Green and growing

Conservatives penalty doesn't match the crime

2011-11-11T08:29:00.002-05:00

This week, the Conservative Party plead guilty to spending more than its national limits in the 2006 election, just as Elections Canada had said in 2006, and which the Conservative Party has been denying for the last 5 years. This outcome is no surprise to anyone who has struggled with the election campaign budgets and the key distinction between national and local campaigns.

The party was fined $52,000 for spending $1.3 million over their limit. Big deal. Not a bad price to pay for winning an election, particularly relative to roughly $8 M the party spent nationally and the roughly $30 M they spent in individual ridings.

I think their spending limit for the next election should be reduced by $1.3 million. That would demonstrate some restorative justice. After all, aren't these the "tough on crime" people?

On deficit reduction

2011-11-08T22:18:00.004-05:00

Today, our finance minister announced that they would have to postpone the date that they would ultimately balance the federal budget. They should have talked to us during the election, because that's what we told them then. It was extremely obvious to anyone who cared to look that they could not possible pursue a path of "lowering taxes" and investing in fighter planes and military ships (did they actually buy any?) and eliminate 50 billion in spending from the budget. Nothing has changed, but they act like some new event or thing has changed their "outlook". Just another deception in a long line of deceptions.

The thing that really troubles me is that, according to recent polls, about 40% of Canadians still think that these idiots are the best people to manage the economy in difficult times. The same party that wanted to remove restrictions on banks to invest in derivatives, which would have made our financial sector exactly equal to the US so we could tank together in 2008. Of course, now they claim that Canada is strong because of our strict regulations. Good thing they weren't in power prior to 2006, or we would be really screwed now.

Let's hope that good analysis trumps good old feelings. Last century's parties are not an answer to this century's problems.

Jim

On the politics of fear

2011-08-03T11:36:00.002-04:00

There have been recent press articles about the interim leader of the NDP, Nycole Turmel, belonging to the Bloc Quebecois in recent years. Detractors say this represents poor judgment on the part of the NDP leadership or at worst a shift towards separatism in the party.

I say this is nonsense. People change. Times change. The things that we once thought were the best of ideas can lose their luster, and when that happens, we need to change.

In the last decade or so, and up until the general election this year, support for the BQ was as much based in getting the best federal-provincial deal for Quebec as it was about sovereignty. In truth, many of the voters in my riding in Ontario are only concerned about what we can do for them specifically, or for the province. They see the election system as a way of selecting a champion who will go to Ottawa to fight for their share (or even, perhaps, more than their share) of government funding. I used to believe myself that this was the role of the federal politician.

But I have changed. While it is important to represent the interests of your constituency, it is equally important to contribute to the greater economic and social wealth of our country. Much as a rising tide lifts all boats, we all benefit from programs which assist everyone. Economic studies have show, for example, that improvements to education create a net benefit to society which far exceeds the net benefit to the individuals being educated!

So why is it such a big news story that Nycole Turmel used to belong to the BQ? Well, I submit to you that it is a smattering of what they call news on a slow day. It had the elements which make for good sensationalization, as it raised a spectre of fear. "Oh my god, what if the NDP has a hidden agenda?" the reader asks when presented with this "revelation". What nonsense. This type of story serves only the political elite who benefit from trashing the official opposition. Makes you wonder who owns the news media, doesn't it?

Let me be clear that I am Green Party member and candidate, and I would like everyone to vote Green. But this baseless attack on the NDP is an insult to our intelligence, and demonstrates how low the news media have sunk. We need to give Canadians more credit.

Congratulations to Nycole Turmel for being elected interim leader. Good luck to you.

(Opinions expressed are my own.)

Slashing at the Environmental Assessment Agency

2011-07-21T13:37:00.003-04:00

The government has decided that one of its priorities is NOT making sure that new businesses and projects are safe. Remember the $11 Billion that during the election they said they would have to cut to balance the budget, but they wouldn't say where they would cut? This is why they wouldn't say. And this is only 0.1% of the amount they will have to cut to make sure they can give corporations their tax cuts.

From the article:

"The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is looking at a 43.1 per cent cut in spending, dropping from $30 million in 2011-12 to $17.1 million in 2012-13, according to the agency's planning documents."

Who else in this country is going to prevent businesses from polluting and contributing to an increasingly toxic playground for our kids?

And who will we hold accountable for this decision?

An interesting perspective on what's going wrong

2011-07-13T14:42:00.002-04:00

The link above is to an article published in the Toronto Star written by Kai Nagata, who recently resigned as the CTV Bureau Chief in Quebec. It is not a story about how bad CTV is, or CBC, Nagata's previous employer. It is a story about news, and how the news business is not serving us the way it should. It is an excellent read.

Jim

Now that the dust is settling ...

2011-05-05T09:19:00.002-04:00

I am caught between two outcomes, one good and the other, not so good.

The good outcome is Elizabeth May's election in Saanich-Gulf Islands. With Elizabeth in the House, we can expect to see a different and more cooperative level of discourse there. Issues that were ignored during this election, such as the environment, aboriginal issues and democratic reform will be discussed and the public, if they choose to look, will see the benefit of having a Green voice.

The not so good outcome is that we have a majority government. This is, in fact, a mixed bag for me. I am relieved that after 5 years of high alert, and having to be ready to run in another election at any minute, we can now step down from that tension, and resume the process of building our constituency. This is a welcome outcome. However, I fear for the future of this Parliament, as we must remember that the party that was found in contempt of Parliament (that is, ignoring the will of the people through their elected representatives) now has permission to completely ignore Parliament.

We must accept the wisdom of the electorate, but we must also acknowledge the distortion provided by the first past the post system. The government did not get a majority of the votes in this election. They got about 40%. 60% of the voters did not want this government. 50% more did not want it than wanted it. We are already hearing about receiving a mandate from the people .. the truth is, no such thing happened. But with more than 50% of the seats in the House, they can pass any legislation they like, without consultation, and without regard for the 60% of the people whose values are different.

So what will they do with this power? I fear for democracy, the poor, the environment, First Nations, and small business. I wait for the government to prove me wrong to worry. With a majority, there are no excuses. What happens now is squarely the responsibility of the governing party.

It remains to us to document the events of this parliament, so that intention cannot be re-spun in the next election. I hope that the government will do its best to reach out to all Canadians, and exercise compromise in its approaches to issues, rather than deepen the shallow, partisan, mean-spirited and heavy handed approach to governance that we have come to expect from this government.

I wish you all well.

Jim

LKM Green Party AGM today at 2:00 in Strathroy

2011-05-01T11:14:00.001-04:00

Going to #LKM Green AGM today at 2:00 at Duke of Earl (Frank and Centre) in Strathroy .. come on down #elxn41 #cdnpoli

Home stretch update

2011-04-28T00:13:00.002-04:00

Getting down to the wire now. Just a few days left in the campaign. Some great news, polls commissioned by the Green Party show Elizabeth May in first place in SGI by 8 points over the Conservative incumbent. (See http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2011-04-26/elizabeth-may-leading-saanich-gulf-islands for more details).

The NDP surge is also very interesting. Canadians are clearly saying "enough" of the same old, same old. Thank you, Canada!

Just finished our riding wide mailout. For most of our constituents, it will be the first time they will have seen a piece of literature from the Green Party and get to know who we really are! I am very excited that we have executed this plan, our most expensive campaign yet.

Whatever you believe in, take the time to vote on May 2. And whatever happens, it is bound to be very interesting!! It is time for your voice to be heard.

Jim

We should leave Helena alone

2011-04-15T22:38:00.002-04:00

We are a country of caring, compassionate and fair minded people. Therefore, I think we should leave Helena Guergis alone.

I don't, for a second, believe the allegations that have been cast against her. These allegations have been kept in the vault waiting for the day when they can best be used against her. It is clear to me that the only reason that this information was released (they call it "leaked") is that she is doing pretty well in the polls as an independent, and was therefore hurting the Conservative candidate in that riding. The media has gone crazy on the feeding frenzy, yet, there is really nothing to talk about.

An allegation, that's all. Nothing sinister, nothing untoward, nothing to call the RCMP about. She is winning votes in her riding. And so, those in the know in the Conservative Party find it convenient to leak this memo about allegations which the RCMP have ALREADY CLEARED HER OF!! Start the story again, that's their strategy. Change the channel from all the allegations aimed at PMSH and the PMO. Find someone else to take the heat for a while.

I, for one, applaud Helena Guergis. She is one tough lady to fight through all of this unsubstantiated garbage being thrown at her. Decisions either have a basis in what is known at the time, or they do not. The Prime Minister has said there were problems, but does not identify them. Many in the caucus have said that she was pulling her weight there. My guess, is that she was simply inconvenient. Due to other allegations leveled at her husband, she was too close to the fire. Never mind her commitment to public service. Throw her to the hounds (I believe she used the term, under the bus!).

There is not one of us here who has not made mistakes in the past. The measure of our character is how we learn and grow from these mistakes. Helena Guergis deserves better, and so do the voters of Canada.

Helena, if you read this, know that you have a supporter who lives just north of London. Win or lose in this election, you deserve to be treated fairly. If I still lived there, I would be voting for Valerie Powell of the Green Party, but you have my respect as my number 2 choice! By the way, my great uncle George Johnston was the Conservative MPP in the southern part of Simcoe County for 25 years or so. Perhaps we can trade stories one day!

Regards,
Jim

Leave it to Canada's old style parties

2011-03-31T23:26:00.002-04:00

It is both interesting and ironic that Steven Harper's reaction to the undemocratic decision to exclude the Greens from the televised debate is to suggest an even more undemocratic solution to exclude the NDP and the Bloc as well. Michel Ignatieff's reaction .. anytime, anywhere.

Only these two parties could propose such an abuse and make it sound like a good idea to Canadians. Shame on them.

Please sign the petition to get Elizabeth into the debates. http://demanddemocraticdebates.ca/sign

Jim

Ineresting speculation - what would a majoirty look like?

2011-03-29T10:20:00.002-04:00

Murray Dobbin has an interesting blog post about what a Harper majority might look like.

http://murraydobbin.ca/2011/03/28/contemplating-the-unthinkable-harper-majority/

Makes for some interesting reading.

Jim

We need to engage youth in the political process

2011-03-28T14:03:00.002-04:00

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

March 28, 2011

Green Party candidate Jim Johnston calls for common ground on employment and education for youth

Ilderton – Green Party candidate Jim Johnston is challenging his candidates in the other parties to create a better atmosphere for the 2011 election by letting Canadians know that their candidates are capable of being positive, as well as negative. For the rest of this first week, each day the Green Party will propose an issue or idea where we think all parties can find common ground.

“For the fourth time in seven years, Canada finds itself in a federal election. I know that Canadians feel this is an unnecessary use of taxpayers’ money and they are sick of the mud-slinging and the personal attacks. We are saying: let’s try to engage the voters. Let’s try to show them that, once in a while, we can agree on important policy issues,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.

The first big proposal from the Greens is that Canada needs a nation-wide employment and education initiative for youth.

“Surely all the parties can agree that providing employment and education for youth need to be a priority. Recessions hit youth the hardest. They are continually caught in a cycle of not yet having the skills or experience to be competitive but not being able to gain these skills and experience without a job,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May. “It is a critical phase of their lives and it is a worthwhile investment to create a generation that is fully participating and contributing both economically and socially.”

The budgets that we create now create debt that will take generations to repay. The youth of this country should have a more important role in deciding how their future unfolds.

“I am asking the other candidates in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex to join in and find common ground. Show voters they are able to cooperate and work together with other parties, and agree Canada needs an investment in a nation-wide employment and education initiative for youth,” said Jim Johnston.

-30-

Contact Information:

Jim Johnston, 519 666 1203, jjohnston@greenparty.ca , twitter LucanJim

What if Shephen Harper's views were used against him?

2011-03-06T09:43:00.004-05:00

Jeffrey Simpson has written a great column in the Globe and Mail entitled "What if Stephen Harper's Previous Views Were Used Against Him?"

It provides an interesting perspective on the futility of attack ads. People grow and change.

Or perhaps they don't. See Accidental Deliberations for another take on this issue.

Jim

Senate reform linked to constitutional agreement

2011-03-02T15:35:00.003-05:00

In her article today, Chantal Hébert talks about the futility of trying to create Senate reform without addressing the constitutional process that is necessary to make changes, and the consequent need for most, if not all, provinces to agree on the precise change.

She also points out that a constitutional change is not required in order to implement proportional representation. So how about it, MP's? Could we have referendum at the next election on whether or not we want PR for the House of Commons?

Jim

The missing headline on election spending

2011-02-28T09:10:00.003-05:00

Last week, Elections Canada charged the Conservative Party and four senior officers with a number of violations of the Elections Act. According to news reports, these charges all stem from the in-and-out scheme from the 2006 election. There has been much discussion about this on the news and on the internet, including the Prime Minister's statement that the issue is essentially an accounting dispute.

But there is a missing piece which has not been reported on, as many of those involved in political reporting and blogging know this information, and likely assume everyone else does, too. Parties receive federal subsidies (= your tax dollars) to the tune of 50% of expenses, 60% for local campaigns. So, by claiming an additional $1.3 million in expenses, we Canadians wrote the Conservative Party a cheque that was about $650,000 to $780,000 bigger than it should have been.

