Generation Green - Génération Vert

Green Party leader Elizabeth May challenges Peter McKay

2007-04-17T13:57:00.001-05:00

Elizabeth announces here decision to run in Central Nova Scotia.

Elizabeth May Profile

2007-04-13T15:20:00.001-05:00

Profile of Elizabeth May (Leader of the Green Party)

Time for Electoral Reform in Ontario

2007-01-21T08:35:00.000-06:00

The Citizens Assembly for Electoral Reform was created by the McGuinty government to explore the possible need for a change in our electoral system. That is, should Ontario move to a more Proportional Representation system?

Written comments may be sent here until January 31, 2007.

See my speech to the Assembly here.

Jared Giesbrecht
Organizing Chair, Young Greens of Canada Council

Meet the Candidate

2007-01-06T01:05:00.000-06:00

I have added a couple more posts to my campaign blog.

The most recent, an "about me".

Or, check out my views on policy development.

Or, simply view the whole thing.

Also, I believe the fairness committee is going to be using facebook to run a form of debates (all candidates will be answering some questions), so if you do not have an account yet, you should sign up and join the "Generation Green" and "Young Greens Council Election" groups.

Thanks for reading,
Sean McFee
Male Co-Chair Candidate

Thanks a lot Fairness Committee!

2006-12-30T12:52:00.000-06:00

Thanks a lot Andrea (Chair of the Election Fairness Committee) and the rest of the Committee. You continue to put in a lot of time on this election and a lot of work behind the scenes. You have been doing a fabulous job with little time and resources and the election is an ongoing success because of you. (And, thanks especially for putting up with my annoying perfectionist emails about election issues, the website, etc.)

Jared Giesbrecht
http://organizingchair.blogspot.com

Co-Chair Year-One Plan

2006-12-26T22:16:00.000-06:00

Hey Folks,

I'd just like to let you all know that I've posted a copy of my Year One Plan, as I see it from the perspective of Co-Chair. If you'd like to read it CLICK HERE.
If you've got any questions or ideas, feel free to comment on the blog.

Happy Holidays!

Mark Coffin
Candidate for Male Co-Chair of YGC
http://jollygreenmark.blogspot.com

2006-12-26T08:17:00.000-06:00

Introducing your TWO candidates for Managing Editor of the Understory! William Craddock and Gwen May.

Now you, the voter, can only choose one of us. So, here’s a word from William:

I begin by noting how excited I am to be vying for such an active position within the Green Party of Canada, and more specifically, the Young Greens Council. Although I am a new member of the GPC, politics is not a new topic to me as I am currently a fourth year political science student at The University of Western Ontario. Next year, I plan to continue attendance at UWO in the Masters of Journalism program.

As a member of the first YGC, I will aspire to help the other elected members build a strong team to support the growing presence of Young Green voices across Canada. The position of Managing Editor is a very important role within the Council as The Understory will serve throughout the year to be the key source of information for many Greens and non-Greens alike as to the happenings and positions of our youth.

I will work with the appointed team on The Understory to make the publication inclusive, informative, and inspirational. This includes such things as actively encouraging submissions from all Young Greens, the general GPC, and even non-Green voices. It includes publishing these submissions in both official languages wherever possible to ensure that all members will be able to enjoy in their presence. It includes providing information that not only educates the reader on issues, but that will also aspire to develop deeper and more critical thinking within our minds. It includes providing invigorating characteristics that will encourage readers to their greatest potential in helping the development of the Green Party of Canada.

You will find further information about myself and my objectives for the position of Managing Editor by visiting the Candidate Profiles on the Generation Green website (http://www.generationgreen.ca/candidates/craddock_fr.htm) and also by visiting the Council Elections group on Facebook (http://uwo.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2220578987).

Please contact me with any further questions that you may have:
wcraddock@msn.com

All the best!

William Craddock

And a word from Gwen:

The Understory’s stated mandate (http://generationgreen.ca/newsletter.htm) is pretty swell, and I want to keep on fulfilling that mandate with all cylinders firing! I will also focus on getting varied contributions from a wide range of people and on ensuring a balance of French and English material.

A Queen’s University law student, I have been a member of Queen’s Greens since the fall of 2005. When I went to San Diego for a semester’s exchange this fall, I was named to the Executive as “Member at Large.” (Ha ha, Queen’s Greens rule!) I have helped out the Green Party’s Kingston and the Islands EDA, most notably during the federal election last year.

During my undergrad at the University of Ottawa, I was an editor for the Fulcrum (U of O’s English language student paper). At Queen’s, I have been an editor for the Queen’s Law Journal (the academic law journal at Queen’s University).

Here are some other things I like people to know about me: I am in my third‑year of law at Queen’s, and I have a B.A. in Translation (French-English). This June I will start working as a legal translator for the Federal Government. I grew up in rural Southwestern Ontario on a sheep farm, but for the past seven years I’ve split my time between Kingston and Ottawa. Besides what I do, what I’ve learned and where I live, you should know that I think the best time to crochet and/or dance is always.

Get in touch with me at gwenmay@gmail.com

Male Co-Chair Candidate Blog Update

2006-12-22T19:48:00.000-06:00

I've updated my campaign blog for the male co-Chair position. An important part of this position is to run YGC Council meetings in accordance with the YGC Constitution, and to make sure actions of the YGC are in line with that document. I have a fairly long (the uncharitable might say "unexciting") post about this here:

Click here for the excitement!

