(Le texte français suit le texte anglais)
Simon Gnocchini-Messier
Good Sunday Morning,
Greetings from La Belle Province,
My name is Simon Gnocchini-Messier, and I am running for the leadership of the Green Party of Canada. I hail from Bedford, Quebec, and live now in Gatineau where I carried the GPC colours in the 2021 election. I am a fervent environmentalist, social democrat and francophone of mixed Italian-French heritage.
I feel truly honoured to contribute to Good Sunday Morning, and I think that Elizabeth May shows a lot of class in having your EDA extend an invitation all the other leadership candidates to do so. Being respectful and collaborative like this is the true face of the Green Party.
I was in your magnificent corner of the planet two weeks ago, during a visit to my in-laws in Cowichan. It was a great opportunity to experience first-hand the forests and coastlines of Vancouver Island, areas that we must, as Greens, fight tooth and nail to protect. Just as we need to fight to protect the rights of our indigenous fellow citizens, who, for millennia, have been the custodians of this land, and without whom, Canada has no future.
One day during this visit, I sat back with my two-year-old toddler, Adam, to gaze at the towering Douglas firs, and exclaimed in French, “Que c’est beau!” He looked at me and said, “Beau, pretty, papa?” I looked back at him and became even more determined to do whatever I can to save this planet from its current path of self-destruction.
The visit to your island was also an opportunity to see Paul Manley in Nanaimo, with whom I have worked for several months as the party’s Global Affairs Critic. We definitely need to get Paul re-elected, and I will do my part to make that happen. When Paul told me he had hundreds of volunteers in his last campaign, I nearly flipped. Just imagine if we had hundreds of volunteers in all the 338 ridings under a leader in tune with the aspirations of the membership!
I am proud to be one of the six very talented leadership candidates. They are exceptional individuals, and we want each one of them in the House of Commons. Whomever wins the leadership will have my total support to make this happen.
But who am I exactly?
Well, I will tell you: I’m your guy. Whether you are from Saanich-Gulf Islands or from the Long Range Mountains of Newfoundland, from Iqaluit to Windsor, I will respect, listen and empower you to defeat Climate Change and advance Social Justice. And I will have the back of whomever wins the leadership race, so we can make the Green vision a Canadian reality.
If you want to learn more about my vision for the Green Party and the country, you can visit my website at www.simongmessier.ca/en.
Thank you, Merci, Meegwech, HÍ SW KE
Sarah Gabrielle Baron
Dear SGI Greens,
We began this week with great sadness. The multiple homicides in James Smith Cree First Nation were so shocking. As a teacher of Indigenous students I can tell you that Intergenerational Traumatic Response is real. I see it in my students when we talk about their languages, in which their grandparents are fluent, but they are not. ITR is palpable with every report of a Residential School unmarked burial ground. But the traditions are alive and well! I take heart in that Greens are pushing for the Canadian legal systems to evolve, to truly reflect the spirit and intent of the treaties: these are nations of peoples. The Green Party of Canada membership has recently passed ground-breaking policy on this file: G21-P037 that First Nations have the right to control land development, and G21-P038, that we must strengthen that unfinished project, section 35 of our constitution, to align it with UNDRIP. You can see all the proposals that members have approved via the race website, leadership.green.ca
In other news, the Trudeau government and provinces continue advancement for dangerous nuclear power experiments, granting promises to SNC-Lavalin, Moltex, BWXT (the USA’s largest nuclear weapons producer), Terrestrial (Stephen Harper is a director), and Westinghouse (a failed nuclear power company in the USA). Experimental designs to extract and burn HALEU and plutonium run the spectre of our nation leading a new nuclear weapons arms race. Not in our Canada. Not with the Greens. Radioactive legacies already pepper our nation. You can hear other Canadians’ stories via my podcast RADIOACTIVE. As your leader, I will stand in solidarity with Elizabeth on telling the truth about next gen nuclear power.
I’ve had a great time phoning Greens and getting to know the issues in various regions. Elizabeth has highlighted stopping Coastal Gas Link in Wet’suwet’en territory, and I agree, especially since our membership voted for this policy overwhelmingly via G21-E010 , and if I get out to BC I will extend that solidarity to the Secwepemc Land Defenders trying to stop the TMX expansion. In Quebec, Greens are trying to stop Baie du Nord. In northern Ontario the Mushkegowuk Council and Neskantaga First Nation of Treaty 9 are trying to stop unbridled expansion of chromite and other precious metal mines in the “Ring of Fire” on the headwaters of one of the largest watersheds in the world, Greens stand in solidarity with Indigenous and non-Indigenous Land Defenders everywhere!