To put this in perspective, if you or I filed an income tax return and neglected to mention $1.3 million in income, thereby depriving the Receiver General $750,000 of income, there would be hell to pay. Of course, we could just claim that it was an accounting issue, but I am pretty sure that Revenue Canada would not simply accept that and let it go.

At Issue - Viewer Questions - My Answers

2011-01-01T09:06:00.004-05:00

I am a big fan of the At Issue panel, which is a Thursday night feature of CBC's news show, The National. This week, the panel answered viewer questions. Their answers are always interesting and informative, but I think sometimes they miss the boat. So, I would encourage you to listen to what they say, and also read what I have to say. Then, tell me what you think!

To see the original clips, in two parts, go to CBC's website here for part 1.

As you read my answers, you can see that the need for a change in our voting system underscores a number of problems which we sometimes accept as being unavoidable. At the very end of the clip, you will see that Andrew Coyne really wanted to talk about democratic reform, but did not have time.

Question 1 - What New Year's resolutions would you have for our members in the House of Parliament (to improve decorum)?

Three of the panelists latch on to the idea that it is party loyalty and excessive partisanship in caucus which leads to the abhorrent behavior in Parliament. My suggestion is to loosen the power of parties so that MP's can once again take on the role as official representative of their constituents, rather than puppets of the party. Read on for how we do this!

Question 2 - An old slogan of Western alienation is "the West wants in". Are Westerners "in" now?

The panel generally said yes, although some said mixed. Chantal Hébert's position is closest to mine. I belive that Conservatives in the West are well (over) represented, but supporters of other parties are not. Here, a party issue is substituting for a regional issue. Proportional representation would take big steps towards fixing this.

Question 3 - Do you think Canadians as young as 16 should be given the right to vote?

The panel got this one wrong. Absolutely, 16 year olds should have the right to vote. They are intelligent and engaged, and the future belongs to them. They pay taxes and have other responsibilities in our society. They should have a say. They couldn't do any worse than the rest of us.

Question 4 - If electoral voting can be accomplished using the internet, would this be a significantly positive contribution to the electoral process?

Allan Greig had it right. Use the technology to engage people, not only in voting but in developing policy.

Question 5 - What do you think about mandatory voting, with the option for a blank vote?

Interesting question. Mixed response from the panel as well. I think that if we made it easier to vote (using the internet, for example), then it is not so much of a burden to require people to vote. If we allow people to say "none of the above" or to spoil their ballot, then we have allowed them to express that sentiment as well. What do you think?

Question 6 - Truth in advertising is a law in this country which applies to companies. Why does this not apply to politicians?

A famous quotation says "truth is the first casualty of war" (US Senator Hiram Johnson, 1918). I believe that we should have a ombuds office that investigates politician's claims. They could easily issue a monthly report outlining erroneous claims, particularly those that are repeated so often that we begin to think we are hearing the truth. We need to hold politicians to a high standard.

Question 7 - Is the party system subverting the fundamentals of Canadian democracy? Is this a source of political apathy? Can the party system undergo democratic renewal or is it even a democratic problem?

This is an important question. The party system allows people with some shared values to work together to represent those values. However, parties and party leaders have become too powerful and have made the individual MP less relevant. An interesting idea that was raised was that the party leader should be selected from the caucus after the election, rather than by the party membership prior to the election. Proportional representation (PR) would make the individual MP more accountable to his/her constituents, rather than to the party. PR would also increase the diversity of representation in the house, which would require parties to dialogue and compromise in order to work effectively after an election. An MP's future should be in the hands of the constituents, not in the hands of the party leader.

Question 8 - What can we do to bridge the growing gap between Canadians and our democratic institutions?

The two panelists who responded basically said "vote". I think they missed the boat on this one, too. IMHO, people don't vote because they don't think their vote really counts. We need a good PR system in place, one in which every vote can make a difference. If I want to make a statement, I might vote first for the Pirate Party, or the neo Rhino Party, but I also want to have a chance to have my vote count for some other party as well, so my second choice might be my party of preference. Or, I might want to vote for my party locally, knowing that it is unlikely they will win the riding, knowing that my vote will go into a proportional pool to compensate for dis-proportionality of first past the post. Short answer, make everyone's vote count, then they are much more likely to use it.

Let me know what you think about these questions!

Jim

(Edited to correct title)

On the fractured left

2010-12-30T09:26:00.002-05:00

There have been several articles lately in the mainstream media suggesting that the only way for the Liberals to regain power is to unite the left by forming some kind of arrangement with the NDP. The argument goes that the Conservative party is in power because of uniting the right, and therefore, the left must get united as well, or wait for the right to disintegrate again. I disagree with this argument.

The problem here is that we look at the results through the lens of our electoral system (FPTP - first past the post). In this system, there is a constant pressure for parties to move to the centre of the political spectrum ... to become "big tent" parties. The bigger the tent, the more successful the party. Hence, the reason that uniting disparate points of view is regarded as a winning strategy.

But what really happens when a party moves to the centre? It compromises on the values it holds because it is trying to be attractive to other voters who would otherwise be turned off by some policy or another. Parties work to find out what people want, and then adjust their communication to fit the story that people want to hear. In my opinion, this leads to higher and higher levels of deception. Remember "support the troops"? Well, ask someone who is living on a military pension or disability, and see how they feel about how we are supporting the troops!

With FPTP, a small shift in support can result in a massive swing in seats. This is the problem of the false democracy .. the votes that are represented in the House of Commons are only a small fraction of the total votes cast. Liberals in Alberta, Conservatives in Toronto, and Greens everywhere are not represented at all ... their votes did not count.

With proportional representation (PR), a small shift in support remains a small shift in representation. That is the beauty and elegance of PR. Parties have to change their approach to be successful in PR. They are well advised to say exactly what their beliefs are during the election. After the election, they need to seek compromise and consensus among all those elected. They need to listen to the people and how they spoke through their votes, because only in PR can people vote their conscience and know that it will count. An election actually gives us some good information about what people want. We cannot know that now, because so many people vote for the party they hate in order to prevent the party they despise from winning.

So what should the Liberals do instead of uniting the left? Get behind PR. The NDP supports PR, and so does the BQ. All three have done nothing to move this agenda forward. Now is the time. Do it! The Conservatives would be well advised to get behind this as well. It is only a matter of time before a Tea Party style rift occurs, and the last time this happened (1993), the Progressive Conservatives went from 170 seats to 2 seats in a single election. The big swing cuts both ways.

Remember, any system that is not proportional to voting preference is, by definition, non-proportional. Why would we want a non-proportional voting system? We only need to look south to see how well a two-party see-saw works.

Have a happy holiday

2010-12-24T23:17:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday season. Whatever your beliefs, and whatever your traditions, I hope that you have a safe, relaxing and peaceful end to your year. May the year ahead be the best one yet!

Jim

Canadians support action on climate change

2010-11-22T11:55:00.002-05:00

This link will take you to an article by Stephen Leahy at Common Dreams. It demonstrates that a large majority of Canadians want action on climate change, while the government is doing everything it can to maintain the status quo. A good balanced perspective.

Jim

Chantal Hébert - Text of speech

2010-11-03T11:24:00.003-04:00

This is a link to the original speech by Chantal Hébert at pundistguide. h/t to Doug Woodward for finding it.

Jim

Chantal Hébert - Anger is engagement

2010-11-02T15:38:00.000-04:00

This link ( http://www.hilltimes.com/page/view/voters-11-01-2010 ) will take you to an interesting article by Alice Funke about a speech given by Chantal Hébert. In her speech, Chantal suggests that voters are angry with the status quo in politics in general, and that this anger is itself a form of engagement that could affect the outcomes of elections to come. Well worth the read.

Jim

On social networking

2010-10-17T18:20:00.003-04:00

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a very interesting piece in the New York Times about social networking. It is well worth the read ... http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=1

One of his arguments is that there is a difference between strong-tie connections and weak-tie connections. Strong-tie connections are groups and issues for which we have a strong desire to become involved due to the involvement of ourselves or our close friends and relatives. They require some significant personal commitment in order to make effective change. Gladwell uses the civil rights movement of the US in the 50's and 60's as an example. Weak-tie connections are groups and issues which we are not as intimately involved with, such as our Facebook friends or Twitter follows. He argues that these social networks can only be effective in creating social change when the "ask" is minimal .. that is, sign a petition, watch a Youtube video or pass on an email to your contacts. In that type of ask, however, the effect can be massive due to the exponential growth of the network of people contacted.

This got me thinking. Of all the political issues facing us in Canada, which would we consider to be "strong-tie" issues? The first thing that comes to mind is the observation that participation rates in elections are falling, which suggests that more and more issues are seen to be "weak-tie" issues. By this, I mean that the issues that we often call the ballot box questions are simply not motivating enough to get everyone involved, particularly youth. On the other hand, once you get involved in politics, you see lots of issues which are important, issues that may mean life and death to a lot of people. Yet, try as I might, I cannot seem to transfer my sense of urgency to others. Quite often, the effort results in the directly opposite outcome ... people turn off and tune out.

The past year or so in Canada has handed us a few surprises as to what Canadians react to. The first is the proroguing of parliament. Who would have guessed that their would be such a reaction as we saw across the nation? The most recent surprise was the reaction to the changes in the long form census. Again, if I were betting, I would have lost that one! I can only muse at this point about how Canadians will feel about losing the bid to attain a temporary seat on the UN Security Council. Will our social networking tools rally Canadians to demand a change in our foreign policy and repair Canada's reputation in the world? Time will tell.

On polls and rejuvenation

2010-04-27T10:35:00.002-04:00

I have watched the polls for quite a while. I have come to regard them like photographs taken at a party. That is, the poll may show something which is quite temporary and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. What I have learned to watch for is the long term trends .. the things which seem to consistently move in a particular direction, sometimes up, sometimes down, but generally moving toward something.

Lately, it seems to me that a major trend in the last few years has been that there is a movement away from the "old" parties of Sir John A MacDonald and Wilfrid Laurier, of Trudeau and Mulroney, with that support moving to the NDP and Green parties. This trend sits on top of an 80 year trend of decay of support for the top 2 parties combined in federal elections. Together, these trends are accelerating.

This makes a great deal of sense to me. If it were not for where they sat in the House of Commons, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a government member and a member of the official opposition. The two largest parties are extremely busy at centre ice, trying to elbow the other guy out of the circle, while trying to contain their most recent scandals. Is this what we want our government to be?

I believe that people want political parties to stand for something, and then fight to get what they believe in, rather than fight to get power. The issues facing us on our limited planet are simply too important for us to waste time over the battle of who gets to live at 24 Sussex. Rather, we need to pull together to ensure our long term survival.

Here's what I stand for: (a) we need to modify our democratic institutions so that we have more effective representation, more effective participation, and more effective government; (b) we need to spend our money wisely, live within our means, and use our investments as a way to move toward sustainable futures for ourselves and future generations; and (c) we need to balance our use of the scarce resources of our planet with our need to live .. that is, we need to restore a balance in which we treat the planet as if we intend our children to live here.

A recent Harris Decima poll put both leading parties below 30% popular vote. As any gardener knows, you begin the spring by clearing away old growth to make room for new growth. The perennial parties that have governed this country since the mid-19th century have run their course, run out of ideas, and run out of credibility.

Now is the time to stand for something. Our government should be all about making a better future.

Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue

2010-02-22T23:45:00.002-05:00

In the dying moments of the 3,706th day of the 21st century, we watched two young skaters create a magical moment on their way to winning the Olympic Gold Medal in the Ice Dance Figure Skating. I was captivated by the tale they told with their movement, with their eyes, with their incredible ability. After they finished, I turned to Carol to see that she was softly crying, overcome by the beauty of their performance. It is a good day to live in Ilderton, in Canada, but mostly, it is a great honour to be able to see Scott and Tessa skate so beautifully. Thank you both for sharing these moments with us!

Accidental Deliberations

2010-02-22T20:51:00.002-05:00

I have added Accidental Deliberations to my link list on the right side of my blog page. I do not do this lightly. I have read many posts from this website, and I believe that AD provides an interesting and leading edge view to the news that emerges about Canadian politics.

Thanks, Accidental Deliberations, for doing what you do!

On expectations

2010-02-14T09:28:00.005-05:00

(cross-posted at http://greenparty.ca/blogs/1193/2010-02-13/greens-projected-win-2-seats-whats-methodologyor-source .. originally a response to a post about recent seat projections showing 2 Green seats in Ontario)

If the Green Party continues to climb in popularity and voter first preference, then there will eventually be Green MPs. That is a mathematical certainty.

However, I believe that we do ourselves a disservice every time we say that we will elect MPs in the next election, or worse, that we must elect MPs in order to remain viable as a political party. The reason for this is that the first is not necessarily true, and the second is clearly false.

I am profoundly guilty of promoting the first point of view in the past. I believed that by being optimistic, I created a sense of vision and momentum and made the realization of the dream more possible. Instead, I now believe that my credibility comes from being true to my word, rather than being unrealistic. To me, this means that we run to win in every campaign, but without making the promise of winning, a promise that is fulfilled only by the voters.

I post this because I have become concerned that people inside and outside the party are beginning to believe that the second statement is true, that is, we must elect MPs in the next election. I think this is patent nonsense. If we do, great .. good for us. But if we don't, we are not going to disappear. We are not going to stop trying. We will get back to work doing what we have always done .. a process that has gotten us this far, and will continue to develop support for us, as more and more people come to understand that the status quo in Canadian politics is simply too dysfunctional to keep propped up.