I will generally be keeping the gory details of my candidacy in that blog and checking in here when there is something to read. Thanks for your interest and I hope for your support in January.

Crisis of Conscience

2006-12-22T11:30:00.000-06:00

Howdy Generation Green. You are an inspiration and I hope one day we can all chill at some solar-powered chalet in the Boreal, after saving it from Kimberly Clark and the Yellow Pages. (I once heard that 50% of paper consumption in the US is for catalogs, flyers and phone books. Insanity.)

I just wanted to post in the interest of transparency and honesty... while I think I could be a kickass organizing chair I'm concerned about the implications for the environmental youth activism I'm doing now and will continue in 2007... and so I'd like to ask for you, my fellow candidates, current YGC council, and interested peeps across Canada, for advice.

I'm doing a lot of climate change activism, have been for the past couple years. This fall, I organized a group of 20 young Canadians from across the nation (www.cydnairobi.ca) to make their voices heard and represent the young environmental movement in Canada to the world at the United Nations Climate Negotiations in Nairobi, Kenya - and we rocked. At a time when Canada's international reputation is slipping, the climate is changing, and the foundations of our social system - the ones that made Canada one of the best places in the world to live and internationally respected - are being hacked away by vicious neo-cons, we stood up, loud and proud, and we said NO - Canada CAN and WILL meet its commitments to the world, the atmosphere and the planet. We had the largest youth delegation from anywhere in the world, we were professional, we were honest, we were forthright about our concerns and our intentions to see the negotiations through, and we were incredibly effective, meeting with delegations from all over the world, with the Secretary General of the UNFCCC, with Sir Nicholas Stern, with the President of the COP (the Kenyan Environment Minister), with the Canadian Delegation and the Minister... Now, we are preparing for a follow up meeting with the federal government in January, to discuss climate change, youth engagement, Canada's international commitments, review best practices, and chart a path forward to COP 13, in Bali, Indonesia next December.

I'm working to secure full or part time employment continuing this engagement in 2007. I believe I can do that and also develop and implement a kick ass youth engagement campaign, but I'm concerned about being labeled partisan because of close association with a particular political party. I'm not entirely certain what conditions there are with this kind of work, but one of the major groups I work with, the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, is expressly non-partisan (www.ourclimate.ca). A friend said I had nothing to worry about - that I can switch hats as necessary and have no need to fear accusations (though, of course, they will inevitably come - such is the nature of our politiks). I believe I can do both, should I be elected. And truth be told, I want to. I'm committed to the Greens as much as the next young green-freak and would love to build the party, and give young Canadians a vision to believe in. But in situations where I am not certain, I always seek the advice of friends.

So dish it out - please. The election period starts today, and if it ain't right, i don't want to take any votes from the other kickass candidates, Jared and Dave.

All the best-

Cam

Lessons from London North-Centre

2006-12-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

LNC was a great Green event and I am so glad that I was fortunate enough to be a part of it. After traveling from Kingston with a few fellow Queen’s Greens and a reporter from Queen’s University, we were able to campaign both on and off campus—we were able to learn a lot about campaigning. Here are a couple thoughts that came out of that campaign…

1. Elizabeth May Can Win
We already knew it, but all of Canada needs to know it. She is our primary spokesperson and her sincere passion for Green politics is an example for all of us. We need to be in Parliament and hold the old parties accountable to our standard—policies characterized by compassion and foresight. We can do this by following May’s example of tireless dedication to Green politics and her commitment to not engage in negative campaigning.

2. Young Greens in Elections
The Young Greens can be an important element in the next election. We are the best candidates for involvement in the GPC and we are the best people to communicate with other students. A well-organized and effective YGC Council will go a long way to helping Green students get the message out to students all across Canada.

3. Campus Campaigning Methods
There were some saying that we were too agressive. Maybe, maybe not. The Young Greens need to be bold and enthusiastic, but always polite. We need to be unashamed of approaching students with our message, but be sensitive enough to know when to back off a little. We need to be aggressive, but patient—some people must hear the Green message a few times before it will take root. If we do this, our message will certainly be heard.

Thanks to all the students who came together in London and let’s keep preparing for a successful spring election. Let's build an efficient and inclusive Council that will help young Canadians all across the country find as much joy as we do in working for a better Canada!

Jared Giesbrecht
Candidate, Organizing Chair
http://www.organizingchair.blogspot.com

Dave Bagler for Male Organzing Chair

2006-12-17T17:58:00.000-06:00

In order to not “hog-the-blog” I have posted my resume and what I would like to do on my own campaign blog. There are three key posts:

A little about me
Lessons from London
My Vision for Generation Green

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns please send them to electdave@gmail.com.
Thanks
- Dave

Tanner Waldo for Administration and Finance

2006-12-15T21:29:00.000-06:00

Dear Fellow YGC Members,

My name is Tanner Waldo, and I am running as a candidate for the position of Administration and Finance Chair on YGC Council.

I am currently finishing up a Business Administration diploma at Red Deer College, and plan return to college within the next few years to complete a Bachelor of Management. The accounting aspect of this program, combined with my work experience at CIBC this past summer, has given me the solid understanding of finances that would be required to be a successful Administration and Finance Chair. As boring as it sounds, I am a paper pusher by nature, and enjoy completing the administrative tasks for any organization I am working with, and believe I can bring this geeky passion to the YGC.

As a Green Party candidate in the 2006 federal election and a candidate in the 2004 municipal elections, I have learned a great deal of the importance of organizing and developing solid plans.

