The Other Leadership Race

green party

Last week, Elizabeth May, who is resigning as executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada after 17 years, announced she’s considering running for the Green Party of Canada leadership. Today, she expanded on why.

She joins David Chernushenko, a current deputy leader and former Ottawa Centre candidate, who’s been twice endorsed by the Ottawa Citizen.

This is great news for the party (read: country, planet), because both May and Chernushenko are well qualified for the job — albeit for different reasons. In a perfect world I’d have them as co-leaders, since they have complementary strengths. I remain hopeful that whoever comes second in the leadership race (assuming it’s one of them) may offer to serve as deputy leader, and have that offer accepted.

So keep an eye on this one. The next leader is almost certain to be included in the televised leaders’ debates, which will automatically make the Green Party an even more significant player. And a word to the wise: if you want to vote for the next leader, you need to join the party by June 27th.

That was then…

democracy and good government

Newsflash: I don’t disagree with everything Stephen Harper says. For example, in 2002 Harper wrote that “standing committees of the House should not simply be extensions of the Prime Minister’s Office, and members of Parliament should choose their committee chairs by secret ballot and set their own agenda.”

Bang on! I couldn’t agree more. The centralization of power only leads to corruption and opacity. Harper was ahead of his time, actually. The Gomery report would later note that “there has been an increasing concentration of power in the Prime Minister’s Office,” and that many Canadians believe that the structures of power should ensure that “no one single individual, such as the Prime Minister, can influence by appointment the decisions of others.” Go Harper go!

Except that now that he’s the PM, he’s changed his mind. The Globe and Mail reports that Harper is, “choosing which Conservative MPs will become chairs of Commons committees, reversing a parliamentary reform that he championed while leader of the Official Opposition.” Oh well, so much for priority number one.

And who gets to benefit from the Prime Minister’s first committee chair appointment? Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott, who the Globe notes is best known for frequently issuing anti-abortion press releases.

Bush Baby vs. Hillier

climate crisis, conservative party, democracy and good government

The man Robin Williams calls a Bush Baby has told yet another person they’re not allowed to speak publicly. Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier now joins Conservative MPs, cabinet ministers, people who use cell phones in meetings, and an Environment Canada scientist who believes in global warming on the list of people who aren’t allowed to talk without checking with the PM first.

Seriously, how long is this list going to get? And how far down is my name?

More than “positioning,” please

climate crisis, conservative party, polls

A new poll by Decima Research finds that 63% of Canadians believe the Conservative government is “doing a poor job on the environment.” (The poll was even taken before the government gutted environment programs last week.)

Pollster Bruce Anderson was quoted as saying that public opinion research suggests Canadians are becoming more focused on global environmental issues, and that “it’s important for [the Conservatives] to position themselves as progressive advocates of environmental solutions domestically and internationally if they want to broaden their support base.”

Bruce isn’t wrong. I might humbly add, however, that “it’s important for the Conservatives to become progressive advocates of environmental solutions — and implement those solutions — if all of us want to preserve our quality of life.”

But hey, I don’t want to get into an argument over semantics.