So, back to the point of your original post, Matthew, I would suggest that you can use the polls to show that things are changing, because some people will not change unless they see that others are changing too. Just don't make any promises about electability. Remember, that Kim Campbell's Progressive Conservatives were leading in the polls in 1993, and the election moved them from 169 seats (22 more than a majority) down to 2. The outcome of the election is in the hearts and minds of the voters.

The newest insult to Canadians

2010-01-30T19:49:00.003-05:00

Watch TV for a couple of hours, and you will notice one or two or more commercials which will "inform" you that the government's economic action plan is fantastic, with tax deductions galore and happy, shining Canadian citizens basking in the glow of gifts bestowed by a magnanimous leadership.

When I see these commercials, I have a different take. I see our tax dollars being spent in an effort to convince us that our government is doing a good job. Once again, our government is so arrogant that they believe that Canadians will not see past the facade, and see the bald faced political advertising for what it is.

The Conservatives are down in the polls, deservedly so for dodging the oversight of Parliament. So, it only makes sense that a public relations campaign is in order, especially if the public will pay for it.

So, Mr. Harper, don't try to convince me that you are doing a good job. Instead, demonstrate that you are doing a good job by showing me the results. And here's some advice, you could start by showing up for work, and letting all the other MPs do their jobs as well.

Proroguing and other insults

2010-01-24T19:48:00.002-05:00

This link will connect you a blog post by Thor at the Porcelain Bus which outlines a long list of concerns with the way that Steven Harper conducts the business of the government of Canada.

Yesterday, we helped to protest the proroguing of parliament, and the ongoing attempts by the government to remove the ability of ordinary citizens and their elected officials from participating in the democracy which we hold so dear.

You can see some YouTube video of us at the London rally here. Jeff Culbert is the main singer, Carol Birchmore is doing the harmonies, and I am the backup guitar player. I hope you enjoy the song, "Proroguer No More".

Now, we must keep up the pressure and remind Steven Harper that this is our country, not just his.

Bringing home the bacon

2009-10-27T09:27:00.003-04:00

This column by Andrew Coyne (The cheques aren't the real scandal) has a simple and important message about the role of members of Parliament, and how this role has been compromised by self-interest. I highly recommend it.

Election heat is off, but the soup is still simmering

2009-09-22T14:43:00.002-04:00

Today, I had two experiences which suggest to me that our government still has election plans afoot. First, I received yet another useless flier from my MP at taxpayer expense. They had stopped for a while, but this is the second in a week. Then I received a phone call from the local Conservative Party asking me if I would be supporting my local candidate in the event of a federal election. Guess what I said.

Here we have another example of spending money outside of the election period so that it won't count in the election limit. My MP is being cautious, since Elections Canada caught him in 2006 $4,000 over the limit.

There are no limits on spending outside the election period. Perhaps there should be.

Hot Air Blogloons

2009-09-07T11:09:00.002-04:00

Apologies to those who revere the English language .. I thought I had coined a new term. When I looked it up through the search engines, it has been used elsewhere with the same meaning as my intention. I could not find a definition, so I will attempt one.

Blogloon: (i) Someone who posts endlessly about their particular little issue while either (a) grinding an axe, (b) drawing attention to themselves, (c) rewriting history or (d) demonstrating that they are correct while the rest of the world is wrong; (ii) an unbalanced and entirely negative stream of posts; (iii) a blogger whose only engagement with their issue is through blogging, rather that doing something constructive about a solution.

My good friend pointed out to me that when I read the policital blogs, I generally come away with a higher level of anger and frustration. As I reflected on this observation, I realized that I am not prepared to give away my time and energy to the blogloons. I trust my own company and my own judgement, and I will begin to prioritize my reading in order to maintain my orientation to active solutions.

Everone on the internet has an opinion. Very few of them are actually worth reading.

Electoral reform - we need it - how to make it happen

2009-05-14T11:20:00.001-04:00

I still think there is hope for electoral change. The Green Party has to work to win with the rules the way they are.

It is telling that we don't hold referendums on going to war, changing tax structures, creating or changing the constitution, adjusting federal / provincial powers or any of the contentious issues of the last few years - capital punishment, abortion, gay rights. The government chooses not to be encumbered by the people in making its decision, claiming that the electoral system has imbued it with the will of the people.

Then, instead of asking people, "should we make the electoral system more proportional or not", and then leaving the details to experts at Elections Canada and parliamentary committees, we instead task uninformed citizens to form an assembly and make a complex recommendation which most people don't understand. Then we ask them to vote on something which resembles legislation. If people had to vote on legislation, such as the last budget, for example, most (a) wouldn't bother or (b) reject it because it was too complicated.

The referendum is simply a process to stall change and continue to entrench the power of the two parties that have ruled this country since Confederation. They know a good thing when they see it.

My suggestion: Just do it. The government is empowered to do everything else, why don't they just do it. Answer: They don't wish to bite the hand that feeds them with our money and our power.

It won't change until we make it change. We need to push and push and push until the voices of the people are truly heard in the corridors of government.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss

2009-04-15T00:02:00.002-04:00

I still don't understand why so many people ponder this question: should I vote Liberal or Conservative next time?

I say, it doesn't matter. They are basically the same party. Both leaders wanted Canada to join the war in Iraq. Both leaders think that giving our sovereignty to multinational corporations through the security and prosperity agreement is a good idea (never heard about it? I wonder where our media was for the last few years .. google it to find out). The Conservatives campaigned on no deficit, and when they were backed into a corner, they came to love the deficit. Of course, in the budget bill, they decimated the navigable waterways act, rendering useless the consideration of the impact of dams and hydro projects on the people who live up river. Similarly, the elimination of environmental assessments, which are painted as being impediments to the necessary investment in infrastructure that will save our economy. Suddenly, it would seem that protecting the environment that protects us is suddenly out of fashion. I fear that we will choke to death on the decisions that are being made today. The Liberals supported this, and they agree with it. Each the same as the other.

In the entire history of Canada, we can look to alternating Liberal and Conservative governments to see the evolution of our democratic systems, our government and institutions. It is time that they were held to account for the abysmal management of our natural resources (where did the cod go, anyway?), for the continued repression of aboriginal minorities, for decimating the water tables in what we euphamistically call the Athabasca Tar Sands (as if there was nothing else there).

Liberal, Tory, same old story. If we continue to vote the way that we always have, we will continue to get the same results we have always gotten. Isn't it time for a change?

Glimpse of an image

2009-03-18T12:11:00.004-04:00

I happen to catch a glimpse of the Prime Minister last Friday when he was at Fanshawe College to make an announcement about a $2B in job retraining and other infrastucture investment. With him were the Conservative MPs from the surrounding regions, as far away as Haldimand-Norfolk. Notably absent from the stage was Irene Mathyson, the MP whose riding Fanshawe College is in.

This makes sense if the event is a partisan event. But an announcement from our government about spending $2 billion of our tax dollars (which we don't have and will have to borrow and eventually pay back with interest) seems to me to be an event which should include the local dignitaries, even if they are with other parties.

Of course, the Prime Minister does not want anyone to think that anybody in Parliament does anything for the people except the Conservative party. If only that were true ....

In person, the PM looks much like he does on television. His hair is perfect. His government, not so much.

Update on a government

2009-03-05T09:58:00.003-05:00

Wow, how time flies!

Since my last post the government asked the Governor General to prorogue parliament for six weeks, presumably to let things cool down. She granted this adjournment and in the meantime, the Liberals quickly eliminated Dion and replaced him with Ignatieff. He then decided that it would be better to have a coalition with the Conservatives than with the other two parties, as that would appear to make him look more statesmanlike, ie. improve the chances of electability. In the meantime, the Conservatives suddenly realized that their strategy of ignoring the economic crisis was not playing well (ie. reducing their electability), and suddenly turned into Liberals and introduced the largest deficit budget in the history of Canada.

There, that should show the voters that we care, they thought. And perhaps it did. Most voters are tired of all these games, and are finally happy that the elected officials are doing what they were elected to do, rather than spend all of their time repositioning themselves for the next election. But, the budget fails to make any significant investment in the kind of infrastructure Canada needs for the future. Instead, there is money for carbon capture rather than conservation, preservation of an auto industry which invented and remains trapped in obsolescence, and a pile of money targetted to cash-strapped provinces and municipalities which must provide matching funds. If you are going to provide an economic stimulus, then at least build the foundation for long term, sustainable industry.

Now, there is a flap over whether or not these extra billions of spending can be effectively controlled or not. The government appears to be saying no, we have to spend this money so fast that we know that mistakes will be made, and don't blame us for it. Rick Mercer has a great blog post at http://www.rickmercer.com/blog/index.cfm/2009/3/3/Forgive-Us--We-Know-Not-What-We-Do . Once again, conservative values appear to have been tossed out the window.

There is a great blog post at http://kirbycairo.blogspot.com/2009/03/harper-and-history.html which summarizes Stephen Harper's serendipitous rise to power, and the inevitability of his fall. It is great reading.

Canada, I hope your next government is deserving of your support.

On coalitions

2008-12-03T13:12:00.003-05:00

As I write this, the three opposition parties have said that they do not have confidence in the government, and that they will vote down the economic update. They have further asked the Governor General to consider installing a coalition government rather than have another election after two short months. The government does not like this one bit, and is fighting tooth and nail to prevent the vote and to prevent the coalition.

Canada is a parliamentary democracy. That is, the voters elect a parliament, and from that election, the Governor General appoints the leader of the party with the most seats as Prime Minister. The authority of the government comes from the House. When the government loses the confidence of the house, then the Prime Minister resigns. Normally, a new election is then called, and we start over again.

However, twice in Canadian history, the Governor General has asked the leader of party who came second to govern the country, usually because it is simply too soon after an election, which would likely achieve similiar results (much as the 2008 election results look a lot like the 2006 election results). So, the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois are most certainly within their rights to point out that they can form a government, since between them, they have the majority of seats in the house, and they have agreed on a legislative agenda.

Could the government have avoided this? Of course. After the election, the Prime Minister talked about a more cooperative approach to governing. Then, he immediately turned around and, without consultation with any of the other parties, hit them with a number of budget incentives which were not even part of their election platform. His response was take it or leave it. The opposition parties all immediately said, we will leave it, and vote against it. At that moment in time, the government lost the confidence of the house. Suddenly, the budget was revised and now, may be scrapped and replaced if Parliament is recessed. However, the problem now is that nobody in the coalition trusts the government any more, and for good reason.

Steven Harper rolled the dice and lost. Remember back in September, when he asked the Governor General to call an election because he did not have the confidence of house? (Even though all of his confidence motions were passed, primarily because of a weak and divided opposition). Or harken back to 2004, when the Liberals formed the governement, and Steven Harper, as leader of the opposition, sent a letter to the governor general, signed by the NDP and the Bloc, urging her to consider allowing them to form the government. Now, he suddenly claims that a coalition is somehow a devious and underhanded backroom plot. Bull feathers.

Mr. Harper, you are done. It is time for you to leave gracefully.

As to the new coalition, I fully support their right to form the government. However, I am deeply concerned that they will not sufficiently address the issues of the day. They deserve a shot, and an opportunity to make this Parliament work. I hope they will address the true economic issues, the need for electoral reform, the issues facing aboriginals, farmers and the growing ranks of the unemployed. And whether it is carbon tax or cap-and-trade, please, please do something about global climate change.

Our children are counting on us to be the adults here.

The need for change

2008-11-18T12:07:00.002-05:00

Very few people choose to change for no reason. Change is uncomfortable and awkward. There are new behaviours and ways of thinking to work out. It is outside of our comfort zone.

Change comes when people reach a crisis point. Change comes when the comfort zone becomes too uncomfortable.

Is there a crisis in our midst? People are concerned about the economy, jobs and their financial security. When this happens, people turn to their trusted economic advisers. Unfortunately, in the US, these are the same people who caused the problem by taking unreasonable risks, and now expect the taxpayers to help them solve their problem.

I listened to a CBC talk show a couple of days ago, Rex Murphy, I believe, as I was driving. A fellow called in and said (I paraphrase): I have a small business, and I am now under more financial pressure than ever, and the government is not going to even consider a bailout package for me. Worse than that, they will use my tax dollars to subsidize some of the least efficient industries in the country.

There is a great wisdom in pointing out this paradox. I believe that small business is the best solution to Canada's woes. They generate more jobs, more revenue and they are local, rather than multinational, in nature. Small, local solutions to local problems.

In government, perhaps we should question our trusted advisers before handing them the keys to the vault again. As Einstein said, insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.

The morning after

2008-10-16T00:58:00.002-04:00

This is my response to a friend who was feeling down after the election on Tuesday. What happens is that we develop higher and higher expectations during the election campaign. Then, when the results don't match our expectations, we experience a let down. Here's what I wrote:

Yes, it is normal to feel that way. During the campaign, we work hard to envision a victory. We imagine the people awakening to the same conclusions we have reached, that the system is broken and that it will take a new party like the Greens to fix it.

Then, after the votes are counted, there is a sobering reality check. It is not that we are wrong, nor that we are foolishly optimistic, nor that what we are working for is not important.