As mentioned above, I worked at CIBC as a Personal Banking Associate for four months this summer. I’ve also worked in several sales jobs in varied industries, including cellular sales and automotive sales (tip: if you are a Green, don’t try to find success selling Chevy SUVs).

Overall, I believe I am a strong candidate for the position of Administration and Finance chair due to my attention to detail and my education in Business Administration.

Check out the Young Greens of Canada group on facebook.com, or stop by my website at tannerwaldo.com to find out more about my ideas for the YGC. Or, you could always just sent me an e-mail: tanner [at] tannerwaldo.com.

Sincerely,

Tanner Waldo

Vote Jared for Organizing Chair

2006-12-15T16:55:00.000-06:00

My name is Jared Giesbrecht and I am running for the Organizing Chair position. I am from BC but I am currently going to law school at Queen’s University. I hope you will consider voting for me. I have experience in the Green Party and hope that I can use this experience to help establish the Young Greens in our first year.

I am one of the founders of the Young Greens of Canada and worked a lot on the Youth Council Development Committee to make sure that these elections happened. I (along with Megan and Andrea) wrote the Constitution and the Job Descriptions that we will be using as well as the plans for this election.

I also founded The Understory—the ezine/newsletter of the Young Greens—and recruited a crack editorial board. See http://www.greenparty.ca/page280.html?&MMN_position=189:185 for the latest edition (and a couple old ones).

I was a volunteer at the 2006 Convention/AGM where I put forward a Directive Resolution to form a Federal Policy Committee—that is, a method of organizing the policy development process within the Green Party that would allow more young people to be involved and work with the Shadow Cabinet. Currently, I am in conversation with the Shadow Cabinet on the details of this proposal.

I was a volunteer for the Elizabeth May campaign in London North-Centre and was able to work on the campus and do polling door-to-door.

I am also the Chair of the Queen’s Greens and have been working with the local EDA on fundraising and election preparation.

I have other relevant experience on my new campaign blog at http://organizingchair.blogspot.com/

I really believe that it will be important to have some Council members who are experienced in working within the party and who have been organizing the Young Greens from the beginning. This will be the first year of the Council and I believe it is important to work hard to become well-established for the future.

I hope you will vote for me—I really would like to continue working for the Young Greens.

Thanks a lot,

Jared Giesbrecht
Candidate, Organizing Chair of the Young Greens

PS Please see my blog http://organizingchair.blogspot.com/ and the facebook group “Young Greens Council Election” for more information on myself and my plans for the Young Greens Council.

Lynne Champoux-Williams for Francophone Communications

2006-12-14T14:32:00.000-06:00

A little push from my friends and noticing that the position was made for me got me to embark that campain odyssey occuring at the same time as finals. Well... here is my pledge for you to vote for me.

I have always been a language lover. In primary school, I was pretty good at "la dictée PGL". When I was offered to learn Spanish in grade 5, I didn't say no. I got several prizes for French and Spanish, but English never attracted me. I chose to study Spanish, German and Russian in the Languages and Cultures programme at the Cégep de Sainte-Foy (in Quebec City). Since I had unrelated classes given in English, I knew I could very well go to university in English. When the moment came to choose, I wanted to study Linguistics (the study of language), but all the French universities where giving French Linguistics only. I attended Concordia's open house and wasn't impressed by the two campuses, but on the following day, I visited McGill and I was awe-struck with its architecture. Now, with nearly one year and a half and halfway through my degree, my view of English has changed: it supports the Canadian culture, as well as tons of others, it has great regional variations and some weird phenomena. Now, I take pride to say that I'm bilingual (because I could not pretend to speak Spanish, German or Russian anymore). I used to define myself only as a Quebeker, now I'm also a Canadian, and proud to be both.
I have always been a nature-lover as well. As young as nine years old, I became impregnated with a cartoon called Green Forest Stories (from the late seventies, still running in French at the beginning of the nineties), which drove me toward recycling, my first way to enter the environmental world. I converted my parents to that habit. My father brought me at the annual shore cleaning organized by the refinery where he works, and I've been at every single edition of the event since its start, more than 10 years ago. In high school, I was part of the recycling crew, managing cans and paper, getting everything out of the smaller bins and ready to pick up. At McGill, I've been volunteering for Organic Campus (distributes organic produces to the university community and beyond), I'm a conservation patroller on Mount Royal, I've volunteered during La Corvée, an annual cleaning day involving all the Montreal community to make the Mount Royal Park a better place.

I've not always been interested in politics. I was boiling with desire to vote during the 2004 election, and I was way too young to vote for my last provincial elections. Everything began while I was living in Rez: the government fell, and I got excited about it. The second floor of Gardner, one of the three triplet upper residences (up the hill, they are sitting on Mount Royal), hosted lots of great people with which I went to shop political parties. I wasn't interested by the Bloc, feeling too Canadian to have any reminiscent separatist thoughts already, nor by the Liberals, with which I was fed up, nor by the Conservatives, seeming way too right for me (but we did attend a meeting with Stephen Harper in it, which was funny because we were the only students around...). Thus remained the Greens and the NDPers. A friend brought me to see Jack Layton, and I really enjoyed the Quebeker-friendly type of speech he gave. I listened at a debate in rez, and I was very impressed by the Green's position. I took a plateform with me and read it. I went back home to vote (in Lotbinière-Chutes de la Chaudière), and voted Green. I got my parents to vote Green as well (and got them to become members as of very recently)! In June, I was invited to become a member, which I did. In September, Elizabeth May was in town (Montreal), so I attended her speech. I was impressed by her, of course. I attended a McGill Green Party meeting, and after a few meeting became the Co-ordination director, because I was always ensuring that the information get to every part of our membership (be it on Facebook or on our Google Group). At a meeting, someone suggested that we make a road trip to help Elizabeth May in London North Centre. A week before the last week-end of the campain, I decided to plan the renting of a car. Four of us from the McGill Green Party went to help. If you were there, you'll understand easily why I'm now crazy about politics. If you weren't, I'll post something about it one day on my blog http://lynnecw.francofun.ca.