Basing out of Ottawa, I can tell you that the Green family here is vibrant and helpful. I hope to visit you all there in BC very soon! Thank you for your support in this campaign! But most importantly, thank you for your support for each other and the larger Green Party of Canada in these troubled times at the beginning of the age of Climate Crisis.
Whether we’re working internationally on issues like getting out of NATO and supporting nuclear disarmament via the TPNW, or working nationally on issues like creating a disability benefit plan, or we’re working more locally on solutions for housing, retrofits, local-based energy solutions, and local-based food security, Greens are creating pathways to a future that is liveable, intelligent, and full of joy.
Yours in Green solidarity, ~ Sarah
Jonathan Pedneault
Good Sunday Morning,
I want to start by sharing a short note I wrote in Fairy Creek:
“The open wound blinds the eye, bright and warm. Exiting the embalming calm of the feathery green cover, one emerges unto the sunbaked land as one would stumble upon a corpse.
It’s dead, here. Dead and sad.”
Growing up on the south shore of Montreal, I long defined forests as mere collection of trees, big and crowded enough not to be a park.
Plantation forests, like the ones I saw each summer as we drove to my mom’s hometown in Quebec appeared lush and alive to me.
Little did I know that a collection of trees, although it looks like a forest, can be deader than a desert. The forested patches I saw were little more than monocultures. Sad smoke screens, hiding horrendous clear cuts.
There were no smoke screens on the drive up to Fairy Creek.
Next to Jordan River, one could see large logs piled on top of one another in the open. As a former human rights investigator I had to quash unwanted recollections of mass graves. For these were all bodies. Corpses lying there, waiting to be turned into something “useful.”
These trees all had a story of their own. An existence of their own, intertwined with that of many other beings populating the land. A land now disturbed by human greed.
Thankfully, there are those among us who see past the smoke screens. Those among us who fight to defend the land and see the trees and forests for what they are – complex, beautiful beings of their own.
On Tuesday, Elizabeth and I were privileged to spend a day with some of them; Elder Bill, Grandma Losah and Rainbow Eyes included.
It was a precious moment of growth. Where the trees fell, a community sprouted, spreading its many branches throughout the country to inspire others to defend the land and old growth forests.
As Greens, we must learn from the fight at Fairy Creek and from the complexity of old growth ecosystems. It is not enough for trees to be planted next to one another for a forest to exist. Similarly, it’s not enough for members of a political party to simply sign up for that party to be alive and well.
As of writing, we still don’t know who the next leader of the Conservatives will be. But we know that roughly 600,000 Conservatives were eligible to vote.
That’s a lot of people. But how many of them are committed? How many of them will participate in this movement, the way Green members keep our party alive?
Likely not an awful lot.
And that’s our strength. The interconnectedness that defines us as Greens, regardless of our differences, is what will help us defeat the surge of anger we see throughout the country.
But we need to think like a forest, and allow everyone to play their role in this complex ecosystem of ours.
In solidarity, JP
Elizabeth May
Good Sunday Morning!
It is a sombre Sunday. Many political conversations will ensue about the Constitutional Monarchy. But for the moment, we have lost a remarkable woman – a constant in a fast-changing world. Seventy years on the throne is almost unfathomable. At 96 years old, she was still at work. No one can deny she lived a life of service. Queen Elizabeth II defined the term “sense of duty.” Yesterday’s Conservative leadership hoopla even ditched its confetti cannons. (More on the impact of that race next week.)
Some dates sit heavy on your heart. Even without being in a Commonwealth period of mourning, September 11 is one of those dates. It was twenty-one years ago that hijacked planes flew into the Twin Towers. So many lives lost that day and so many more in the illegal war unleashed on Iraq.
September 11, forty-seven years ago today, marked the brutal coup that deposed democratic hero Salvador Allende of Chile. Another brutal war in which thousands perished – many innocents “disappeared.” It is estimated that a total of over 40,000 people were arrested, tortured or killed under Pinochet. The US government had been actively destabilizing the Allende government. No admission of guilt ever from the diabolical interference from the United States.
As the world grows increasingly unstable, there is no need to wonder if history repeats itself.
Still, I had a remarkably blessed week. On Tuesday, my running partner Jonathan Pedneault and I were honoured to visit Fairy Creek in the company of Pacheedaht hereditary chief Victor Peter, Elder Bill Jones, Grandma Losha, and other Indigenous land defenders. Green Deputy leader Rainbow Eyes (Angela Davidson) was with us for most of the day, but could not attend the ceremonies inside the Teal Jones gates. Rainbow Eyes has been arrested five times at Fairy Creek and is under court ordered restrictions. She is much loved by a wide community. The outrage of watching Indigenous elders seek permission from Teal Jones to enter their own territory was hard to bear. Over 1100 people were arrested over the last year or so. We must recommit to stopping old growth logging and land back.