Rather, it is simply an acknowledgment that change requires time. Lifelong Liberal, Conservative and NDP voters are reluctant to change that behaviour, and all the rational argument in the world will not impact the emotional experience of voting. As you have experienced yourself, when you stand in the voting booth, you get a brief glimpse of the power of democracy. There is a mix of excitement, and a huge sense of responsibility, knowing that your X will impact the future of the country. For many people, they choose a safe alternative, out of fear of making a mistake.

So, today, tonight and tomorrow, we will sift through the results, and the emails, and the news reports and try to find some meaning for what appears to be a gap. We will analyze our own numbers to see what happened.

In the end, this is what we will find: We will find wonderful posts like John's http://www.greenparty.ca/en/node/8361 which reminds us that we have made tremendous progress nationally, and that we have achieved a level of accomplishment never seen before in the party's history. The vast majority of the candidates will find that their vote increased. Mine went from 4% to 7%, and while I wanted a much bigger number, it still represents almost double the support from 2006. No other party doubled their support in my riding.

We will find that we have made new friends and supporters who will help us the next time. We will remember the amazing contributions that people made to help us in our ridings. We will remember the times that we inspired others. We can take pride in the community we are building.

Here is a little story, whose point is that you never know what influence you will have on people. Towards the end of the 2006 campaign, we had some money left, but not enough to do flyers for the whole riding. So, we did up a small black and white flyer, printed 20,000 copies and then began to figure out how we would distribute them. Within 48 hours, most went out in bulk distribution, and some went out as unaddressed ad mail. When I saw my results at 4%, I wondered if it had all been a waste. Well, it turns out that one person saw the flyer, liked what she saw and decided to become involved in the Green Party. Mary Ann Hodge became the candidate in London North Centre in this election, and she told me this story a month ago while we were stacking signs into a truck.

You have affected many people in and around your riding, but they usually don't pick up the phone to tell you. This is our reward, and this will eventually turn into votes, just as the seeds sown in spring grow when given sustenance and time. We are, in effect, gardeners of change, and our task is a marathon rather than a sprint. We live in a world that prefers instant solutions, but there are no such quick solutions for the significant issues of our time.

So, remember that sun has no comprehension of its importance to life on earth. In that same way, we continue to shine with the things we hold true, and holding up the same vision that we began with. There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.

Herding cats

2008-10-13T14:07:00.000-04:00

My belief is that strategic voting is like herding cats. We like to think that voting is a rational process, but it is not. There are a lot of other emotional and psychological factors in play, including loyalty, peer influence, generational influence, attachment to particular issues, leader preferences, local candidate preferences, and level of engagement.

Remember that 40% of the potential voters in this country will not actually vote. So to suggest that some grand scheme cooked up by a third party with an axe to grind will massively influence this complex behaviour is absurd. What it does instead is simply reinforce the belief that the outcome of this election was largely determined by the outcome of the last election. Who benefits from that? The same parties that benefit from first past the post. The same parties that benefit from voter fatigue. The same parties that are in it to hold power at all cost.

First past the post is well past its expiry. It is better to cast a vote for what you believe, than to cast a vote for something you dislike, based on the assumption that someone else's prediction of the outcome is accurate and yet somehow avoidable.

I wonder what it was like in the old days when there were no polls? I guess people just voted for the candidate they thought would do best. With proportional representation, we could do that again.

A fitting letter from one of my Alberta friends

2008-10-12T17:34:00.002-04:00

This letter was posted by William Munsey, the Green Candidate in Wainwright-Vegreville. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Jim

Dear Green Supporters (and skeptics) and Wainwright-Vegreville Press,

Well, I am done campaigning.  I have visions of Leon Benoit scurrying
around the riding trying to pull in supporters... but I have farm work
today before I settle into my Thanksgiving dinner seat with my family
around me.  Tonight I have to work on the railway.  Monday, I have more
farm work and Tuesday I can vote and watch the numbers role in.

When I started this I have to admit that I had no real goals other than
to get the Green message out and prove that Greens are not whackos...
that most of us are just really plain folks concerned about the way we
neglect the environment.

Then a funny thing happened along the way.  I started to hear what I
was saying from somewhere outside myself.  I started to believe in a
deeper and more profound way what I was hearing... what I was saying. 
I watched people as I spoke and saw them nod and agree.  Sometimes when
I talked about a lack of time with family and friends and my sorrow at
losing something special in rural Alberta, I saw people's eyes mist up.

I could not believe they were moved by MY words.. by the things I worry
about.

That is what changed.  I opened up my heart to talk and people let me
in to their own hearts.  That sort of sharing of hopes and dreams and
fears is a very powerful thing and I have been overwhelmed by it. 
There is a great desire in this country to do things better, but many
people have shut off.  What I saw over the past month is that they
would open up if they had something to trust in and hope for.

I don't pretend that 'something' is me, or even the Green Party.  I
only know there is a huge wealth of goodness left in this country to
make it a better and more compassionate place for us to live in and
raise our families.  What we have to do is find a way to tap that
spirit and the ideas that will make that possible.

I did my best this last month.  I don't know that I could have done
much more.  It has been hard on my wife and it has broken my heart to
call my kids while driving back late at night from somewhere and hear
my youngest daughter crying on the phone because I was not there for
her.

I would not have done any of this if I did not think that in some way I
was doing it for my family.

Thank you all for your support, encouragement and help over this last
month.

Tuesday, we will let the chips fall.

Vote!  Our democracy is a gift to one another... something to be truly
thankful for.

I will no longer sign off with my Green Party title.  I am back to
being a father, farmer and railroader.

I will write again with my thoughts and impressions a couple of days
after the election

William Munsey
New Sarepta Gardens
(Greenhouse and Berries)
P.O. Box 339
New Sarepta, Alberta
T0B 3M0  CANADA

The home stretch

2008-10-10T10:02:00.004-04:00

Our election system is called first past the post. Like the horse race, only one candidate wins, the one with the most votes. Unlike the horse race, the other candidates, and the voters who support them, are ignored for the next four years. More than ever, we need to change our system and bring in a form of proportional representation.

The polls are showing that the support for Mr. Harper's government is dropping like the leaves in fall (or the Leafs in spring, whichever comparison works best for you!). We now know that the war in Afghanistan will cost $18 billion, not $8 billion as we were earlier told. This is yet another example of the public being deceived by not having full access to information (this is called transparency .. one of the principles that Harper ran on in 2006).

Of course, you hear the howling now, arguing that the Liberals actually started the war, and therefore that they are responsible. This is an example of evading responsibility (this would have been called accountability .. the second principle that Harper ran on in 2006).

So there we have it. After two and a half years, the Conservatives decided to break their own fixed election date law, call an election we didn't need and cost us over $300 million. For what? They knew at the time, and stated at the time, that they thought they would get another minority. Well, it looks like the plan backfired, and now, it may be the Liberals that get the minority.

Will that change be worth it? I was looking at one of the sites that projects the seat counts in Canada based on polling numbers. This is a very inexact and speculative process, but I found something interesting in the results. The projection showed that the Green Party will receive significantly more votes than the Bloc Quebecois. However, the seat projection shows that the Bloc will get around 50 seats in the House of Commons, while the Greens may not get any (I think the number of Green seats will be higher than that, but their projection was 0).

How can that be, you ask? How can a party get more votes, and still be shut out? The main reason is that the Green support is not concentrated in one area of Canada. Greens are therefore systematically disadvantaged BECAUSE they appeal to all Canadians.

This is frustrating for all of us who believe that change is needed. First past the post is long past its expiry date. We need proportional representation so that we can begin to believe in our own democracy again.

The power in any democracy rests in the hands of the people. Please, everyone, no matter who you support, get out and vote for the party of your choice. This is especially true for students, for women and for groups whose needs are not well respresented by the mainstream parties. Let your voices be heard.

And while you're at it, have a close look at the Green Party platform, available at http://www.greenparty.ca/en/platform , and help us to change democracy forever. The Green Party cares for all Canadians, not just the ones who vote for us. We need your help.

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone. Thanks to all the folks who have helped us with the campaign in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex .

Wishing you peace,
Jim

Change in the weather

2008-10-09T05:35:00.002-04:00

This week we had our first hard frost. To me, that is the clearest reminder that winter is coming. We also experienced continuing concern about the financial markets, lead by the banking crisis in the US. We are also see the aftereffects of the leader's debates which aired on October 1 and 2.

For the election, the talk used to be about whether or not the Conservatives would get a majority. The polls suggest that such a thing is impossible now, and the talk is about whether or not Harper will hang on to power. What a difference a week makes!

I think it is appropriate for the Conservatives to lose some support right now. It's not because of their fundamental values, many of which I agree with. The problem is that they have set a new, low standard for ethics in government. It started the very first week. Harper appointed Michael Fortier to the portfolio of Public Works, even though he had not even run in the election (he was appointed to the Senate, but has never sat in the House of Commons to be accountable to the people). He brought in rules to prevent MP's from becoming lobbyists for a period of time, and simultaneously appointed a lobbyist to the Defence portfolio. To round out the cabinet, he added a Liberal or two, after convincing them to change teams. If I was a voter in one of those ridings, I would be pretty upset.

In the last weeks of the 39th Parliament, we saw the Prime Minister call an early election, breaking the spirit and intent of his own fixed election date law. Why? I believe that he wanted the election out of the way before the economic situation hit the fan. I guess he miscalculated that one. We saw multiple partisan fliers distributed at taxpayer expense into this riding and most other ridings in Canada. We didn't see the economic forecast that the government commissioned which indicated that carbon taxation would result in a positive GNP growth. Instead, we saw yet another round of negative advertising, some of which was run prior to the election call so that it would not be included in the spending limits that govern elections.

We are still waiting to hear the results of the inquiry into the Cadman affair, the abuse of spending limits in the 2006 election (the in-and-out scandal) and exactly which confidential documents did the Minister of Foreign Affairs leave at his girlfriend's apartment for her to dispose of.

All in all, I think it is appropriate that this government should be taught a lesson. They have done nothing to improve our trust of elected officials at a time when we desperately need to have faith in our leaders.

It's time to try something new. I hope that you will have a close look at the Green Party. Please give me a chance to show you that government can be done better!

How to tell is a poitician is lying to you

2008-10-02T11:33:00.002-04:00

I post this, in part, because I heard a great joke.

Q: How can you tell that a politician is lying to you?
A: Their lips are moving.

I hope it is not so bad as that. In my travels, I have learned a few things. First of all, the eyes are the window to the soul. I often get a strong sense of who a person is from their eyes. If someone doesn't look at you when they are talking, it sets off a little alarm in my mind.

Politicians have some special ways of trying to convince people to support them. Three of these are often used together, and are sometimes referred to as a F.U.D. attack. The three elements are Fear, Uncertainty and Deception. The way it is done is to create some real or imagined fear within the audience that something might happen, then emphasize the uncertainty of the future to expand the fear and then use deception to suggest that the best way to seek relief from this fear is to support the politician.

This approach has been used over and over again in Canadian politics. Here is a good example in only four words: "Not worth the risk". This simple phrase raises the fear of risk and uncertainty, and concludes with an opinion stated as fact.

Here is another example. If there is economic uncertainty in a region, you might raise the fear of possible future job loss, and then suggest that your solution is the only bright future. Trust me, you say.

I tell you about this in the hope that you will evaluate the messages you see in this campaign and beyond. I don't believe in this kind of manipulation. I believe in showing Canadians the Green Vision for the future of Canada, and helping them to understand what that means. I believe in being honest in identifying and evaluating our current situation, and likewise for the government policies that have gotten us to where we are now. I believe that if something if broken, it should be fixed. Even if it is a big problem, like global climate change, we must begin to maturely face the information available to us, and begin to implement incremental solutions. As the Chinese proverb says, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Remaining positive

2008-10-02T11:21:00.002-04:00

I am trying to walk a delicate balance in this election between two opposing messages. The first message, central to my beliefs and my role as a Green candidate, is to tell people about how the Green party will move us forward into a better Canada, taking care of our people, our country and our planet. The second message is that the system we have is broken and needs fixing, and I think that Greens are really the only party that can do that.

I recently ran an ad in Today's Farmer where I tried to balance these two messages. This was to support the positions I took at the agricultural debate in Alvinston on Wednesday. Sometimes, when I point out the flaws of our system, I worry that I come across as negative. That is not my intention. Rather, I think it is important to objectively assess the performance of our parliament and politicians. Often, the objectivity of party messages is suspect, and so we must rely on an informed electorate to be fair in their evaluation and thorough in their investigations.

I point out in my ad that every party present in the last election promised meaningful agricultural change. Of those parties, the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP won a total of 256 seats out of 308 in the House of Commons. Yet still, they could not get together on an issue that they all agree upon, and put something together that would help Canadian farmers. My point is, why repeat that mistake again? Let's not keep doing this over and over again and hope some better outcome.

If we continue to vote the way we've always voted, then we will continue to get the kind of government we've always had.

So that is why the positive message of the Green Party is so important. It is our light at the end of the tunnel. I also believe that the light is closer than we think.

What is missing in the debates

2008-09-30T13:46:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it has been a week since I last posted. It has been a very busy time.

We have had a few debates already, three more this week. Four of the candidates are the same as 2006, and generally, we have had decent and respectful discussions, even when we disagree. We have been able to share some stories and some laughs together as we do our best to show, in one minue or less, what our parties stand for. The interesting thing for me is that at the end of 2006 debates, I am confident that I could have delivered the opening or closing speech for any of the candidates there (perhaps not with the same conviction, but with the right content).