This was my little story while we wait for my profile to be posted on http://generationgreen.ca! Vote for me as your Francophone Communicator in the Youth Green Council!

My Little Flag

2006-12-13T23:39:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone,

This is cool, great idea. (Thanks Green Party Youth Council election folks!) Just a few quick words as I'm a little tired and should get to bed...

My name is Cameron Stiff, and most people call me Cam. I'm from Toronto but live (happily ever after) in Montreal (Though Toronto is nice to visit... ) I've been here for just over three years, before as a student at Concordia and now as... a full time activist? I guess. Though I'm getting a part time job as a waiter in a great Montreal vegan restaurant (tomorrow's my interview, in fact) I just came home from Africa where I was attending the UN climate negotiations (FCCC COP 12/COPMOP2 to be precise and bureaucratic). It was a blast. (A report is coming soon)

I'm running for the position of Male Organizing Chair. I'm excited for a chance to organizie nationally (which I've done a bit of) and reach out across Canada to youngsters everywhere who are sick of the damn lies and want to dig their toes in to a honest (gasp!) political party (the NDP is cool too). And by party, I mean Party! Because Parties are the keys to success - in fact, they are the reason to win! And as Organizing Chair candidate #1 I pledge to organize a kickass opening party for the Young Greens of Canada. I've read the other blogs on here so far and everyone sounds awesome. I'm echoing sentiments saying I hope and kinda know whatever happens we'll be all working together to make a stronger, better, smarter, sexier, more in touch and more intouchable Green Party!

I think Collin's plan sounds pretty awesome and I'm already thinking about ways to turn it into action. I've made a lot of contacts across Canada in the past couple years, a lot at universities and in different cities too, and have done some pretty rad organizing work... i won't rest on my laurels but... For some stuff I've done:

-act as the Student and Youth rep to the Montreal March for the Climate organizing committee. I found this cute page about it here: http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://climate2005.greenpeace.ca/sites/

climate2005.greenpeace.ca/files/images/bear_march1.thumbnail.jpg
&imgrefurl=http://climate2005.greenpeace.ca/blog/p-bear/i-marched-in
-montreal &amp;amp;amp;amp;h=143&w=200&sz=7&hl=en&start=8&tbnid
=AouBsLMZm -uoyM:&amp;amp;amp;amp;tbnh=74&tbnw=104&prev=/
images%3Fq%3Dmontreal%2Bmarch%2Bfor%2Bthe
%2Bclimate%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN
holy moly that's a long link!
- worked on campus sustainability initiatives including developing more or less from the ground up this: http://allego.concordia. ca as part of this http://sustainability.concordia.ca.
- Finally stuff from Africa is here: www.cydnairobi.ca and www.itsgettinghotinhere.org.

Anyhoo I have no idea who I'm up against or how much sleep I won't be getting if elected but suffice to say I think the Green Party is rad and I'm pumped about being involved! If you have any q's or a's, post and I shall respond!

Take care and talk (or type and read) soon. :)

Sean McFee - Male Co-Chair Wannabe

2006-12-13T21:53:00.000-06:00

Hi guys. My name is Sean McFee, and I am running for the position of male co-chair for the Youth Council of the Young Greens of Canada. I am 29 years old, so I just barely qualify as a young green. Je suis bilingue, alors n'hésitez pas de m'envoyer des questions et commentaires en français.

I have set up a weblog at http://seanmcfee.blogspot.com/ to explain my ideas for the position and answer any questions people may have. Should I be successful as a candidate, it will become the blog for my ongoing activities throughout the next thirteen months. I will pop my head in here as well from time to time.

For now, I will briefly introduce myself. I am a manager at a high-tech startup in the Ottawa/Gatineau region. During my spare time, I volunteer as a sales/marketing director for a not-for-profit music label, help organize an annual music festival, write for a music magazine, play beer league hockey, and broadcast an Internet radio program on a semi-regular basis. During my University years, I was a member and chair of the Students' Council, where I also chaired several committees, a student representative on the University Senate as well as the Computer Science Faculty Board, and the Chief Electoral Officer for the 2000-2001 year.

The reason I am running for this position is because I have been looking for a way to help the Green Party since joining earlier this year, and this particular role fits well with things I have done in the past as well as some of my current activities. In particular, there are aspects of the job relating to running meetings, project management, and policy development and tracking, which map well onto my previous experience and where I would be able to contribute strongly.

Because the Youth Council is a relatively new construct, I believe it is important that we help put in place a framework that will serve future Councils well. In addition to the typical goals the Council will have (organizing, outreach, finances) it will be important for us to establish resources such as a knowledge base for lessons learned, processes, and guidelines. I expect a fair amount of learning as we go, particularly with respect to group dynamics of the Council itself, so we will want to make sure future years benefit from our progress and learn from our mistakes. An attitude geared towards long-range planning, while theoretically nice any year, I think is particularly important for this year.