On Thursday, Green MLA Adam Olsen and I toured the Clam Gardens of Russell Island with Indigenous experts from Tsartlip, Pauquachin and Penelakut First Nations. I wish I had more than 500 words in this Leadership version of GSM to share deeper detail of Clam Gardens. These rock walled enclosures running along our coast were built 4000 years ago. Restoring them is the work of Parks Canada with Indigenous leadership.
https://wsanec.com/the-clam-garden-restoration-project/
Lots of work to do to remove bureaucratic barriers to shellfish harvesting. As Adam says, the closing of these zones with no testing is environmental racism.
REMINDER: PLEASE join the Green Party before Wednesday to vote in the leadership race! Please check out our websites: www.elizabethmay.ca and www.jonathanpedneault.ca.
If you are on Salt Spring Island today, come join me at Fall Fair!
Stay safe and well!
Love,
Elizabeth
Chad Walcott
Good morning Saanich-Gulf Islanders,
This week, on the occasion of Labour Day, my running mate Anna and I took some time to reflect on the worker’s rights we benefit from today. Things like the weekend, minimum wages, maternity leave, and child labour rights, commonplace today, were earned through years of organizing and activism.
In that spirit, we wanted to share our vision of what we see as the next steps in advancing workers’ rights and building an economy based on wellness. Here is an excerpt from that article.
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Our campaign launch video turned heads by asking the question: “Can we not imagine a world beyond Capitalism?” We’d like to take the opportunity of Labour Day to explain some of what being ‘post Capitalist’ means to us, and how we see workers’ rights fitting into the coming transition.
For us, a post-Capitalist economy means a Wellbeing Economy. And we believe Canadians are ready to support this vision.
Workers’ rights are core to creating the well-being economy, and we are big supporters of unions in asserting and expanding those worker rights. Some of the next innovations in workers’ rights, which we hope to advance as Leaders of the Green Party, include:
A livable minimum wage for all
- Minimum wages have not kept pace with inflation: full-time workers on minimum wage are now earning less per month than they need to bring in, to pay the basic costs of living. We know that suppressed wages drive down the cost of goods on the backs of workers. We support the calls for a livable minimum wage, both federally and in all provinces, which automatically tracks to inflation every year.
Moving towards a 4 day work week
- With advances in technology has come an expectation of increases in productivity. Modernization should make our lives easier, and less stressful, yet for the sake of productivity, we are still called upon to work 40+ hour weeks. It’s time to shift gears and update our work culture. Moving to a 4-day week, which many workers have begun to do, will free up more family time, more time to pursue our interests, and enjoy the fruits of our labour. It’s time to prioritize people over productivity.
10 paid sick days/year
- We support the federal government’s move towards 10 paid sick days per year for federally-regulated private-sector workers. We advocate for expanding this same right to workers in all sectors of the economy and support the efforts of our provincial Green counterparts to champion this shift in their respective provinces. When workers feel supported to stay home, instead of coming to work sick, they recover faster and keep their co-workers safe. This is a good thing for businesses, for our healthcare system, and for workers themselves.
I would like to end this week’s submission by taking a moment to acknowledge the death of Queen Elizabeth II and offer my condolences to the Royal family and all Canadians who feel affected by her loss.
Have a great day!
Anna Keenan
I write this early Saturday morning, but it will be sent to you on Sunday, likely after the announcement of Pierre Poilievre as the new Conservative leader. (Though I hope I’m wrong!)
I’ll say it plainly: this is a man who fans the flames of anger and conspiracy, who openly champions deregulated capitalism, and who supports expansion of the oil & gas sector in the face of the climate crisis. His leadership is a danger to democracy.
It comes up in worried conversations around kitchen tables… the deepening polarization and disconnection from each other… swirling disinformation and near-inescapable echo-chambers… the normalization of hate, anger, and harassment in public discourse. What can we do?!
The answer lies in Proportional Representation.
Due to the nature of our First Past the Post electoral system, Conservatives led by Poilievre could capture a majority of the seats in parliament, with far less than a majority of support from Canadian voters.
Heading down this path was entirely avoidable, had Prime Minister Trudeau kept his promise to make the 2015 election ‘the last under first past the post’. But Prime Minister Trudeau let politics interfere with democracy. He chose the option that would be best for the Liberal Party, not the option that would be best for all Canadians.
The good news is that the course can still be corrected.
I believe that the election of Pierre Poilievre offers the movement for Proportional Representation an opportunity. It’s time for us to ask the ‘moderate’ Conservative MPs who are still willing to dialogue across the left-right divide: is it not time to come out swinging in support of Proportional Representation?