What I think we are missing in this election is a critical and honest evaluation of Stephen Harper's leadership. The other four parties in my debates, including me, often point out issues and concerns that they have with the performance of the government, and their track record on key issues such as income trusts, Kelowna, fixed election dates and Afghanistan. It has been my observation that nobody seems to notice these concerns. This, in turn, is concerning to me.

The only way that I can rationalize what I am seeing is that voters have only ever seen Liberal and Conservative federal governments. In Ontario, we saw one provincial NDP government, which did go terribly well for them. So, I think that some number of these voters look at election time as a choice between red and blue, between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. If one of the teams is predicatably weak this year, well, then we'll support the other.

Leadership has been the defining issue of this campaign. Yet, it is not so much about evaluating Harper's leadership as it is about the speculative fear of Dion's leadership. Some of these people are drifting to the NDP and to the Greens. But we have not seen a wholesale rejection of Harper's way of doing business. This is the thing I can't understand. If we vote, once again, for a government that is closed, secretive, changes positions as needed, and flaunts the very regulations that it brings into law (fixed election dates, for example), then are we not saying to them "Go ahead, do whatever you want". Is that the message we want to send?

If anybody can help me understand this, please comment and tell me why is it that the government's record seems to be irrelevant in this election?

From where I sit, the message needs to be (1) stop campaigning 24/7 and govern the country, (2) Stop insulting and derogating your opposition .. after all, Canadians voted these people in and the government should respect their choice, (3) work with all of the parties in the house to achieve effective change for Canadians, and (4) don't use your office to promote your party. Oh, and (5) do what you say you are going to do, or at least give us a good reason and an apology when you change course.

The only way to send this message, in my opinion, is to vote Green. Every Green vote says, it is time for a new way to govern. A Green vote says, I care about my country, my people and my planet.

By the way, there is a very interesting blog post about the track record of the government at http://trustbreaker.blogspot.com/2008/09/100-reasons-not-to-vote-for-harper.html

Information, information

2008-09-23T11:46:00.003-04:00

Tonight from 7:00 to 8:30, I will be on air in Chatham on CKSO Country Radio 92.9 FM or 630 AM for an all candidates broadcast. Tune us is if you get the chance.

I neglected to post a link to the Green Platform which was released last week. You can download it at http://www.greenparty.ca/en/platform .

From there you can download the quick overview, called "Looking Forward", or the full 160 page "Vision Green" document which outlines our long term direction .. Canada in 50 years and what we can do about it today.

You can also download the budget which supports our platform, which is fully costed and will result in a budget surplus while moving us in the right direction. Please have a look at the documents that interest you.

Thanks,
Jim

Getting on the Green Train

2008-09-22T16:21:00.002-04:00

You may have already heard about the Green Train. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is travelling by Via rail from the west coast to east coast this week, with whistle stops in dozens of cities and towns along the way. To learn more, see http://www.greentrain.ca . This train tour captures the spirit of Canada, formed from the dream of connecting the country together with a ribbon of steel. Today, Canada's passenger rail service is only a shadow of its former greatness, and this is an area that we need to invest in to create high speed rail service as well as local commuter service.

When Elizabeth left Vancouver, she was seen off by a crowd of 200 supporters, and has been greeted at each stop along the way. There will be a rally in Toronto on Wednesday to meet the train at Union Station at 8PM on Wednesday the 24th, if you can make it.

You can also follow Elizabeth's blog at http://www.greenparty.ca/en/blog/7 . Her election web site is http://www.elizabethmay.ca

We have gotten over 500 signs out to distributors across the riding, and we have a few hundred more in boxes. Thanks to Carol, Jamie, Don, Jim, Laurie, Bruce and Terry, Simon and John. If you are interested in helping with sign distribution, let me know, and I can put you in touch with the closest person who has signs.

If you need to get the schedule for all candidate debates or other functions, drop us a line at jjohnston@greenparty.ca and we will send it out to you.

Thanks for all the support! It has been a very positive campaign so far, and I expect we will do quite well when the votes are counted.

Formalities and organization

2008-09-17T12:10:00.002-04:00

Well, the paperwork is all filed with Elections Canada and we have received confirmation that we will be on the ballot. It is always a worry to make sure that all of the required documentation is lined up and that there are no missing spaces to be filled in.

Over a hundred voters in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex (in Mount Brydges, Strathroy, Ilderton and Granton) signed my nomination papers, supporting the notion that the Green Party should be on the ballot in LKM. The reception was astounding (compared to 2006), and almost everyone I asked agreed to help get us registered. It is quite remarkable really, and I am deeply grateful to those people for their help.

The signs have arrived, and there are more on the way. LKM is such a large riding that we need about 10 or 12 area sign coordinators to make sure that all sign requests are handled efficiently. If you would like to help out with this please give us a call (519 666 1203).

There are several all candidates meetings being arranged, and I will get a schedule up by the end of the week. I look forward to talking with you in the weeks to come .. we will be at election day before we know it.

Starting Day 6

2008-09-12T07:48:00.002-04:00

Most of the time on the campaign has been spent on practical, get-ready stuff. Last night, we picked up the signs. We have been working with schedulers to set up all candidates meetings and we have been out collecting signatures for the nomination form. There is a huge difference in the reception at the door from the last election. People are almost always happy to see us, and a majority of them are enthusiastic.

The news seems to pick up on a different issue everyday, but out here in the ridings, the issue remains the same .. to try and see as many people as you can before voting day.

This will be a very interesting election, and I look forward to my local debates.

The morning after Day 4

2008-09-11T07:52:00.002-04:00

Well, one magnificent thing begat another. The NDP and the Conservatives relented in their attempts to block Elizabeth from the debate, and the broadcast consortium has issued an invitation for her to participate. This will be a debate like no other! Democracy is the winner here, and the Canadian people.

The real story here is that a whole lot of Canadians worked very hard to pressure their political leaders into action. I cannot recall seeing something like this ever before. Wisdom and fairness trumps power. What a concept!

I thank Jack Layton and Stephen Harper for changing their point of view on this issue. At the same time, I will keep in mind that without outside pressure, this change would not have occurred. I will also remember that the broadcast consortium has lost any sense of authenticity in this process, and the whole thing needs to be retooled.

Devin Johnston has started a blog about alternatives and criteria. It makes for interesting reading, and you can find it here.

Day 3 (an hour late)

2008-09-10T00:24:00.002-04:00

Today, I witnessed a magnificent thing. After the announcement yesterday afternoon that the broadcast consortium was planning to deny Elizabeth May a spot at the televised national leaders debate, a groundswell began. It was in the press for a while, but then they backed away from the story pretty soon .. by the end of the day there was not much mention on the news of this travesty.

But something happened. The internet picked it up, the bloggers picked it up, facebook and myspace picked it up, and then the phone calls and letters and faxes started. They started from real people all over Canada who were disgusted with the idea that Jack Layton and Stephen Harper could call the shots over who would and would not be in the debates. Then the press got back into it, seeing the impact and enormity of the backlash. It continued all day. Elizabeth May spent the entire day doing interviews and calls. Call in shows all over the nation were saturated with people outraged at this denial of democracy.

I was very impressed with what I saw. I saw NDP bloggers openly questioning the direction that Jack Layton was taking. I saw a smaller, but similiar, reaction with Conservative bloggers as well. How could Superman Stephen be able to take on 3 opposition leaders all at once with one hand tied behind his back blythly pointing out his superior policies and ideas, but then whine and complain like a baby that adding a 4th leader was unfair and two of them might gang up on him? Is this 4th leader made of kryptonite? Methinks, maybe. Truth is Stephen Harper's kryptonite.

I saw Jack Layton and Stephen Harper referred to as cowards and chickens. I saw more than one reference to Layton's alleged support for proportional representation being called into question. I saw great comments which suggested that Canadians need to see the Green Party and find out what it is about. Sometimes, this suggestion was made by someone who thought that the Green Party is horrific, and people need to see that. I agree. Let's put the information out there and see what the voters think.

True democracy begins with an informed electorate. Harper and Layton think the truth hurts. It should. After all, it is made of kryptonite.

Day 2 - Disappointed in the bullies and cowards

2008-09-08T17:11:00.004-04:00

I just heard that the broadcast consortium which puts on the national leader's debate has decided to NOT invite Elizabeth May to the debate because three of the other party leaders threatened to boycott the event. What a bunch of cowards!

This is the kind of decision I would expect from a tightly controlled dictatorship. I know why Harper is scared, but that is no excuse to subvert democracy by denying people the opportunity to see all of the alternatives available to them. The Bloc will be there, even though they only run 75 candidates, and some polls have put the Greens at TWICE their vote. Just another example of "my way or the highway" politics.

Please, kick these bums out of office, and put the power of choice back into the hands of the people. 80% of Canadians polled want to see Elizabeth May in the debates. But three greedy and arrogant "leaders" use their collective might to try to crush the voice of change. I know have a better idea of why they had to get together to have their little "chats" last week .. to get their strategy together.

People, if you support these parties again, you will get exactly what you vote for .. more of this.

Election 2008 - Day 1

2008-09-08T10:51:00.004-04:00

Well, they really did it. Now we have an election that nobody really wants. It is a great opportunity for the Green Party, so I can't complain. It just seems to me that if you bring in legislation for a fixed election date, you should abide by the law. In the 2006 campaign, I heard the Conservative candidate repeat the phrase, "we support people who play by the rules". So much for that, eh?

The first day of the campaign was filled with angst. Are we ready to do this? It takes a huge toll on your personal life, your work like and your relationships. There is a lot to organize and execute, and there will be constant time demands from now until October 14th. Many people think that politicians are among the least trusted professions. So why do this?

Well, it is time for a change. Because we, the people, have the power, and we need to take our power back. If we vote for a party, and they lie to us, and then we vote for them again, we are basically saying, "go ahead, lie to me". If we vote for a party, and they cheat us and misappropriate our tax dollars, and we vote for them again, we are saying "go ahead and cheat us". If we continue to vote the way we have always voted, we will continue to get the kind of government we have always gotten.

Why do we do this? Well, many people believe that there is no alternative. In 2008, we have a viable alternative. The reason I joined the Green Party is because of their commitment to grassroots democracy .. that is, you represent the people, not the party. It is committed to ensuring that people have a place in governing their own country, that they have opportunities to express their views between elections, and have a say in how this country is run. That is the essence of democracy, not the multi-million dollar splash of policy conventions.

We are uniquely position in this election, as I believe many people are disappointed in the performance of the Conservative party, and for many of those people, a natural place for them to go is to the Green Party. We have many former Progressive Conservatives in our members, as many as from any other party, and we have conservative fiscal values. You can check out our Vision Green statement at http://www.greenparty.ca .

I look forward to this challenge. It is a worthy one.

Are we there yet?

2008-09-02T21:26:00.002-04:00

Like most people, I am listening to the press who are saying that we are having an election on October 14. I am curious though, why hasn't the Prime Minister driven all that way over to the Governor General's house and asked for the dissolution of Parliament. If you believe the media, it will happen between Friday and Sunday. Why wait? Why not pull the trigger now?

Is this a bluff? By-elections are scheduled for Monday. Why not wait until next Tuesday, and let them complete?

You just never know what Steven Harper is going to do next. That's one of the main reasons that I don't like him.

I guess I will wait until I hear from Elections Canada that the election is on. At least, when they say something, you can take it to the bank.

Tired of reading blogs

2008-09-02T21:17:00.002-04:00

I read dozens of blogs every day. Not always the same ones, as I tend to go to aggregaters and see what titles interest me. However, I would say that 95% of the time, I can tell what the blogger is going to say ahead of time. Perhaps its just the politics, but it seems everyone has a bias that they inject into everything they write. I'm sure I am no different, but at least I try to see the benefit in the opposite point of view.

The other 5%, though, are really worth reading. I love it when someone can step outside their partisanship and history, and have a fresh look at an issue, and share those insights with others. I guess that is what keeps me coming back.

That is one reason why I appreciate true journalists. I enjoy Chantal Hebert and Andrew Coyne, for example. You just don't know what they might say next.

Disappointed in our government ... again

2008-08-19T00:56:00.002-04:00

I had not been to the post office for a couple of days. My box was jammed with paper, some letters, some junk. What was most interesting about my mail today is that there no less that three fliers from Bev Shipley, my Conservative member of parliament. This is in addition to the two last week.

These flyers had no information in them. They are blatant election ads, paid for by the taxpayers. Printed and distributed by a parliamentary budget that we pay for. The final insult is that there is a bogus ballot on each one, asking you to vote for the leader that you believe in. You can mail it in for free to your MP. Except, of course, nothing is free, so we get hit once again for every single piece of this crap that gets sent back to Ottawa.

This government has no dignity. The Conservatives have no class. On the basis of their actions (and inactions) they simply do not deserve to be running this country. They cannot seem to distinguish between their roles as members of a political party, and public servants whose duty is to Canada and its citizens. They see nothing wrong with this. They see nothing wrong with attack ads. They see nothing wrong with publishing a manual of dirty tricks to subvert the intent of parliamentary committees. They believe in punishing crime, unless the crime is election spending, or influencing votes. Do as I say, not as I do. This is the core of authoritarianism.

