A Green Vision:
Renewing the Green Party of Canada requires out-
of-the-box thinking.
If you’re committed to helping create a livable, peaceful future, you’ll be interested
in our 6-month plan!
It’s a plan to help the Green Party of Canada stabilize, empower its members and
grow. A plan to ensure we deliver for our country and serve the planet, our youth
and future generations.
A plan to attract MPs disillusioned with their party’s delusional climate inaction.
A plan to speak directly with Canadians while ensuring more positive media
coverage.
All in all, it is a plan to challenge right wing populists, elect at least 12 strong MPs in the 2025 General Election securing recognized party status, obtain the balance of responsibility in the House of Commons and participate in coalition efforts to start implementing policies that will protect Canadians, delivering better life quality to all.
For planning purposes, we like the process of “back-casting.” Rather than planning in incremental steps, let us envision success and see what steps we took to get there.
This planning method is also called “Future Perfect.”
Our Future Perfect starts a century from now, when future generations look back at the revolutionary economic, scientific and political changes Green policies in Canada
and throughout the world brought forward.
Our descendants think of our time as a time of courage, altruism and heroic efforts. Greta Thunberg is remembered as we now think of heroes of old. The elected Greens of countries around the world are celebrated as are the thousands of Green
movement volunteers that got them elected. Together, we had pulled the Earth out
of the fire.
Since the mid-2020s, Green MPs have held the balance of responsibility (called by
non-Greens the balance of “power.”) As part of our price for supporting other
parties’ minority governments, we’ve negotiated the planned shutdown of Canadian
fossil fuels. Finally, all Canadians have a Guaranteed Liveable Income and at last
we’re off First Past the Post. Several of us now sit in the Canadian Cabinet. We’re proud of our contributions to getting climate change under control. Green values
are guiding the transformation of our country and the world.
Today in 2022, we have a chance to initiate the radical transformation that will make the world in 2122 sustainable and equitable through the:
- Prioritization of wellbeing and human dignity over the empty pursuit of profit
for profit’s sake; - Redefinition of our relationship to nature and our place in the wider
ecosystem of life on planet earth; and the - Construction of truly representative, fair and democratic governance systems
in a decolonized Canada and world.
It’s a future where:
- We live in harmony with ourselves, our communities, the world and nature;
- Communities and countries collaborate on redistributing wealth, knowledge
and opportunities to better harness our collective potential; - Canada plays a positive role in the world, as an honest power broker, an
ethical green energy producer and human rights champion.
How do we get there?
With you.
With your vote, your help and your ideas.
And with us: two hard working, committed Greens from diverse backgrounds and
perspectives who work as colleagues and friends and never hesitate to
constructively challenge one another. That’s the team we embody and offer
members. With one of us in Parliament already and the other meeting Greens and
Canadians throughout the country, we promise to build greater collaboration and
teamwork within our party to establish the foundations for the electoral success and
societal change needed for the future we aspire to.
We will do so with a proven track record as leaders in our respective fields of
expertise and recognized spokespeople with 50+ years of joint local, national and
international media experience.
Best of all, we will do so at a low cost, with Elizabeth working as a volunteer co-
leader, as she did in the past and Jonathan leading by example and reducing the
proposed leader’s salary by $30,000.
We will build:
A united party with leaders who listen
To rebuild Canadians’ trust in the Green Party and reclaim our
position as the most credible alternative to traditional parties, we
will listen. We will seek guidance and inspiration from all elements of
the party – from council, shadow cabinet, Young Greens, the
Indigenous Peoples Advisory Circle, the Women’s Caucus, local
EDAs and the membership.
More Members of Parliament
In the near term, a strengthened parliamentary presence led by a
Green co-leader will increase our impact in the media, allow the
GPC to expand the Green caucus and increase pressure on the
NDP-supported Liberal government to act on climate, inflation,
health, housing, reconciliation and emergency preparedness. We
pledge to support the early mobilization of the local grassroots
efforts that are at the core of the Green Party by supporting and
empowering EDAs and their nominated candidates.
Focused solutions to climate change and economic challenges
The crises we face as a country and a planet are so multifaceted,
complex and interlinked that we urgently need to envision new
paradigms for solving them. Traditional parties have failed us, and
we need to reinforce Green solutions to the challenges affecting
Canadians today.
Our first 6 months
Stabilize.
Help the party regain an immediate image of stability, trust and
predictability that will help us effectively fundraise from day one to
strengthen our financial position and better support Green leaders.
To do so, we will:
- Launch an effective fundraising strategy to maximize 2022 donations before
December 31- connecting through letters by mail, in-person events, email
requests and personal telephone calls from leadership. - Within ten days, convene a meeting between the Federal Council and the
financial agents of all EDAs to obtain clarity on the party’s financial situation. - Within ten days, start work with the Federal Council and Executive Director
to establish an actionable fundraising plan and transparent budget for 2023. - Organize public speaking engagements and fundraisers to raise top donations
from Greens across the country in December (traditionally our best month in
fundraising) and throughout the Spring. - Hold at least two major concerts with well-known Canadian artists to help
raise funds as well as the party’s profile.
Convene a four-day, in-person retreat bringing together the Council, the Fund,
the Caucus, key senior staff, members of the Indigenous
Peoples Advisory Circle and an informal group of EDA leaders to
begin mending divisions, build trust and collaborate on a 3-year
strategic plan leading to the expected 2025 election, as well as “plan
B” strategies for a snap election. We will ensure budgeting
anticipates at least two possible by-elections in 2023 and will begin
candidate recruitment for those immediately.
- Block a four-day window in early December to hold an in-person retreat in a
remote location that allows participants get to know each other, cook meals
together, enjoy snowshoeing through the forest, engage in deep
conversations, and have fun! - Identify an independent and external facilitator to help navigate some of the
discussions. - Build an agenda that focuses on trust building, empowerment and governance
training. - Working with skilled facilitators, develop a three-year strategic plan leading to
the expected 2025 election, as well as “plan B” strategies for a snap election at
any time.
In January 2023, launch our 40th Birthday with a yearlong
celebration. During the year, we will make a full national tour,
reaching every province and territory, rolling out the plan for
rebuilding and recreating a successful Green Party of Canada!
Empower.
During our first two months of service, build a strengthened,
representative and empowered shadow cabinet that includes all
current members and all interested leadership candidates equipped
to advocate for Green principles and engage in debates at the
national and local level. To do so, we will:
- Hold meetings with each shadow cabinet member to enquire about their
willingness to continue as a shadow critic, their experiences so far, the
projects they would like to lead and the type of support they would like. - Organize media and advocacy training sessions for all shadow critics and
establish a joint communication strategy that will help raise their profiles and
the party’s policies. - Work with shadow critics to organize briefings or meet and greet between the
party co-leaders, the critics and organizations that work on their respective
briefs to ensure we become an integral part of the social ecosystem.
Meet regularly with the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Circle and
other Indigenous leadership within the party to hear their advice on
how to more fully include Indigenous wisdom and ways of reaching
consensus for the GPC as a whole.
Immediately following our election as party leaders, we will invite
provincial Green party leaders to regular meetings to share
experiences in grassroots organizing. Provincial parties have
suffered from the federal party’s instability over the past two years
and we are looking forward to collaborating as they share their
perspectives and ideas.
In the first in-person Biennial General Meeting since 2018, Greens
will gather in Ottawa to put in motion constitutional reforms we
design during the retreat. Innovative integration of technology in
virtual attendance and in person attendance will allow for full
debate and wide participation. The informal group of EDA leaders
struck during the in-person retreat in December will become
formalized through constitutional reform and the new structure for
co-leadership will be embraced and codified in the GPC
Constitution.
Grow.
From day one, we will collaborate with Green members, supporters,
EDAs and staff to develop a strategy to recruit diverse, committed
candidates who share the GPC vision. Strong, visible and inspiring
leadership will attract interesting candidacies, but is insufficient to
ensure they are committed to Green principles. During our first six
months, through the EDA empowerment action group, we will work
with district association executives to identify a list of qualities
sought in good potential candidates and ways of assessing these.
We are committed to ensuring EDAs are empowered to recruit and
nominate candidates within our first year as leaders.
Starting in January 2023, we will confer with reputable
environmental organizations and student-led organizations on
actionable solutions. Following trainings supported by info-kits,
Earth Day, on April 22, Greens from coast to coast to coast will hold
local grassroots events recalling the origins of Earth Day as a
“teach-in.” EDAs will be able to celebrate their successful
mobilization starting in January to revitalize and prepare locally
relevant materials. The theme of “Climate- We are Ready!” will
allow teach-ins to call for far more radical actions from all orders of
government.