Lastly, to the other candidates running, welcome! I look forward to "meeting" with you all over the next little while, and I hope to contribute some new ideas during this campaign. Whoever gets to do all the work after January 12th, we will all benefit from having listened to each other during this period.

You can reach me at sean@toib.net or by commenting on any of the posts at my own blog. Thanks for your time.

Mark Coffin for Male Co-Chair

2006-12-13T19:55:00.000-06:00

Greetings Young Greens of Canada,

I’m happy to announce my decision to run as a candidate for the position of Male Co-Chair on the Young Greens of Canada Council. I believe reaching out to disenfranchised youth is one of, if not the most effective way to win the Green Party seats in the next election.

Up until now my involvement in the Green Party has consisted of doing everything I can to help out here in Nova Scotia. From making name tags for the tax shifting conference we hosted, to phone-canvassing in London, to being a founding member and treasurer of the Dalhousie Green Party Society, I’ve been doing everything I can think of to help move this party forward. I commit my time to the Green Party because only the Greens understand the complexities of issues that matter most to me: the environment, health care, and social justice.

I have decided to run for Male Co-Chair because I want to be a part of the team of Young Greens who focus their efforts on revitalizing youth involvement in Canadian politics. As an individual who has experience starting and organizing youth groups and working with other youth I would feel very comfortable in this position. The key to the success of the Young Greens and the Green Party of Canada will be perseverance and co-operation amongst current members and making our newest members feel both genuinely welcomed and useful in whatever roles they are ready to assume.

We can ensure the sustainability of our organization by bringing our message to all young Canadians, even those who have not yet reached voting age. By showing we care not just about votes, but also about people, we will be broadening the narrow political horizons now envisioned by most youth. Young Greens of Canada, as I envision, will reach out to our peers and give them the invitation to be apart of the political process that they deserve and are waiting for.

I look forward to working with the other candidates as a representative on council or simply as a Young Green member. If you agree with my vision for the Young Greens of Canada, please vote accordingly before January 5 2007.

In solidarity,

Mark Coffin

Candidate for Male Co-Chair, Young Greens of Canada

Please feel free to contact me at any time:

Phone : 902 - 344 - 1468

Email : Mark.Coffin (AT) dal [dot] ca

MSN: markjgcoffin [AT] Hotmail (Dot) com

Blog: http://jollygreenmark.blogspot.com

To vote for me, and learn more about the Young Greens visit http://www.generationgreen.ca

Stay tuned to my blog for more updates on my campaign, more of my ideas for the young greens, and feel free to post questions in the comments section.

Collin Potter Bonar for External Communications

2006-12-13T16:53:00.000-06:00

Hello, my name is Collin Potter Bonar and I am running for the External Communications position on the YGC Youth Council. I am a student at Concordia University in Honours Western Society and Culture and majoring in Political Science. I feel uniquely qualified for this position because I am an award-winning writer and speaker, I have done a lot of work in communications, and I have gained invaluable experience while I worked as Official Agent for Green Party Candidate Leo Williams during the last General Election. I think, among other things, that the Green Party needs to broaden the scope of its message. That is to say, We are not a single issue party and we should not act like one.

Moreover, I think the YGC is in a unique position to attract Canadian youth because young Canadians recognise that we need a stronger, healthier earth for our generation and those to come. However, in order to attract a lot of people to the greens, I think we have to do more than that. We cannot rely upon GPC environmental policy when our party has so much more to offer. We discuss other issues upon which the GPC has a strong and viable plan. For more information regarding the GPC platform and to see the issues that are important to you, check out http://www.greenparty.ca/platform_2006.html?&MMN_position=141:141.

Furthermore, it is our responsibility to demonstrate that youth are not only valued by the GPC, but are priceless to our organisation. To do this, we need to broaden the scope of debate by championing youth issues, holding GPC events for youth, embarking upon educational campaigns that target youth, and by fielding young candidates. When was the last time that a candidate under 25 ran in a general election? When was the last time such a candidate has a fighting chance? We need to field younger candidates because without them, the young demographic will forever feel ostracized from Canadian politics.

The Green Party is in a position that is unique in politics, we are members of an international Green Party network whose members share common ideological goals and basic values. I plan to work with the other Green Parties around the world to solve problems that affect all of us. There are 3 National Green Parties in N. America and 55 state/provincial Parties. In S. America there are 16 National Green Parties and In Europe there are 31 National Green Parties. There are also Green Parties in Africa, Asia and Australia. I know we can work together on global initiatives that will benefit all of us. I plan to also find out how other Green Parties recruit and fund-raise. This may dramatically help us work efficiently domestically and abroad. I am not sure if we will be able to take a leadership role, as we are a new organisation, but will work with the other Parties regardless and take a leadership role if necessary.

I have also developped a strategy to launch the YGC. I took it upon myself to create a plan to spark debate because this year's council has an awesome responsibility and an even larger symbolic duty to both the Green Party and to Canadian Youth. Those elected to the council are responsible for launching the Young Greens and will therefore set the tone of policy and shape the perception of Canadians. My plan is a preliminary one and I look forward to working with other council members to create a more comprehensive one. If you have any questions or comments, they would be greatly appreciated.
The Strategy:

1) Councillors and volunteers should visit YGC Campus Clubs, and other like-minded youth organisations (like campus clubs representing other organisations, NGOs for example) as soon as possible. This will allow the newly-elected representatives to practice addressing groups before a friendlier audience, while furthering the YGC's PR goals. Presentations should outline the purpose and objectives of the YGC, introduce the council, provide contact information, and outline the year's foreseeable goals.