Today, Pakistan's dictator/president, Pervez Musharraf stepped down from office. Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of assassinated opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, said of her death that "democracy is the greatest revenge". Democracy will soon put an end to the farce which we now call a government. Canada's "New" Government. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

My large double, double

2008-06-01T10:59:00.002-04:00

I like Tim Horton's coffee, usually I order a large double, double. In January 2006 during the last election, this cost $1.40. After Steven Harper moved into 24 Sussex Drive, the GST was lowered by 1%, making the cost $1.39. About a year later, the GST was lowered again, making the cost $1.38. Then the prices went up, and my large double double costs $1.45.

The loss of the GST revenue has put the federal budget perilously close to a deficit.

To the federal government: thanks for nothing.

When does partisanship surpass good judgement

2008-05-26T17:34:00.002-04:00

I am becoming quite tired of the kind of insults and bickering that passes for political debate in this country. At the core of it are the people like me, who are highly involved in political issues, and have made a decision about which party they support. Like me, these people are interesting in promoting their parties platform, philosophy and point of view. I can accept all of that.

What really frosts me is when there is no acknowledgment that one's "opponent" may have a legitimate point. It seems that as soon as one party does something, the other parties are jumping all over them, nitpicking and denigrating, insulting and reframing, trying to change the focus of the discussion to something they want to talk about. I find this particular frustrating with the Conservatives, the Liberals and the NDP. Between them they have over 250 seats in the House of Commons and if they put their heads together, there is nothing they couldn't accomplish.

Instead, it is a daily game of "my way or the highway", and so nothing of substance gets accomplished. The three parties seem to continue their endless dance of verbal aggression, but are careful to not actually cause an election since none of them would benefit from such a thing. (Qualification: the NDP has been most active in trying to force an election. However, the history of this parliament suggests that they can continue to do that, because of the Liberals strategy of abstention).

Today, the issue is the shifting of the tax structure to cause users to pay for carbon emissions and using the money to pay for other programs. Shifting the tax burden away from consumers has been a key plank in the Green Party platform for some time. While the details of the Liberal plan are not known yet, it is at least a step in the right direction. The Conservatives and the NDP are both supporting a cap and trade system. Once again, instead of doing something, our parliament will conspire to do nothing.

So, where is this cap and trade system? Why is the quality of our future and our children's future not being addressed right now? It reminds me of the time that the NDP did not support the Liberal motion to withdraw from Afghanistan at the end of the current NATO commitment. Then, a few days later, the Liberals did not support an NDP motion for immediate withdrawal. So, although their goals would seem to be aligned, they accomplished nothing.

If only our politicians would stop talking and start listening. And then act like cooperative and responsible leaders. Is that so much to ask for?

Women at the back of the political bus

2008-03-10T10:45:00.003-04:00

Here's another reason why Canada needs a more inclusive democracy. Chantal Hebert wrote a great column in the Toronto Star today on the diminished role of women in the 39th Parliament. (Click the link in the title for the original article).

I will share this quote, which is an eloquent and succinct summary of the current state of affairs on the hill:

"With every passing day, the business of reciprocal character assassination that passes for a legitimate occupation in Parliament is claiming more energy, to the detriment of intelligent debate."

Hear, hear.

Credit where credit is due .. even to the Conservatives

2008-03-07T11:26:00.000-05:00

In the same vein as the post above, I read this powerful blog post about the failure of Parliament to block bill C-484. This private members bill seeks, among other things, to reintroduce the legal notion of a fetus as a person, the first step in criminalizing abortion.

http://www.pogge.ca/archives/001823.shtml

In it, she commends the four Conservative MP's who stood and voted against the rest of their party. In doing so, they stood up for the rights of women. Good on her, and good on them. Maybe there are a few heroes left, after all.

When there is nowhere to turn ...

2008-03-07T02:48:00.002-05:00

I read a blog from "Mike" (linked below) and had to give it two thumbs up. I don't know exactly what his politics are, but I linked to it from http://newdemocratsonline.ca .

His blog is about being angry and frustrated with all those people that we elected to govern this country. Caution: contains some words your mother likely didn't teach you.

http://rationalreasons.blogspot.com/2008/03/blogging-angry.html

I had a much tamer, but similiarly oriented blog a couple days ago.

http://lkm-green.blogspot.com/2008/03/sad-state-of-affairs.html

The interesting thing is that Mike listed a whole bunch of things that he was angry about, and so did I. However, there was only a little overlap between our lists! They could be added together into a super-list, and perhaps should be. The point is, there are that many (so many) things going wrong with our democracy right now. So many.

We need participatory democracy and truly transparent and accountable systems within our government. Now.

I, for one, have committed to supporting the Green Party, because I believe that we can change this and reclaim good governance.

Sad state of affairs

2008-03-05T18:38:00.003-05:00

There is so much going on in the world today. There are important issues to be dealt with, concerns about economy, war and peace, and the future of our planet. So what is our federal government concerned with?

Well, if you listen to the news, it would seem that our politicians are engaged in a number of games with various names, such as "who is the biggest crook?" and "who can bend the rules the furthest without (a) breaking the rules, or (b) breaking them, but not getting caught?". There is a new game developing called "who can call whom what names and still get away with it?". Also, another game called "who will I support this week and what do we get out of it?".

We will keep Karlheinz Schreiber in Canada, in case we need him. Except, of course, no-one that I know believes anything that he has to say, so how could he possibly help. The ethics committee will launch an inquiry in the Cadman allegations, unless, of course, it interferes with any possible, but yet unconfirmed, RCMP investigation into the issue. Some ethics committee, eh? They want to explore and bring to light things which are unethical, but draw the line and refuse to investigate those things that might be illegal. Doesn't leave much room for relevance, in my opinion.

We know that someone leaked a memo (an alleged memo, I guess is more appropriate, since I have never seen it) that may very well affect the outcome of the Democratic nomination in the US. We condemn the Americans if we sense that they are interfering in Canadian affairs. Yet, we have done it to them, and we don't know who did it. Wouldn't that list of possible people be a pretty short list? Or are these sorts of things posted on an internal government intranet so that anyone can browse through and distribute as they see fit?

There is something rotten here. There is something rotten in Ottawa.

It is no wonder that many people do not vote. Why would anyone want to be a part of this circus? By voting, do we not endorse all of this behaviour? By voting, do we not begin rooting for one team? (ie. I hope that there aren't as many crooks on my team as the others). By keeping my vote secret, I can switch teams based on the latest scandal of the day. Pollsters get paid to keep their fingers on the pulse of this change. If the numbers get big enough, well, it's time for another election, so that we can make legitimate the consequences of streams of media news stories about the games above, and how they have been played.

But are we not missing something here? What about the people of Canada? What about the seniors who need increased levels of health care? What about the youth who are entering an uncertain economic time and an even more uncertain career future? What about the children who, in the 21st century in one of the richest countries of the world, still do not get enough to eat every day? Who is concerned about our farming industry? Who improves the plight of the native peoples of Canada? How will we justify our present inaction to the yet unborn great-grandchildren faced with the horrific consequences global climate change? Or, should we just burn all of the oil and the trees and leave nothing behind?

I am saddened when I look at how our elected officials seem to take their jobs as if it were some kind of hockey game to be won. It is as if all of these issues exist so that they can score "points" and thereby improve their chances of re-election, and tighten their grip on power.

I, for one, want a government more interested in solutions than in optics. More committed to people than insults. A government that aspires to world leadership in all aspects of governance. A government that I can be proud of. A government that is willing to share the glory of good outcomes with all parties in the house.

Is there not a better way? If you have never voted, or if you have stopped voting because of the apparent futility, I would urge you to come out and vote for the Green Party. I will do my best to return our government to being a caring and responsible institution, focussed on solutions, and respectful towards all people. Something I can be proud of.

2008 Federal election unlikely

2008-02-13T10:08:00.006-05:00

There is a lot of buzz in the news and on the blogs that an election is imminent. There are three issues over which the Conservatives and the Liberals may have differing views .. enough to trigger an election. These are the crime bill in the Senate, the strategy for Afghanistan, and the spring budget. The sabres are rattling, and the talk has been tough.

There are many different kinds of people in a political party. Some are outspoken, some live for the battle, rather than the victory, some have power, and others do not.

The Liberals don't like having the Conservatives in power, nor do the Conservatives like being in a minority situation. They both want change, and the only mechanism for significant change is a general election. (This parliament has been characterized by a new sport in Ottawa called MP swapping, which is a much slower process of change, and not entirely democratic).

So, we have two behemoths ready to fight, significant issues to trigger an election, and a green light from the NDP and the Bloc. So, an election is inevitable, yes?

I think not. There are two fundamental factors, both of which have to do with the roots of democracy .. the voters. Within each party, there will be several key strategists whose job it is to understand the polling numbers. Their job is to tell the party leadership "now is a good time to go to the polls" or "this is a bad time to go" based on their read, via the polls, of the mood of the public. The news tends to focus on the gap between the Conservative and Liberals as if this is the only newsworthy statistic. The Conservative lead has diminished since the 2006 election, and some polls show the Liberals with a narrow lead. Either way, this is not great news for either party. More important than the gap reported in the news, however, is that both parties are down in support from where they were at the time of the last election. This is definitely bad news for both parties. As I have blogged before, most or all of this support has gone to the Greens.

The second issue, one we hear reported about regularly, is that people simply do not want an election. Voters tend to punish politicians who are all about the power, and trigger elections simply to get more power. It is hard to see any other motive for either party. The Conservatives designate almost everything as a confidence motion, so that a defeat would bring about an election. The people understand that this is a kind of bullying that has to stop, so that our government can work together to get effective legislation enacted. This is, after all, the role of a minority government .. to seek compromise and consensus. People's lives are at stake, particularly when we look at the critical issues in Afghanistan. The Liberals have refused to play the "confidence" game, abstaining again yesterday from a vote on a ridiculous piece of legislation (that the House of Commons should dictate to the Senate what it should or should not do). The Liberals are biding their time, attempting to resolve their image problem. Although they are relatively better off than the last election, they will be much better off once the leader's image is crafted to be one of "statesmanship", which is where I think they are headed.

So, in my humble opinion, the strategists will win out in the end, as neither leader can afford to be the one who sent their party into defeat. For Conservatives, defeat is not getting a majority and for the Liberals, defeat is not becoming the government. Neither leader will take that chance, since these parties are all about the power, rather than doing what is best for Canada. If they wanted what was best for Canada, they would be talking to each other about solutions rather than hurling insults and daring each other to fight.

My prediction, then, is that this 39th parliament will hobble along as it is until the fixed election date of October 2009, or slightly before. We have already seen compromise talk about Afghanistan. I only hope the compromises are in the best interests of Canada and the people of Afghanistan, and not in the best interests of the two largest political parties.

Combined Liberal and Conservative support at lowest level in 100 years

2008-01-06T17:06:00.000-05:00

Ever since Confederation, the governing party of Canada has alternated between some form of Conservative and Liberal parties. The attached graph shows what happens if you add together the popular vote for these two parties for the last hundred years (and include the most recent quarterly summary poll as well). You will see that the Lib+Con support is at its lowest level in 100 years and falling fast.

Lib+Con support took a permanent dip after the great depression, which saw the rise of the CCF (included with the NDP in this graph) and the Social Credit parties. The combined support then was fairly stable between 75% and 80% for 50 years .. until 2004. Since then there has been a rapid and consistent decline in the former cornerstones of Canadian politics.

Canadians have become disillusioned with traditional politics. They are looking for new hope. They are tired of the stories of the Gomery commission, Shreiber, and election financing. They are on to the shell game of one party blaming the other for the problems of the nation. Canadians want honest leadership, and demand that politicians listen. They want action on climate change, action on poverty and other social issues. They want sound fiscal management, not another cent off the price of their coffee.

The hope for Canada lies in the very last point of the graph, which depicts the polling numbers for the last quarter of 2007. The growth in Green support is one of the steepest, most rapid climbs in the last 100 years. We have an important responsibility to deliver the new kind of governance which the Green Party can bring about. The kind of government that Canadians deserve.

Disappointed with our government once again

2007-11-25T10:31:00.000-05:00

I am astonished with our government. In a time when climate change and greenhouse gas emissions are of critical importance to the well being and safety of the entire world, Canada is doing its utmost to prevent any serious action from being taken.

The CBC news story is here

No targets. No commitments. Business as usual.

Although I am confident that history will be the ultimate judge, it saddens me that we will continue to make the problems worse, harder to solve, while extending the time needed to get the atmosphere back into balance.

Let's see some real leadership for a change.

New poll shows Greens edging ahead of NDP

2007-11-16T16:04:00.000-05:00

This is an update to an earlier graph I did. The first two data points represent the national popular vote, by party, in the 2004 and 2006 general elections. The last point shows the voter preference as measured by the most recent Globe and Mail / CTV poll done by Strategic Counsel, which shows Liberal and Conservative support tied at 32%, the Greens in third place at 13%, NDP fourth at 12% and finally the Bloc at 11%.

Of course, the margin of error in the poll is about 3%, so the three parties are statistically speaking at the same level. However, Green support has been above Bloc support for some time now, and continues to trend up.

What is the significance of this? Well, it means that the Green Party is about to be in the House of Commons. As I commented earlier this year, all of the other parties are reluctant to trigger an election, since their numbers are down. Based on the graph above, the Liberals might be the only other party who would benefit from an election at this point, and that is a recent spike in the numbers, and so bears further watching.

