Good Sunday Morning — on this long weekend of counting our blessings.
Thanksgiving has a fraught history. I grew up in the US with the bizarre colonial mythology of friendly Pilgrims and Indigenous people breaking bread together. No doubt many early European invaders would have perished without the help of Indigenous peoples, but the narrative is deeply damaging. This article from the Smithsonian does a great job in breaking it down.
Then in 1973, my parents moved us to Cape Breton Island and I re-learned to celebrate Thanksgiving, but on a day I had grown up knowing as Columbus Day. Columbus and his first actions in genocide are now well known. But in fairness, Canadians do not think of our October long weekend in connection with Pilgrims or Columbus. It is not the holy family gathering of a Norman Rockwell painting. Our thanksgiving is a cherished three-day weekend and (almost) entirely secular. We can have our family meal on any one of those three days. I think my worst Thanksgiving ever was when I was waitressing in our family restaurant. My mom, still very US-focused in her thinking, figured everyone would want turkey so she advertised a lobster dinner special – two lobsters for the price of one.
Talk about being run off your feet! I think all of us waitresses from that day still have a dose of PTSD!
I am so looking forward to having John’s two daughters, their partners, kids and my pregnant girl and her partner to dinner! The centre of gravity for family this year is Vancouver.
Today I woke up in Nelson having campaigned over the weekend for Nicole Charlwood, BC Green candidate in Nelson-Creston:
And late tomorrow night, I am off to New Brunswick to campaign there.
As the climate crisis accelerates, as the US Southeast is slammed by unprecedented extreme events, the ocean acidifies, and a rare Great White shark was found dead off Haida Gwaii where normal water temperatures would not have been hospitable to Great Whites, climate scientists are increasingly clear. We are far too near critical tipping points:
It is clear to those paying any attention that the climate crisis is accelerating, just as no one in politics wants to talk about it. Debates in parliament are “Axe the Tax” — NDP cowardice in jumping ship on climate pricing is catchier than Covid.
The exception is, of course, the Green Party. Greens are in the three provincial elections happening right now
And this is my message this morning. Nothing can put climate back in the centre of Canada’s political debate and focus on what matters like Green MLAs being elected in BC and NB! That is why I am going there to do more. Of course, there is also an election in Saskatchewan where valiant Green Leader Naomi Hunter hopes to run a full slate. I had not realized those living outside Saskatchewan can donate to Saskatchewan Greens, but we can!! Please send what you can to https://www.saskgreen.ca/donate
Naomi Hunter is so dedicated. She has been living out of her car, covering the whole province to collect signatures to get a full slate! Saskatchewan E-Day is October 27.
But it is in New Brunswick and British Columbia that Greens have a real chance to elect many more MLAs. The single most significant way that we can change the course of Canadian politics – coast to coast to coast – is to back Green candidates in BC and NB. Electing many more Greens, while sending climate deniers — like Blaine Higgs and John Rustad — packing, is the most effective climate action you can take right now. It will send a strong message to the larger parties- Liberals and New Democrats — that they ignore the climate crisis at their peril. We only have until October 19 to elect BC Greens and until October 21 to help in New Brunswick!
If you live in Ontario, the Ontario Greens have organized calling parties to help us in BC!
Can you join one of the daily call parties for BC Greens?
They’re happening daily from 3:00-6:00pm (afternoon daily) and 9:30-11:30pm ET (evenings only on weekdays), led by local organizers. All new callers will be trained on the spot.
Here’s how it works:
– Click the link below and register for as many dates/times as you can join
– Local organizers will get you setup with their Gvote Call List in BC
– Start calling and help identify Green supporters in key BC ridings
Daily call parties are happening today until October 19 (Election Day). Hope you join, even for an hour, and help BC Greens win!
This week in parliament was particularly grim as Conservatives continued their attack on Parks Canada, as though Jasper National Park staff caused the devastating fire.
No one had raised the issue of the TMX bribing the City of Burnaby, so that was my question on Friday, followed by a total non-answer from Chrystia Freeland. Watch it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-FXoxMdGnU
I have also filed a long list of written questions on the Order Paper about the state of preparedness for a dilbit spill from the Aframax tankers. Meanwhile in a surprising development, Petro China has said it will not be using the TMX pipeline to ship bitumen from its oil sands mines.
I will keep digging into this as I think it blows a hole through the Liberal fiction that there is a big market in China for Canada’s bitumen.
Back to Greens in BC, NB and Saskatchewan… if you can, with the few days available, please speak to any friends and family in the three provinces going to the polls – New Brunswick, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. PLEASE be clear and forceful that it really matters to vote Green, not just for the immediate improvement in representation in local ridings, but to send a shock wave through our complacent punditry that tells voters (and political parties) that the climate emergency does not move votes. It can and it must.
By the way, if you happen to be in Vancouver on Thursday night (October 17) please join me for the book launch of a new anthology of Kinder Morgan-TMX arrest stories. I will be reading from my chapter of Standing on High Ground- Civil Disobedience on Burnaby Mountain— 7-9 pm at Centre for Peace,1825 West 16th, Vancouver.
Many thanks and best wishes and love to all as we focus on gratitude.
Love and deep appreciation for your commitment to a better world,
Elizabeth