2) A press-release should be issued as soon after the election as possible. This release should outline the purpose and objectives of the YGC, introduce the council, provide contact information, and outline the year's foreseeable goals. I think all press-releases should be sent to campus newspapers and the newsletters of like-minded organisations, as well as to the mainstream media.

3) Councillors and volunteers should call representatives of the local media, introduce themselves and provide information regarding the YGC. This is a free media grab. As such, Council representatives should emphasize local points of interest; outline YGC strategy and how it would benefit locals; outline the national benefit such an organization will have for Canadian youth, who are more frequently embracing para-political organizations instead of traditional ones; and emphasize our relationship with the GPC, and Green Parties around the world.

4) Councillors and volunteers should make informative speeches and/or rent booths at local high schools, CEGEPS (in Quebec) and Universities. We should also examine other means through which we can increase student awareness, as our organisation is aimed at students, and they represent a vital demographic for the GPC.

5) An email should be sent to all GPC members informing them of the YGC, its purpose, objectives and the like. We should concentrate on positives - the benefits.

6) We should ask Elizabeth May or another high-ranking GPC member to announce the YGC and any relevant information pertaining to it in a speech or address ('relevant information' could very well equate to reiterating the aforesaid). The Co-Chairs should participate in this event.

7)A press/volunteer lunch would increase ou rapport with the media and would increase awarnes amoung volunteers and others. Moreover, we can use this opportunity to further our agenda by telling everyone about our raisson d'etre and launching our campaigns

8) Two more press-releases should be issued in short order. They should reiterate what was said in the first, and express new YGC initiatives and/or reactions to recent events.

9) Continue to issue press-releases as a need a rises, though more frequently at first.

10) Ensure an active and consistent YGC presence at campuses and in the media.

If anyone would like to comment or has any questions, I would be more than happy to address them. I can be reached via email: collin.potter.bonar@gmail.com or you can check out my website: http://collingyccouncil.spaces.live.com. You can also check out mystuff on FaceBook by going to: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2220578987 (you may have to create an account).

Happy Holidays,

Collin Potter Bonar
Candidate for YGC External Communications

2006-11-27T22:57:00.000-06:00

Well folks, we done good!

Elizabeth received 26% of the vote, beating the Conservatives and NDP easily. The Liberal candidate in London North-Centre pulled in a strong victory.

This is the strongest vote percentage of any Green ever in Canada (as far as I know).

Congratulations Elizabeth, and good work, particularly to all the Young Greens who worked so hard in London and across the country.

You've done me, and the rest of us proud!

Lest We Forget Our Failures

2006-11-11T11:11:00.000-06:00

Let us not forget our failures.

Let us not continue in the path of violence.

"Nonviolence: 25 Lessons from the History of a Dangerous Idea" by Mark Kurlansky http://www.amazon.com/Nonviolence-Lessons-History-Dangerous-Chronicles/dp/0679643354/sr=1-1/qid=1163265162/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1370506-8839841?ie=UTF8&s=books

"Waging Nonviolent Struggle" Gene Sharp http://www.amazon.com/Waging-Nonviolent-Struggle-Practice-Potential/dp/0875581625/sr=1-1/qid=1163265210/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1370506-8839841?ie=UTF8&s=books

"Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha)" M. Gandhihttp://www.amazon.com/Non-Violent-Resistance-M-K-Gandhi/dp/0486416062/sr=1-1/qid=1163265235/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-1370506-8839841?ie=UTF8&s=books

See http://www.peacemakers.ca/bibliography/bib37nonviolentdirect.html

Conservative Party Discipline

2006-11-09T15:15:00.000-06:00

The following is my correspondence with the Conservative Whip:

Dear Mr. Giesbrecht,

Thank you for your email correspondence regarding Garth Turner, Member of Parliament for Halton. I appreciate you taking the time to contact me for clarification on the circumstances that led to Mr. Turner's departure from the Conservative caucus.

This is politics, and it is understandable and expected that there has been a great deal of speculation and no shortage of theories exchanged among reporters, columnists and political analysts about Mr. Turner and his relationship with his caucus colleagues, including the Prime Minister and myself, the Chief Government Whip. The fact remains, that it was his colleagues in the Ontario caucus, those who worked closest and most frequently with Mr. Turner, that prompted this action. They reported to the rest of our national caucus that were no longer comfortable working with him as they felt that the confidentiality and discretion that is paramount to the representation of their constituents was habitually compromised by Mr. Turner.

As for your assertion that our Prime Minister and our party do not allow dissent and the individual opinions of our MPs, I ask that you consider that these claims are largely generated from the opposition benches and unfriendly media. And while it is true that Conservative Ministers do not eagerly seek out the television cameras and call press conferences on a whim as their Liberal predecessors did before them, this is not an indication that they are being prevented from speaking their mind. Rather, our Ministers believe that Canadians want to hear from them only when they have significant and relevant information to convey - not simply for photo opportunities and 'air time'. I am proud of this new responsible approach to our Government's communications with Canadians. Communications with an emphasis on local media outlets and direct contact between MPs and ministers and individuals and businesses.

Again, thank you for providing this opportunity to clarify the facts in this matter.

