This is sort of going to make me insane. Yet another unofficial wing of the Party, that mostly NO general Members know about, making potentially fundamental impacts on the structure of the Party. WRONG. We have a forum for discussions like this. It is a wiki. It's called the Member's Forum and it exists on the Party website. This entire discussion needs to be sent THERE, and the general Members need to be invited by the party HQ, by Federal Council, through their EDA's, and via their Candidates and Shadow Cabinet, to join in discussions THERE. Enough of this. ~ Sarah Gabrielle Baron.
Non-Violence Grassroots Democracy Ecological Wisdom Social Justice Sustainability Respect for Diversity
VISION - We need to make sure we have bridges built between the “conservationists” and the “eco-modernists”. To what degree do we see addressing our relationship with the planet as a need for humans to pull back (consume less and leave nature alone), or for humans to innovate our way to a new relationship with our greater environment? Dialogue and mutual-understanding between these viewpoints is key. To clarify, eco-modernists focus on this solution , while a conservationist might think that this is the answer.
Greens do things differently, so why can't the GPC have two leaders?! Shared power is unusual, but not uncommon. Co-leadership would send a powerful message that the Greens are a party that cooperates to get things done. The vision is large, and two leaders can divide the work and complement each other in expertise, experience, and perspective. It's also great public optics and powerful symbolism. It's happening in Europe. The ensuing division of work could also encourage a more diverse pool of candidates.
Strategy - to realize many people are concerned about super immediate threats like not being able to provide for their family. Lately there are covid19 related concerns which has to be met with great empathy but there is an opening to say the world came together to protect each other from the virus, we could come together to battle climate change. Many people care about the environment but that comes later in the heirarchy of needs over income security and not catching coronaviruses, to the point where climate concerns over everything sometimes seems elitist and unrelatable.
Sustainability is environmental but also has to be financial. There is very real concerns about future tax increases just to service government debt and interest repayments. Getting advice from respected finance professionals, not just economists but professional accountants, and being transparent about the real financial issues of budget proposals would bring credibility to the plans.
Realize that Greens are often seen as a placeholder protest vote when people are dissatisfied with the other major parties, rather than always a vote for the Greens. People seem to vote “Survivor” style - against rather than for parties.
Utilize social media in the way it was used to bring to light hidden issues such as George Floyd and Jacob Blake's murder. In Canada this is more imperative since there aren't many major celebrities or followings, so many Canadians rely on traditional media which is heavily filtered. Social media can get traditional media to start reporting on issues.
Play to win but also realize Greens can have power and influence as a kingmaker in a minority government. May have to look at merging with NDP in the future similar to how Alberta Conservative parties merged to prevent splitting the vote.
It is urgent that the National Building Code be changed to require that all housing in any way under the jurisdiction of the Government of Canada be universal design. Universal design will accommodate anyone of any age or ability, going beyond mere accessibility. The federal government has responsibility for military housing and Indigenous housing, and participates in funding for housing in all provinces and territories. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) wields broad influence on housing across the country. The new National Housing Strategy can guide the leveraging of federal spending on housing to promote accessibility across Canada by requiring recipients of federal public money to not perpetuate existing barriers or create new ones. Provinces follow the lead of the National Building Code. There is no Building Code in Canada mandating that housing be accessible, despite the Human Rights Code, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities forbidding discrimination on the basis of disability. Barrier-free housing is a human right. The cost of universal deign in housing is less than 1% more than standard design, if included from the planning stage. Discrimination against 22% of the population must be ended now.