Have a look at Jim Harris' blog for some of the implications of this trend.

The gap widens, or, why there is no election today

2007-10-22T17:14:00.000-04:00

This graph shows change in national voter intention since the 2006 federal election. The data is based on the polling data that I have accumulated that has been reported in the public, and is summarized by quarter. The colours of the lines are those normally associated with the parties.

As you can see, the Green Party is the only party that is polling above 2006 levels, and has demonstrated consistent growth over that time.

It makes one wonder if the real reason that there is no election at this time is that all of the people who make the decision have nothing to gain, and everything to lose.

Jim Johnston, Lambton-Kent-Middlesex
Opinions expressed are my own.

Prime Minister missing the boat on economic fundamentals

2007-09-24T17:36:00.000-04:00

As I listened to the report on CBC of the Prime Minister's speech on climate change at the UN meetings, I heard a reference to his belief that market forces will lead to technological innovation which will eventually lead to solving the climate crisis.

What market forces is he talking about? The market forces I see operating are that people and corporations will buy the cheapest power available, irrespective of CO2, GHG or the impact of depleted uranium. The enlightened few may pay more for clean energy, but the market force is predominantly "fueled" by price. These same market forces drive manufacturing and assembly operations to the countries with the lowest labour cost, irrespective of worker conditions and human rights.

Market forces can be used to advantage through tax shifting, cap and trade mechanisms and well designed programs, such as R&D funding for alternative energy development and commercialization. The Prime Minister is missing the point that without these measures, the market will continue to do exactly what it has always done, consuming the unvalued portions of our habitat - particularly clean air and fresh, clean water.

Economic fundamentals say that the price point drives both the supply curve and the demand curve. Without changing the price points, market mechanisms will not solve the problems that face us today. In fact, the market mechanisms based on "free" air, "free" water, "free" ecosystem and "free" garbage disposal are what got us into trouble in the first place.

Jim Johnston,
Lambton-Kent-Middlesex

Transitions and eclipses

2007-08-29T14:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I had a number of interesting experiences. It began when I awoke early in the morning, around 5:00 AM. I was already thinking about work and what I had to get done that day, so I knew I would not be able to get back to sleep.

When I got downstairs, I looked out the window and noticed that it was dark. Of course, most mornings at 5:00 am, you would expect that. However, the night before, I had noticed a big beautiful, almost full, moon, and I was surprised that there was no moonlight. I stepped outside, and saw the setting full moon at the beginning phases of a lunar eclipse. I remembered a friend on facebook mentioning waiting for an eclipse, but I had not checked out when one might be happening next (see skyviewcafe.com for a great online astronomical guide, including planets and eclipses). I am pleased to have stumbled into it.

At this point, the top portion of the moon was covered by the penumbra (partial shadow) of the earth, and only a small crescent of white remained at the bottom. It was quite interesting, because the colour was a reddish purple, caused by the same refraction in the earth's atmosphere that causes gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. As I watched, the crescent slowly disappeared, and the dark umbra (full shadow) began to encroach on the moon from above. As the moment of total eclipse approached, the moon disappeared. This was not due to the eclipse, but rather low lying clouds on the horizon, coupled with the first rays of the sunrise washing out the sky. Still, it was a beautiful sight. People further west would have a better view of this particular eclipse.

Later that day, I helped my daughter make some arrangements for going to school in Guelph and then said bon voyage to my son, who is heading to Winnipeg for school. I am very thankful to have them in my life. Although the next phase of their lives is beyond my current horizon, I look forward to learning about new developments in their lives. I am very proud of them both.

We never know when the best moments of our lives will be. I think it is important to remain open to the idea that it could be happening right now. Yesterday, I was able to do that.

Getting back at it

2007-08-01T14:14:00.001-04:00

I got out of the habit of blogging for a while. I think that I was waiting to have some brilliant insight to share with the world.

Still waiting.

What all the fuss is about in Canadian politics

2007-05-14T00:12:00.000-04:00

The graph above shows three events. The first is the popular vote for parties in the 2004 Federal election resulting in a Liberal minority government (red). The second event shows the same statistics for the 2006 Federal election which resulted in a Conservative minority.

The third point shows the average of the three most recent polls that I have which show how Canadians might vote today (subject, of course, to sampling error in the range of +/- 3%).

The dramatic rise of the Green Party is almost without precedence in Canadian history. 200% growth in a little over a year. If the support grows by 200% again in the next year, that will be over 40%, which would mean that the Green Party would win almost every seat in Parliament.

It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Federal election may be a long way off

2007-05-09T16:18:00.000-04:00

Garth Turner, in his recent blog entry entitled French Kiss, speculates that the next federal election may be as far off as 2009. This is due to the factors I mentioned in yesterday's blog (that no party stands to win anything) plus the newly anticipated changes in the Bloc Quebecois. Andre Bosclair has stepped down as leader of the provincial Parti Quebecois, and the BQ's leader Gilles Duceppe is widely rumoured to be looking at jumping from the federal to the provincial political scene. This would give the BQ even less incentive to call an election. The Liberals and the NDP do not have enough votes together to cause a non-confidence motion.

Imagine a parliament filled with parties who are trying to out-maneuver each other, not trusting each other, and yet, somehow, stuck in an eternal dysfunctional dance where no party wants to go to the polls, and yet they still need to maintain their adversarial positions. Such a dilemma. Let us hope for the best quality decision making that such an arrangement can have. If only they could agree on a few critical directions .. and then act.

Minority governments can be a good thing

2007-05-08T11:50:00.000-04:00

In Canada, most political parties prefer a majority government. That way, the governing party can introduce legislation and not have to answer to or compromise for the opposition parties, except in the press. They can just push it through, and damn the torpedos.

Of course, the opposition parties currently take their title pretty seriously. It seems that whether a piece of legislation is good or bad or needs a little adjustment is irrelevant. Once a piece of legislation is introduced, then they look for how they can score 'points' with the voters. No piece of legislation is perfect, and most legislation requires a considered balance and trade-off between important objectives. Instead, they focus on bashing.

Minority government can provide some of the best quality governance possible. The key is cooperation, respect and communication between the members of parliament and their parties to agree to forge our country together, as a group. Not as the government, not as a united opposition, not as Canada's "new" government, but rather as the collective representatives of Canada's one and only government.

Unfortunately, we are not likely to get that kind of cooperation in the 39th parliament. Here is a simple example. Only a couple of months ago, the air was rife with election rumours. Why? Well, the Conservatives were up in the polls after their cowardly bashing of Dion, and they thought they could win a majority in the next election. That support evapourated in a hurry (as it should). But now, who will trigger the election? All of the parties are down in the polls compared to the 2006 election, and the Greens are up, up, up. So, with nothing to gain and everthing to lose, the opposition must play a game of pretending to oppose, hoping against hope that Canadians do not return to the polls until their numbers are up.

I wonder what quality of legislation will come from this standoff? I don't hold much hope.

Just how big is the democratic deficit in Canada?

2007-04-24T11:11:00.000-04:00

I did a little calculating on how votes really count. In our current electoral system of "first past the post" or "winner take all", voters cast a vote for candidates in their riding. The candidate with the most votes goes to Ottawa, and all the others go home. The votes that fell to the winner "count", and the votes that go to the rest, electorally speaking, might just have well have been set to another planet. (There is a funding formula which pays all parties a dollar amount per vote so that they can try harder next time, but this formula does not change who gets the power in parliament.)

So if you add up all the votes for MP's who got elected in the 2006 general election, you come to a total of 7.2 million votes out of the 14.9 million votes cast. At first glance this sounds pretty good. That means that 7 million Canadians voted for someone who ended up in the house of Commons. But if you look at it a little closer, then you see that that is only 48.5% of the votes cast. Canada is governed entirely by candidates who, all together, didn't get half the votes.

Now, if you look at parties, you will see that Canada's New Government, aka the Conservative Party, when you add up all the votes they have represented in parliament, you will find that this group garnered 21.2% of the votes cast in the election. Now, the party got more votes than that because they got some votes in ridings where they lost, and their votes got flushed down the pipe just like all the other non-winning candidates votes. The key here is that the government has a mandate from only 21% of the voters. This is not the Conservatives fault, it is an artifact of a dysfunctional electoral system.

Advocates of our current system (ie. the parties that benefit from systematic distortion) would argue that the Conservatives got 36% of the popular vote, the highest of any party, and that therefore they are entitled to the 40% of the seats in the house that they received. However, that does not fly with me. If you want to argue on the basis of popular vote, then you are de facto endorsing the idea that seats should be assigned on the basis of popular vote. This is called proportional representation (PR). Either it is a good idea or it is not. With Canada being governed by 21% of the votes, I think it is time for a change.

As you can see in the table above, there are three clear winners in this system. The Conservatives, the Liberals and the Bloc, for two different reasons. The Conservatives and Liberals have governed Canada since its inception and have no interest in having anyone else share this distinction. The Bloc benefits from regional focus, as did the Reform Party and the Social Credit Party.

There are two parties significantly disadvantaged by this system. The NDP and the Greens are parties with broad geographic support, both of which represent a different way of governing. A lot of people believe in these parties, and they deserve fair representation in government.

The 2007 Green Challenge - Majority Government

2007-03-07T00:46:00.000-05:00

At the left is my projection for the next federal election, a Green majority government with 37% of the vote.

In the London North Centre by-election, we discovered that in the final days of the campaign, we experienced a tremendous surge in support, probably something in the range of 10 percentage points. In total, we increased the Green vote from 5.5% to 25.8%, an increase of 20%. The first half of the campaign was almost completely hidden by the municipal election that was happening at the same time. Those of us on the ground on that campaign knew that we could have squeezed another 5% to 10% if we had had another 10 days in the campaign.

This time, we are more prepared. This time, we have more people working on the campaign. This time we will have better national media coverage. This time, Canadians will know that we are contenders. The Green Party is up to 13% in the national polls, tied for third place. Two parties down, and two to go.

Here is my challenge to the rest of the country: only one voter in four needs to join us to form a majority government. At 13% + 25% = 38% we would have a very commanding 170 seats.

I do not extend this challenge lightly. In my riding in 2006, the Conservatives won with 46%. Here in SW Ontario, we are polling at 15%. After one in four, I will have 40% of the vote, they will have less and Lambton-Kent-Middlesex will be Green. I challenge myself and I challenge every person in Canada to find a couple of other people to support the Green Party. Then ask them to find a couple more.

The Green Party cannot make this happen by itself. However, the voters can make it happen in the blink of an eye.

Show your children that you care about their future. Take back your government.

Please, consider being a community leader, one of the heroes, who will free Canadians from the seesaw of broken promises. If you only vote once in your life, do it now and help paint Canada Green.

Jim

Even better polls

2007-03-05T23:14:00.000-05:00

It takes more than polls to win an election, but it is a good start. Decima has recently released its Canada numbers showing Conservatives at 36%, Liberal at 27%, Green and NDP at 13% and Bloc at 11%. More interesting is that the Globe and Mail reported this as a Conservative "surge". Well, here is the interesting thing. The Conservatives got 36.3% in the last election, so they have surged back to below where they were a year ago. The Liberals are down 3%, which is relatively insignificant. The story focuses on the "gap" really, which has increased from 6 to 9 points.

However, the real story is the Green Party, now tied for the number three spot in Canada, up 8 points from the last election. The growth is coming from all of the other parties. I believe this is the beginning of an explosion, much like what happened in the London North Centre by-election.

Once people can see that we can win, we will win. How can anyone look at their children and grandchildren and say, "I did what was best for your future in 2007" and not vote Green?

Jim

Polls lookin' good

2007-02-01T13:19:00.000-05:00

Some polling results from January. First, on a national level, the Green Party support (voter intention) is at 11%, 3 points ahead of the Bloc. Another poll listed "likely or very likely to vote" Green at 20% across the dominion.

In my neck of the woods, Southwest Ontario, Green voter intention is now at 15%, tied with the NDP. This is very heartening news. This is up from the 4% to 5% that we saw only 12 months ago.

I am looking forward to the next election. I believe that much will change.

Jim

Happy New Year 2007

2007-01-01T13:44:00.000-05:00

Hey, everyone.

I wish all of you the best year ever, both personally and politically. The past year was great for me in many ways, and I was able to meet so many new and interesting people.

My intention for myself is that I will not stand in the way of my own success this year. Instead, I will allow continued success to come to me. Carl Jung once said that our greatest fear is not that of failure, but rather, that we are afraid of stepping into our greatness.

Together, we can.

Jim Johnston

Mission accomplished

2006-12-10T09:02:00.000-05:00

Well, we did it. In London North Centre, Elizabeth quintupled the Green vote from the previous election and finished a strong second place at 26%, besting the Conservative candidate and the NDP candidate. The Liberals held on to the seat this time, but their popular support dropped ten points. This is the best showing the Green Party has ever had federally and is a sign of things to come.

Between this and the recent Liberal leadership convention which elected Stephan Dion as its new leader, the sands have shifted and a new possibility is emerging. Recent polls have seen a drop in support for the NDP and for the Bloc Quebecois. Within the statistical band of confidence, the Greens, NDP and Bloc Quebecois are tied. This next election will be very interesting.

I feel comfortable with this change. I think the values of the Green Party are well thought out, and well placed. Values of democratic renewal, social justice, forward thinking and, of course, taking care of our home, our planet.