UBC professor Richard Johnston has accurately observed that “History suggests that Canadian voters will not herd themselves back into two partisan camps.” Polls show that support for proportional representation (PR) is consistent across provinces, age groups, and political parties. New voices are also coming out in support, like the Toronto Star, and even some federal Conservative MPs.
If we stick with first past the post, we will continue the current trends of democratic disengagement and growing anger.
With Proportional Representation, we would evolve our politics to become more inclusive, genuinely democratic, responsive to citizen needs, and more respectful.
We would arrive at better-considered, more-stable policy outcomes. Rural/urban and regional divides would be minimised.
Moderate Conservatives, joining with Greens and NDP MPs, could be the ones who break the logjam. And as Green leaders, Chad and I would be willing to work with them, to restabilize Canada’s democracy for the long term.
Proportional Representation is a passion of ours. Personally, I’ve led campaigns for Proportional Representation, served on the board of Fair Vote Canada, and have served as the party’s Democratic Institutions critic.
If Chad or I are elected leader, this will be a conversation that we prioritize driving in our nation’s politics. Please visit our website at www.KeenanWalcott.ca for more.
To randomize order within GSM: Sept 11 -: Reverse Alphabetical order, first name – Simon, Sarah, Jonathan, Elizabeth, Chad, Anna Sept 18 – alphabetical order by surname – Gabrielle Baron, Gnocchini-Messier, Keenan, May, Pednault, Walcott; Sept 25, reverse alphabetical order by surname – Walcott, Pednault, May, Keenan, Gnocchini-Messier, Gabrielle Baron.
(text français)
Simon Gnocchini-Messier
Bon dimanche matin!
Salutations de la Belle Province,
Je m’appelle Simon Gnocchini-Messier, et je me présente à la direction du Parti Vert du Canada. Je suis originaire de Bedford, au Québec, et je vis maintenant à Gatineau où j’ai porté les couleurs du PVC lors des élections de 2021. Je suis un fervent écologiste, social-démocrate et francophone d’origine mixte italo-française.
Je me sens vraiment honorée de contribuer à Good Sunday Morning, et je pense qu’Elizabeth May a fait preuve de beaucoup de classe en demandant à votre ACE d’inviter tous les autres candidats à la direction à le faire. Une telle attitude de respect et de collaboration est le vrai visage du Parti Vert.
J’étais dans votre magnifique coin de la planète, il y a quelques semaines, lors d’une visite chez mes beaux-parents à Cowichan. Ce fut une excellente occasion d’aller marcher dans les forêts et sur les côtes de l’île de Vancouver. Des zones que nous devons, en tant que Verts, nous battre bec et ongles pour protéger. Tout comme nous devons nous battre pour protéger les droits de nos concitoyens indigènes qui, depuis des millénaires, sont les gardiens de cette terre, et sans lesquels le Canada n’a pas d’avenir.
Un jour, au cours de cette visite, je me suis assis avec mon garçon de deux ans pour contempler les imposants sapins Douglas, et je me suis exclamée : “Que c’est beau !”. Il m’a regardé et a dit : “Beau, pretty, papa ?” Ces moments de bonheur renforcissent ma détermination à faire tout ce que je peux pour sauver cette planète de la trajectoire dévastatrice que nous lui imposons.
La visite de votre île a également été pour moi une occasion de voir Paul Manley à Nanaimo avec qui j’ai travaillé pendant quelques mois en tant que porte-parole du parti pour les affaires mondiales. Nous devons absolument faire réélire Paul, et je ferai ma part pour que cela se produise. Lorsque Paul m’a dit qu’il avait des centaines de bénévoles lors de sa dernière campagne, j’ai failli tomber par terre. Imaginez seulement si nous avions des centaines de bénévoles dans les 338 circonscriptions sous la direction d’un chef en phase avec les aspirations des membres !
Je suis fier d’être l’un des six très talentueux candidats à la direction. Ce sont des personnes exceptionnelles. La personne qui remportera la course à la direction aura tout mon soutien pour y parvenir.
Qui suis-je exactement ?
Eh bien, je vais vous le dire : Je suis votre homme. Que vous soyez des îles Saanich-Gulf ou des Long Range Mountains, de Terre-Neuve, d’Iqaluit à Windsor, je vous respecterai, vous écouterai et vous donnerai les moyens de vaincre les changements climatiques et de faire progresser la justice sociale. Et je soutiendrai le vainqueur de la course à la direction afin que nous puissions faire de la vision verte une réalité canadienne.
Pour en savoir davantage sur ma vision du Parti: www.simongmessier.ca
Merci, Meegwech, HÍ SW KE
Simon Gnocchini-Messier