiting constituents in Park Hill and was joined by Fred, Bruce, and Shane. Thanks to all of you! The good weather we are having makes canvassing much more enjoyable. There was one street in particular where many of the residents were sitting on their front porches or front yards and there were a lot of children playing up and down the street. I met one woman on two different streets - she has friends living close by. It's wonderful to see people outside in the evening, socializing with their neighbors. I think that is what most of us envision when we select a new home. On the street where I grew up there was an average of 3 children in every home. There was always someone to play with and we had great block parties.

Tonight I continued to hear a viewpoint that has been frequently expressed in all the communities I have visited. Many people have told me they have voted Conservative in the past, but are looking very seriously at other options. The cited reasons include taxing income trusts, calling the election despite having established a fixed date, and Stephen Harper not listening to anyone. One gentlemen told me succintly that it's about integrity. People asked about the Green Party's position on the economy, arts funding, and the environment.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is a big day. Elizabeth May will take part in the second leadership debate. I am going to take the night off canvassing so that I can see the debate in its entirety. I'm looking forward to sharing that event with all of the people who have been working on the Calgary Center campaign (thank you!!) and some of the other Green candidates in Calgary.

Green Party Only

I spent the last warm evening of September meeting constituents in Glenbrook. Almost everyone I spoke with knows of the Green Party and were interested in more information. As Calgarians get to know the Green Party better, I thought it would be useful to provide more information about what sets the Green Party apart from the others. To get started, I would like to share this short list of "ONLYs" that was written by Elizabeth May. The Green Party is the ONLY party calling for...

* A carbon tax, an indispensable step in getting the prices right in energy choices and allowing reduced income and payroll taxes.
* “Income-splitting” to reduce the tax burden on middle class couples.
* A continuing role in Afghanistan but within a transformed U.N. mission, legalizing and regulating the poppy trade for medicinal use, and bringing in more Islamic nations into the peace-keeping, security efforts in Southern Afghanistan through the U.N.
* An end to asbestos mining and export to developing countries. (truly outrageous that for all the talk about asbestos, only the Green Party is prepared to call for banning mining and export.)
* The phase out of nuclear power and uranium mining.
* The reform of the Divorce Act to make family law less of a battleground.
* To launch a national dialogue toward a Guaranteed Livable Income.
* The legalization of marijuana, to be controlled, regulated and taxed.
* The six month notice to get out of NAFTA with immediate re-negotiation of key provisions.
* Support for open source software and net neutrality.
* National shift to GE-free, organic agriculture and regional food self-sufficiency.
* A moratorium on new projects in the tar sands.
* Creation of a federal Department of Tourism
* Protect drinking water at its source (no other party will do this--the BC NDP jailed citizens for trying to protect drinking water).
* Amend the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to enshrine the right of Canadians to an ecological heritage that includes breathable air and drinkable water.
* Pass federal legislation to prohibit bulk water exports.
* Establish a National Parks completion budget; protect at least half of Canada's Boreal Forest in a network of large interconnected protected areas as called for in the 2003 Boreal Forest Conservation Framework
* Zero waste, including laws requiring lifetime stewardship of products
* A cancer prevention strategy that includes a toxic-free Canada -- taxing toxics and pollution; ending the production and use of the most dangerous toxic chemicals by 2012.
* Pan-Arctic waste management strategy.
* Shift funding from mega-freeway projects like Pacific Gateway that encourage urban sprawl and use the funds instead for public transit.
* Implement Genuine Progress Indicator (or Index of Well-being)
* Enact "living will" legislation to give person the choice to die with dignity.
* Explore establishing a new crown corporation to bulk purchase and dispense generic drugs - to bring down the costs of pharmacare.
* Pass pay equity legislation; immediately implement full pay equity for women employed in the federal sector and develop tax incentives for companies to meet gender and pay equity.
* Press professional societies to remove unnecessary barriers recognizing the professional credentials of immigrants.
* Canada must support and implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
* Revamp CIDA to focus on developing community-based green economies, poverty alleviation and programmes to combat and adapt to climate change.
* Declare Canada a nuclear free zone.
* Reform WTO, IMF and the World Bank, placing these under the authority of the UN General Assembly and shift the direction of international trade away from free trade to fair trade.
* Scrap the SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership).