Appalled by McDonough’s Greed Over Debate
Thursday April 19, 2007
I am appalled by
Alexa McDonough’s comment in today’s
Globe and
Mail about continuing to deny the
Green Party a place in the next televised
leaders’ debate. Ms. McDonough today argued that
because Elizabeth May will not have a Liberal
competitor in Central Nova, somehow all Canadians
should be denied the chance to hear Green views.
Would McDonough have denied Jean Chrétien a place in the leaders debate in 1990 when the Progressive Conservatives didn’t run a candidate against him in the New Brunswick riding of Beauséjour? There is a Canadian tradition of extending this courtesy to leaders to bring them into Parliament.
The continued exclusion of the Greens from televised leaders’ debates is a democratic mystery. In the 2006 Nova Scotia provincial election, the Green Party of Nova Scotia ran more candidates than the Liberal Party, yet the CBC (our public broadcaster) denied the Greens a place in the debate. In that election, Whetter was the Green candidate in Cumberland North.
Ms. McDonough is playing “punitive politics” with Nova Scotians and Canadians by her shameful call to continue the exclusion of Greens from public debate. Whetter also asks NDP critics if it’s “undemocratic” that people outside of Quebec can’t vote for the Bloc Quebecois.
Every Canadian should remember how accessible political change is. The Reform Party went from town hall meetings to Official Opposition in ten years. The Bloc did the same in just three years. In 2006, the Greens had earned more votes than Reform had when they were invited into their first leaders’ debate.
To make sure that Elizabeth May has a place at the next federal leaders' debate, please sign this online petition.
Would McDonough have denied Jean Chrétien a place in the leaders debate in 1990 when the Progressive Conservatives didn’t run a candidate against him in the New Brunswick riding of Beauséjour? There is a Canadian tradition of extending this courtesy to leaders to bring them into Parliament.
The continued exclusion of the Greens from televised leaders’ debates is a democratic mystery. In the 2006 Nova Scotia provincial election, the Green Party of Nova Scotia ran more candidates than the Liberal Party, yet the CBC (our public broadcaster) denied the Greens a place in the debate. In that election, Whetter was the Green candidate in Cumberland North.
Ms. McDonough is playing “punitive politics” with Nova Scotians and Canadians by her shameful call to continue the exclusion of Greens from public debate. Whetter also asks NDP critics if it’s “undemocratic” that people outside of Quebec can’t vote for the Bloc Quebecois.
Every Canadian should remember how accessible political change is. The Reform Party went from town hall meetings to Official Opposition in ten years. The Bloc did the same in just three years. In 2006, the Greens had earned more votes than Reform had when they were invited into their first leaders’ debate.
To make sure that Elizabeth May has a place at the next federal leaders' debate, please sign this online petition.
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Happy for May and Dion
Friday April 13, 2007
Today I applauded
the joint announcement by Stéphane Dion and
Elizabeth May that they will not run candidates
in each other’s ridings. The fight to stabilize
our environment is upon us whether we want it or
not.
A new Angus Reid poll finds that when it comes to climate change, Canadians are most confident in the Green Party. On the other hand, past letters from Stephen Harper reveal that he dismissed the science of climate change and called Kyoto “a socialist scheme to suck money out of wealth-producing nations.”
I share May’s belief that improving our environment also creates real wealth and lasting jobs. Last Tuesday night during her nomination speech in New Glasgow, May cited the recent closing of the Trenton Works rail car plant and pointed out that Canada is the only country in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) “that doesn’t have a national transportation policy.” “We’ve lost our national dream of a railway moving people and freight from coast to coast,” said May.
I see this cooperative politics between the Liberals and the Greens as another example of how the Green Party is now a serious contender for office, especially in Nova Scotia where May led important legal battles for public health. Climate change is a serious threat to our health, our economy and our quality of life. This strategic cooperation between May and Dion addresses that threat. Divide-and-conquer politics do not.
A new Angus Reid poll finds that when it comes to climate change, Canadians are most confident in the Green Party. On the other hand, past letters from Stephen Harper reveal that he dismissed the science of climate change and called Kyoto “a socialist scheme to suck money out of wealth-producing nations.”
I share May’s belief that improving our environment also creates real wealth and lasting jobs. Last Tuesday night during her nomination speech in New Glasgow, May cited the recent closing of the Trenton Works rail car plant and pointed out that Canada is the only country in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) “that doesn’t have a national transportation policy.” “We’ve lost our national dream of a railway moving people and freight from coast to coast,” said May.
I see this cooperative politics between the Liberals and the Greens as another example of how the Green Party is now a serious contender for office, especially in Nova Scotia where May led important legal battles for public health. Climate change is a serious threat to our health, our economy and our quality of life. This strategic cooperation between May and Dion addresses that threat. Divide-and-conquer politics do not.
It's Official: Elizabeth May Running in North
Nova
Wednesday April 11, 2007
Last night, in her
acceptance speech as the Green Party candidate
for Central Nova, Green Party leader Elizabeth
May immediately welcomed various Nova Scotia
Green Party candidates, including me.
Ms. May began her nomination speech by saying that she isn’t running “against Peter MacKay” or against anyone. Instead she’s running “for” sustainable development and Nova Scotian jobs in Nova Scotia. Citing the recent closing of the Trenton Works rail car plant, Ms. May pointed out that Canada is the only country in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) “that doesn’t have a national transportation policy.” “We’ve lost our national dream of a railway moving people and freight from coast to coast.”
I am so proud to see May run in a rural Nova Scotia riding. The other party leaders run in wealthy urban centres: Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. We need politicians who recognize that the small businesses, small farms and natural resources of rural Nova Scotia are relevant to national politics.
In 2006, in both Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit and Central Nova, more people did not vote at all than voted for the winning Conservative candidates. What we need to do is bring back the people who have become fed up with politicians who care more about their own careers.
I share Elizabeth May’s disappointment that the Harper government recently gave the Ontario Liberal government the money necessary to phase out Ontario’s coal-burning power plants while we continue to burn coal here in Nova Scotia. If you look at a wind map of Canada, Nova Scotia has a much better wind resource than Ontario, yet Ontario has a better wind economy because of political will. Germany, Spain and other European countries know that jobs in wind power stay where the wind is. In Nova Scotia, we spend our energy dollars elsewhere.
Ms. May began her nomination speech by saying that she isn’t running “against Peter MacKay” or against anyone. Instead she’s running “for” sustainable development and Nova Scotian jobs in Nova Scotia. Citing the recent closing of the Trenton Works rail car plant, Ms. May pointed out that Canada is the only country in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) “that doesn’t have a national transportation policy.” “We’ve lost our national dream of a railway moving people and freight from coast to coast.”
I am so proud to see May run in a rural Nova Scotia riding. The other party leaders run in wealthy urban centres: Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. We need politicians who recognize that the small businesses, small farms and natural resources of rural Nova Scotia are relevant to national politics.
In 2006, in both Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit and Central Nova, more people did not vote at all than voted for the winning Conservative candidates. What we need to do is bring back the people who have become fed up with politicians who care more about their own careers.
I share Elizabeth May’s disappointment that the Harper government recently gave the Ontario Liberal government the money necessary to phase out Ontario’s coal-burning power plants while we continue to burn coal here in Nova Scotia. If you look at a wind map of Canada, Nova Scotia has a much better wind resource than Ontario, yet Ontario has a better wind economy because of political will. Germany, Spain and other European countries know that jobs in wind power stay where the wind is. In Nova Scotia, we spend our energy dollars elsewhere.
Truro Daily News Excited About My YouTube Videos
Wednesday April 04, 2007
Here's an article
the Truro Daily News ran about my You Tube
speech: http://www.trurodaily.com/index.cfm?sid=20763&sc=68.
To see that speech, go to my Media page.