Sincerely,

Hon. Jay Hill, P.C., M.P.
Prince George-Peace River
Chief Government Whip

From: Jared Giesbrecht
Sent: Sunday October 22, 2006

Mr. Hill,

As one of your constituents, I write to you regarding the recent expulsion of Garth Turner from the Conservative caucus. My understanding is that the government's official position suggests that Turner was expelled because he leaked caucus secrets. However, most people seem to believe that Turner was kicked out for being so outspoken regarding the Conservatives green plan and gay marriage—i.e. not towing the party line.

I recently attended a speech by Jason Kennedy at Queen's University and was struck by the fact that he could not give his own opinion on matters of importance. He made it quite clear that the party was significantly restricting his ability to comment on important issues. Indeed, he responded to the question I asked him with little more than "Stephen Harper has recently said in a speech that…."

I write to you, my MP and the party Whip, to express my concern for what appear to be very strict party discipline within the Conservative government. I expect tighter discipline from a governing party than an opposition party but, at the same time, the Conservatives (and especially the old Reformers) criticized the Liberals for having strict discipline and adamantly ensured us that they would be different.

Mr. Hill, it does not appear that the Conservatives are much different from the Liberals when it comes to party discipline. Therefore, I ask that you work with the Prime Minister's office to allow more dissent and plurality of opinion within the Conservative party.

Sincerely,

Jared Giesbrecht

Queen's Greens Critical Mass Ride

2006-10-27T08:53:00.000-05:00

--Laura Schober, Queen's Journal

Shortly after 4pm last Friday the Queen's Greens began their first Critical Mass Bike Ride. Approximately 25 cyclists from the Queen's and Kingston community began their route from the Grey House. Signs and posters about vehicle pollution were attached to students' bikes. The event's aim was to have cars yield to cyclists as they ride through the streets of Kingston.

On the way to Princess Street, the cyclists biked up University Avenue, where the Kingston Police Force intervened to stop them from blocking the street. Constable Nadine Legare told the Journal a complaint was filed due to obstruction of a driving lane at Union Street and University Avenue. No arrests were made and no tickets given out. After speaking to organizers about the nature of the event, the officer allowed the ride to continue.

Young Greens Logo

2006-10-25T14:40:00.000-05:00

The Green Party of Canada has a logo (see beside). Recently, however, there has been talk that the Young Greens should create their own logo--something a little more hip, something a little more reproducable, something a little more young, etc.

The following idea (with some minor changes) has been proposed to me as a way of selecting the most appropriate Young Greens logo:

1. Establish a forum that is open to all where people can post their ideas.
2. Recruit interested persons from among these who post to work on the Young Greens' logo project.
3. Each project member posts 5-10 possible logos to the forum by a certain date.
4. Time of constructive debate to decide the best logos each person has offered and 5 logos per person are selected by a certain date. (persons select their own top logos).
5. Time of constructive debate to decide the best logo each person has offered and 1 logo per person is selected by a certain date. (persons select their own top logo).
6. Young Greens vote to select the logo they would like to represent the Young Greens (one option would be keeping the GPC logo above).

Let's hear what you think.

The First Green MP?

2006-10-19T14:39:00.000-05:00

Garth Turner (see picture) was recently kicked out of the Conservative caucus. Word on the street is that Harper would not tolerate GT's (that's "GT" not "JT") vocal criticism of the Conservative Green Plan. Word on the street is also that GT is considering becoming the first ever Green Party Member of Parliament.

First, what do Young Greens think about GT's record as an MP? Second, what do Young Greens think about GT becoming a Green MP?

First, if you want to know about GT I recommend going to his blog at http://www.garth.ca/weblog/ GT is known for being very independently minded and working for his constituents before the party. Also, GT is known for opposing those who oppose same-sex marriage and for being openly critical of the Conservative's Green Plan. From what I can tell so far, GT is my kind of MP.

Second, what about GT becoming a Green MP? Here is what came to my mind when I read the headline in the Toronto Star--"oh no, not another Belinda Stronach and Emerson party-hopping affair!" (no pun intended). But, then I read further and realized there is an important difference between the Stronach and Emerson party-hopping and the possibility of GT becoming a Green MP. That is, GT is not willingly leaving the Conservatives to enhance his political career. This is a significant difference, Stronach and Emerson were offered positions in the Caucus of the governing party of the day and fled their opposition party. Instead, GT is being kicked out of the governing party and considering joining what would be the smallest party in the House of Commons. All this being said, I hope Elizabeth May and GT are cautious and remember that GT was not elected as a Green. It is important that the views of his constituents are always respected--our democracy depends upon it.

--Jared Giesbrecht (Queen's Greens)

Greens have the Momentum!

2006-10-18T19:04:00.000-05:00

This is the poll graph that was on the front cover of the Globe and Mail today. I just wanted to point out that not only are we making it into the polls (something that takes more than a little work), but we are also the only party showing a significant increase in numbers. Sure, the Liberals and Conservative are in a deadlock, but the really striking thing about this graph is that we are have more momentum than any other party. And, it looks like we have taken numbers from both the Conservatives and the NDP.

University of Waterloo Campus Greens initative

2006-09-25T10:29:00.000-05:00

We've been thinking of how to get local food on campus for a while.
The opportunity presented itself, and then the idea expanded past the club, but this article gives a good summary of what happened and a big success that can be replicated.

from Imprint...

Farm fresh produce available to students

Ashley Csanady - News Editor

Darcy Higgins, a 4A ERS student juggles local farm produce at UW Farm Market in ES Courtyard last Wednesday.