Wishing you peace,
Jim

Making history

2006-11-14T18:58:00.000-05:00

For the last three weeks I have been working on the campaign to elect Elizabeth May as the MP for London North Centre in the current Federal By-election. Elizabeth is the newly elected leader of the Green Party, a recipient of the Order of Canada, and one of the most magnificent people I have ever met. Her web site is http://www.elizabethmay.ca .

Elizabeth has an aura of greatness around her, which attracts people to her. She carries this with humility and dignity. She speaks eloquently and knows her material. She has a vision, which she is willing to share. She speaks with people, not to them. She remembers people's names .. much better than I do.

This by-election will make history. Once she is in the House of Commons, the country will never be the same again. She has vowed to serve the people of Canada with respect and to restore some sense of dignity to Parliamentary debate. I believe she will do that.

We have found so many people who are sick and tired of old style politics. We have seen so much of it already in this campaign. The conservative candidate is not allowed to talk to the press .. following orders, I guess. The liberal has attacked the conservative and the ndp, who attacked back. Today, we got calls from people asking us to replace their ndp sign with a green sign, as a result of a particularly nasty exchange between these two.

If you haven't see it, have a look a Garth Turner's blog today. Click here to see it . The government has refused to site its reasons for removing him from caucus, and from the party. They just don't like the idea of someone having and expressing an opinion. Garth is now advocating for more independents in the House of Commons. What he did not say in his blog is that he is coming to London tomorrow, Nov 15, to go door to door canvassing with Elizabeth May, because he feels it is critically important for her voice to be heard in Parliament. I admire his courage.

We have had people move to London for the campaign from places like Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Quebec, PEI, Nova Scotia .. all to help make history. The energy is fantastic, and we have raised almost all of the money we need to have a fully funded campaign. There are so many firsts in this campaign. I have a quiet confidence in the outcome. The time is now.

A good friend of mine sent me a quote from a Hopi elder, which reads in part: "Do not look outside yourself for leadership ... We are the ones we have been waiting for".

If you feel so inclined, come to London. Our campaign office is at 211 Dundas Street and the phone is 519 850 4MAY (4629). We would love to have you.

Enthusiasm, support and momentum

2006-10-09T18:47:00.000-04:00

There is a lot happening in the Green Party these days. The national convention energized a lot of people, and Elizabeth May has infused a new optimism and focus to the party.

Elizabeth is a down to earth person. She is genuine, hard working, and communicates simply and clearly. We are very fortunate to have her with us.

Now, it is my turn to be enthusiastic and get moving on developing our community support. My riding is large and diverse. There is a lot of agriculture, and still more rural dwellers .. people who live in rural communities, and work in nearby towns and cities. People like me. It seems hard to reach all these people, so we will need to be creative.

There have been some interesting polls out lately. A study by SES Research showed that over 34% of Canadians voted or considered voting Green in the last election. That's enough to win this riding hands down. The key is to convert that 34% into actual ballots. The missing element is the support and momentum within the community .. the proof to the voter that the Green Party is a part of their particular neighbourhood .. that there are other Green voters nearby, and that we can and eventually will win.

It's a good thing enthusiasm is contagious.

Community

2006-09-01T20:15:00.000-04:00

As times change, so does our sense of community. I have been a member of a number of on-line forums, and all of them seem to have a lifetime. People join in, there is spirited discussion, and sometimes they continue and sometimes they don't. Other people I have met through email, msn, or skype.

I feel like I know many of the people in these online communities. I have had the pleasure of meeting some of them in person, but most only online. They have made their impressions on me, and some have found their way into my heart as well.

I think that if I try hard enough, I can find a point of connection with anyone. Wouldn't it be great if we all did that?

I guess this doesn't have much to do with politics, except that I believe that politics is about expressing the will of the community or communities that politicians are to represent. I am proud of the Green Party for engaging so many people in the policy development process. I saw many different and divergent opinions expressed at the convention in Ottawa last week, and I was amazed at how the diversity was handled .. with respect, with true listening, and with compromise and a genuine desire to achieve concensus. It really is a community in action.

Peace,
Jim

Elections, elections

2006-08-28T23:01:00.000-04:00

The Conservative government is itching for an election. To recap the outcome of the January 2006 election, the Conservatives formed a minority government, with the Liberals the next largest party in the parliament, followed by the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois. The Liberal leader immediately resigned and began a ten month long leadership process.

The Conservatives think that if they call an election now, they can catch the Liberals without a leader, and get a majority government. So the recent softwood lumber "deal" (which is a horrible deal for Canada) is being put to a vote in the Commons, with the Prime Minister saying that if the bill is defeated, it will be considered a non-confidence motion, which means the House no longer has confidence in the governing party, and an election must be called.

Elections should be about giving voters more choice, not less choice. This kind of opportunism is exactly why people want a new kind of governance. It is why many people stop voting .. why feed the beast?

Jim

Back again

2006-08-28T01:49:00.000-04:00

It has been a LONG time since I posted. After my last post, the pace of the campaign overwhelmed my ability to find time every day to post. Once you stop, it is hard to get going again. Then campaign is over, the election is done, and the votes were counted - 2156 for me and the Green Party in LKM. I am very proud of my team and I know will do much better next time. In part, this is because all of us are learning and growing in our roles.

I just returned from the Green Party Convention in Ottawa, and I am pumped about the people and the party. I am going to try this again, and I will do my best to make this dialogue a real dialogue .. regular, honest, and truly interactive.

If you have a question, or an issue, or a comment, let me know. I look forward to our connection.

Jim

The campaign continues

2005-12-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

It has been some busy times since I last posted. I have had a couple of all candidates debates, I have ridden a tractor through downtown Wallaceburg to protest farm policy, I have conducted numerous media interviews, and I had the good fortune to spend some time with the leader of the Green Party, Jim Harris.

First, Jim was not invited to the leader's debate, and let's face it, he should be. There are two more debates, and there is still time. Please sign our petition to add the Green voice to the national debate. We have over half a million votes, a million dollars of your money, and we have 308 candidates once again. Interesting statistic: there were approximately 10,000 emails from Canadians asking various questions to the leaders. We have more than 30,000 names on our petition, three times the interest level! Please add your voice to ours.

Second, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed campaigning with Jim Harris. He is a great speaker, he knows his subject matter, and he has both intensity and a sense of humour. He is very passionate about the issues that Canadians face, and I applaud his sincerity and his commitment to the Green movement.

Third, I want to comment on the two all party get togethers in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex that I attended. One was a debate, and we made speeches at the other. The debate was regarding the need for cleaning up the environmental safety of the St. Clair River. It is so sad to read the list of spills into the river from chemical valley in Sarnia. It is time to isolate these industries from the water and put safety first, where it always should have been. The time for action is right now!

In Wallaceburg, I heard first hand the frustration of the farmers of the region, whose commodity prices are often below input costs. Since then, there has been a temporary countervailing duty imposed on corn, which will help in the short term, but does not represent a long term solution to the problem. We need to move to fair trade over free trade, and build an agricultural support system which will assist the farmer in developing new markets, new distribution and direct access to consumers, so that they can get their fair share of the retail dollar. You will notice that the retail price of beef did not drop by 80% during the BSE crisis, but the price farmers got for cattle did. The processors and distributors still did all right during that time, because we kept eating beef, but very little of that money ended up in the producers pocket.

More later ..

Ed Broadbent

2005-12-08T16:59:00.000-05:00

One last observation for today. Ed Broadbent has spoken out that he feels the Green Party should be represented at the national leader's debate. Now THAT is statesmanship!

Credit where credit is due

2005-12-08T16:48:00.000-05:00

My son, Devin Johnston, is a strong supporter of the NDP party, and he has started a blog about this election at todaysndp.blogspot.com . He, in fact, inspired me to begin this blog. I want to say thanks for the inspiration and I am very proud of him. I also want to acknowledge his contribution to the NDP. He is a thoughtful and articulate writer, wise beyond his years, and I am blessed to have him in my life. Devin, I wish you and your associates well in the next election.

Devin's blog was noticed by a prominent NDP member, Paul Summerville. His web site is listed here:
http://paulsummerville.ca/node/406

Devin's blog has a list of reasons why you should vote NDP. It is worth reading. Except, when you read it, substitute Green for NDP. It still works.

Door to door canvassing

2005-12-08T16:21:00.000-05:00

One of the Elections Canada requirements to be a candidate is that you have to get 100 voters in your riding to sign a list endorsing their belief that you should be on the ballot. They do not have to vote for you, they just have to believe in democracy enough to allow you on the ballot.

Since I live in one riding and work in another, I do not know 100 people in my home riding. My riding assoication friends have helped me out be getting signatures. We also did a little door-to-door canvassing. This was quite an experience. First, it is darn cold. Second, most people do not want to talk to politicians. After all, 40% of them don't even vote. Third, some people will not do anything to aid and abet a party which is not "their" party. Fourth, many people do not trust politicians, people who knock on their door, and especially, politicians who knock on their door. It takes about two hours to collect 15 signatures.

I don't understand why this ritual of signature collections exists. It definitely serves large parties, as they will have at least 100 members in their well-established riding associations. They can hand out the forms at one meeting, and have them handed back in a few days. What do these signatures mean, anyway? These people who signed don't know me. Some felt they were participating in a democratic process, and some just felt sorry for me. I was never asked for identification by anyone. I think the signature process is a barrier for new parties and new ideas.

If I'm a candidate endorsed by a political party and the party got 1800 votes in this riding in the last election, what further purpose is served by this activity?

I have to admit that I became angry at people who didn't want to sign. It's no skin off their noses. After I had cooled down a bit, my friend Norm reminded me that the political system has made people that way .. the system disenfranchises them, alienates them, insults them. It says, vote for someone, who then goes to Ottawa and does whatever they want (or whatever their party leader wants). Even if you vote for someone who wins, they get one out of 308 seats in the Parliament. And most people vote for someone who "loses". Isn't that sad? In my riding, 60% of the votes were cast for someone other than the MP. Who speaks for them? No wonder they don't want to talk to politicians.

I think it is incumbent on politicians to act in such a way as to restore voter faith in the political process. Central to that objective is the need for electoral reform. Please get out and vote for the people who will make it happen.

The Leaders Debate

2005-12-01T08:13:00.000-05:00

I heard from Jim Harris last night that he is disinvited to the leader's debate. I include a portion of his press release:

<>

The decision by the broadcast consortium to exclude the Green Party flies in the face of its previous rulings. Despite having no seats in Parliament in 1993, no official recognition from the Speaker, and only 75 candidates, the Bloc Quebecois was included in both the French and English debates. Preston Manning participated in the 1993 leaders' debate based on the 11,154 votes Deborah Grey won in a 1989 byelection with a 47 per cent turnout. In 1993, they only ran 207 candidates.

In 2004, the Green Party ran a full slate of candidates and won 583,000 votes, over double the Reform Party's performance in 1988. Still, it was excluded from the debate in 2004. The consortium cited the "large number of political parties contesting the 2004 federal election" as a reason to exclude the Green Party from participating in the debate and that five leaders would be unwieldy. But evidently, at least five parties can fit in the studio as they did in 1993, 1997 and 2000. A sense of fair play and the consortium's own precedent suggest that the Green Party should be able to join the debate.

<>

The Green Party receives over a million dollars of taxpayer money because they are considered a "legitimate" party, receiving over 2% of the popular vote (more than double that criteria, in 2004).

I think there is a fear that resides in the Liberal and Conservative parties that their voters will start to flow to the Greens once it becomes more socially acceptable to do so. So they cling to their power, afraid that some political party will come and steal it, and forgetting that the power belongs to the people .. always has .. always will.

This is an unfortunate outcome, but in spite of being shut out last time, more than half a million Canadians voted Green, saying, in effect, these are the values which should govern our country. I have seen polls as high as 9% and 11% so far, more than double the last election. Noone can deny that groundswell.

Why I am here

2005-11-30T11:26:00.000-05:00

This blog is about bein a Green candidate in the 2006 Federal Election in Canada. This is my first foray into politics, so I am truly a green Green. So why am I here?

Someone has to make a difference. Someone has to stand up and say that change is needed, that change is necessary.

What change?

To change our electoral system towards proportional representation so that all voices are heard, not just the largest percentage of alliances
To change the marginalization of groups in our society, such as aboriginal people, ethnic minorities, even localized ethnic majorities
To change the ability of Canadians to participate more effectively in their government, which in turn will lead to more effective government
To change our perception about the importance of preserving our habitat .. the ecosystem we live in
To change the perception that there is an 'us' and a 'them' on this planet .. we are here all together
To ensure that we treat government expenditures with a careful fiscal wisdom and responsibility
To ensure that we have the right social programs in place to take care of people

That's why I am here. As a voter, I have in the past voted strategically for all of the major parties, almost always to prevent someone else from winning. Some time ago, I realized the futility of doing this, and now I vote where I can be proud of what my vote says. As more people join us (over half a million in the 2004 election), these changes will come about simply and obviously.

In this election, it is highly unlikely that there will be a majority government elected. So this is the right time to send your vote towards what you believe, giving it strength and causing others to notice as well. Imagine this .. what if we never have a majority government ever again? This is not a bad thing .. this means that we will have to shift from the politics of conflict and confrontation to the politics of compromise, common good and shared vision. I look forward to being a part of this change.