Students can now get farm fresh produce right on campus.

A joint coalition between Food Services, UW Greens and active students has brought UW Farm Market to campus for all students, staff and faculty. The first “market day” was September 20, 2006.

Every Wednesday from now until October 25, at 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the ES courtyard, a small market will be run with fresh produce from local farmers. All the prices are at cost, so the array of vegetables and fruit is cost-effective for students. Some examples of the pricing are: baskets of baby potatoes sold for 50 cents, four large zucchini priced at four for $1; four mixed peppers are $1.50 and an eight inch mum plant sells for $6.

Lee Elkas, director of Food Services, declared the day “a tremendous success.” Most of the food was gone by noon, with the market having been scheduled to run until 1 p.m.

Heather Dabrowski, 4A social development studies and volunteer co-ordinator for the initiative, said the mission of the market is “to be able to get local produce and make it available to students and at a lower cost. Having it on campus also makes it more available.

“All the produce that we receive comes from within Waterloo region, which makes travel time less [and the produce] fresher and it’s supporting the local farmers so they can get more money than if they sell [to locations] further away,” added Dabrowski, “Foods are picked Tuesday morning or Monday night so they are extremely fresh.”

She continued, “It’s the whole concept of letting people see where their food is coming from, because it’s something we’ve kind of moved away from. So if people are thinking about it, then that’s good.”

This week, UW Farm Market purchased about $850 worth of food and sold out. Dabrowski said, “we had a constant stream of people until noon when we had to close because it was all gone.” This success was a pleasant surprise to the project’s organizers, who planned it with the students’ health in mind.

Next week, Elkas said, they plan on purchasing almost double the produce they did this week by filling two vans instead of one. Darcy Higgins, a 4A environmental resource studies student and one of the organizers behind the event, explained, “[Waterloo Region] public health did these focus groups. The nutritionists at public health were trying to get people interested in local produce and making the connections happen so that people can have access to local produce.”

“Then, [Elkas] got the idea for a local food market on campus and, at the same time, I got the idea from an organic conference in Guelph and brought ideas back to the UW campus Greens club. So, we spent a few months talking to a bunch of people about how to best bring local food to campus for people. I heard Lee had a similar idea and the two of us met in May and said let’s go for it for September,” he continued.

The committee that runs the UW Farm Market is made up of about 20 core volunteers and approximately 60 that are involved in a smaller capacity.

Elkas said, “almost 99 per cent [of produce] that we bring to market is from the Elmira Produce Auction Co-op (EPAC), a fair market auction.” A local Mennonite community runs EPAC. All the farms are within a 20-25 km radius and bring their produce to auction. Many of the buyers are local stores, restaurants and markets.

According to Elkas, the product is “straight from the grower” and “very traceable … from field to students.”

Higgins explained the need for the partnership stating, “we needed to get a purchasing number; so, it was easier for Food Services to do that.”

Additional support for the market comes from FoodLink Waterloo Region. According to their web site, FoodLink Waterloo Region “is a non-profit organization seeking to create partnerships with food producers, processors, retailers and consumers to promote the sale and consumption of locally grown and produced food. In building a ‘food localism’ movement, FoodLink intends to identify, expand and create new markets for local farms and farm-based businesses while also building a demand for local food products.”

The products that the UW Farm Market will carry from FoodLink include preserves, baked goods and more, as the season progresses.

“It’s all seasonal,” said Higgins, “we had pears and apples today. [This week] we had corn and we had tomatoes. Next week we might have honey and apple cider.”

Dabrowski added they “are hoping to get [fresh] herbs … each week it’s kind of a mystery what we are going to get. It all depends on what’s available.”

The market is guaranteed to run for the rest of the fall, with different produce every week as the season progresses. As for the future of the UW Farm Market, Higgins said, “We’ll be working to make it happen again in the spring,” but that they, “need to get more volunteers, younger, [as most of the current volunteers are fourth year] who are able to take our place so it can be institutionalized.”

What Are You Doing Here?!?

2006-09-20T14:25:00.000-05:00

It’s probably going to take a few weeks for this blog to become active,
and full of important debate and discussion. SO...
Till then...
How about some in-important discussion!
Topic? As the title puts it: "What we are doing here"
(Why you joined the Greens)

Think of it as a contest if you must...
Who has the best reason for joining! :D

I will put the 5 best reasons up the GPC Website.
www.greenparty.ca
RIGHT ON THE FRONT PAGE! Cool eh?

RULES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Format must be

Name, Age, Location, (year, month or even day) you joined the party

Why You Joined The Greens

Signature

Swedish Greens play role in Congestion Tax

2006-09-14T11:07:00.000-05:00

article
wikipedia reference

This is a terrific example of how the Green Party, holding a balance of power, can encourage positive, sound public policy. The congestion tax went from being largely opposed prior to implementation to standing a good chance of being approved in a referendum by city residents.

These are the types of examples we need to hold up as reasons for going Green. Let us hope that a) Canada's major cities look to implementing such programs and b) we can have a Green balance of power to incorporate many more of these excellent policies.

The image is of the toll station at Norrtull

2006-09-13T10:57:00.000-05:00

The First Days of the Green Blog

2006-08-28T12:58:00.000-05:00

This is the start. The generation green blog is off the ground. Oh Ya. Elizabeth "Freekin" May our new leader. Thank you Jim Fannon for the slogan.
( Jim Not Pictured)