Elizabeth May questions her own leadership, but some Greens say there’s no heir apparent
[ http://www.hilltimes.com/2016/08/10/eli ... L_CAMPAIGN)&goal=0_207adb2c89-d9cda8a175-90669285&mc_cid=d9cda8a175&mc_eid=37c29b0f13 ]
There was perhaps a faction of the party that voted in favour of the controversial BDS motion to spite their leader, says shadow cabinet member.
By CHELSEA NASH PUBLISHED : Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016 12:00 AM
Elizabeth May is openly questioning her own Green party leadership after members voted to adopt a policy that she personally disagreed with, yet took much of the heat for, at the party’s convention on Sunday. But some other party members say that there’s no ready replacement if she steps down.
Though Ms. May passed a leadership review with more than 90 per cent support earlier this year, some Green Party of Canada members are unhappy with her leadership, according to shadow cabinet member Jean-Luc Cooke, the party’s small-business critic. Mr. Cooke said he could not name names at this point, “but the day may come.”
Mr. Cooke said the adoption of a controversial policy in support of boycott, divestment, and sanctions against certain Israeli institutions was something Ms. May took “personally.”
Sponsored by Green party justice critic Dimitri Lascaris and adopted by the party at its biennial convention in Ottawa on Sunday, the resolution pledges the Greens’ support for the use of divestment, boycott, and sanctions, known as BDS, targeted to “those sectors of Israel’s economy and society which profit from the ongoing occupation” of Palestinian territory.
The motion has been the target of strongly worded condemnation from several Jewish groups in Canada, including B’nai Brith Canada, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, and the Jewish National Fund.
“With the Green party’s support for unfairly singling out the world’s only Jewish state for contempt, it has firmly entrenched itself beyond the fringe of mainstream Canadian politics,” said Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, in a statement Sunday.
Green party member Paul Manly, who is the party’s international trade critic, said the point of supporting BDS is to help bring peace to the region by sanctioning “those companies that are directly profiting off of those settlements and the illegal occupation.” Supporters argue that the Israeli government is responsible for human rights abuses against Palestinians, and that it must be held accountable. However, those on the other side, like Ms. May and Mr. Cooke, say that this policy is an unbalanced approach, and that peacekeepers do not pick sides.
Canada’s House of Commons voted in February to reject the BDS movement and call upon the government to condemn attempts by Canadian groups and individuals to promote the movement.
Others have argued that the BDS movement is a guise for anti-Semitism in specifically targeting Israel, though Ms. May said that there is no space for anti-Semitism or racism in her party, and that that wasn’t what this resolution was about.
‘A dose of masochism to be committed to this job’
In a scrum directly after the convention closed, Ms. May expressed her own difficulty with being leader of a party that she said she ultimately has no power in. When asked if she was confident in the support from her party in her leadership, she replied that the party had recently had a confidence motion online in which every party member could vote, and she received 93.6 per cent. The vote took place over a month and closed in April, with participation from 26 per cent of members, according to iPolitics.
“So…pretty confident,” she said laughing. “I’m not so confident in my own support for me staying on as leader,” she said, in a tone that was almost sarcastic.
She continued, “Well, I mean, every day I question [it]. It’s a weird thing being leader of the Green party, because as I said, the job description in our constitution and bylaws, the leader’s job is to be the chief spokesperson. So I have no power within the party. And, I obviously will take blame for things that go wrong,” she said.
She described her role as being completely different from leadership positions in other parties, because hers is one of “service leadership.”
“Sometimes [I] question if it does take a dose of masochism to be committed to this job,” she said, “But I am committed.”
She’s given other interviews in the last week further expressing her discomfort with the job, after a decade in it.
Speaking to CBC Radio on Tuesday morning, the broadcaster quoted her as saying: “I’m going away for the first week off I’ve had off since Christmas and I will be doing a lot of reflecting.”
MORE:
[ http://www.hilltimes.com/2016/08/10/eli ... L_CAMPAIGN)&goal=0_207adb2c89-d9cda8a175-90669285&mc_cid=d9cda8a175&mc_eid=37c29b0f13 ]
Elizabeth May - stays on Leader of the Green Party
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• Page 1 of 1
Elizabeth May - stays on Leader of the Green Party
by Oscar » Wed Aug 10, 2016 12:12 pm
- Oscar
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Re: Elizabeth May questions her own leadership, but some Gre
by Oscar » Wed Aug 10, 2016 4:16 pm
Why I Asked The Green Party To Challenge The JNF's Charitable Status
[ http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/corey-levi ... 87746.html
Green Party leader Elizabeth May supported a move to broaden language found in the blogger's original resolution to call for any charitable organization's status to be revoked if they are in violation of Canadian or international law.
Recently, two Holocaust survivors and human rights activists died, both having lived long and fruitful lives.
Over the course of his life, the writer Elie Wiesel received many prizes and much praise for his activism, including speaking out for the beleaguered peoples of Bosnia and Rwanda. Hedy Epstein was no less passionate an advocate; at the age of 90, she was arrested for protesting the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri.
But it was the conflict in the Middle East that flamed Ms. Epstein's social justice passions the most, using her pulpit as a survivor of the atrocities committed against the Jews in the Second World War to encourage people to help stop the sufferings of Palestinians caused by Israel's occupation.
As a Jew committed to tikkun olam, the ideals of social justice that I learned from my parents, I follow the Hedy Epstein school of Holocaust lessons: two wrongs do not make a right.
It is why I decided to submit a resolution to the Green Party to revoke Revenue Canada's charitable status of the Jewish National Fund of Canada, and why I co-sponsored the resolution calling for the boycott, divestment and sanctioning of Israel until they end their occupation of Palestine.
While both resolutions have been roundly condemned by some as anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli, including the former president of the Green Party, Paul Estrin, I have chosen to heed the words of Ms. Epstein: "Remember the past, don't hate, but don't be a bystander."
I am proud of my Jewish heritage and traditions. My actions do not make me anti-Semitic or anti-Israel.
The policies of the JNF are well documented. Both the UN Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the U.S. State Department have called the JNF discriminatory because of its practice of selling or leasing land only to Jews. But more important, the Attorney General of Israel -- in a 2005 ruling against the JNF -- stated that their practice of refusing to sell or lease their lands to non-Jewish citizens of Israel amounts to discrimination.
Even a JNF official has acknowledged that "a large portion of JNF parks are on lands where Palestinian villages used to stand, and the forests are intended to camouflage this" (page 43).
In Canada, the JNF has raised money for its project in Israel, Canada Park. A beautiful 80,000 acres of lush greenery, this oasis of rest and recreation also happens to sit atop the ruins of the Palestinian villages of Deir Ayyub, Imwas and Yalu. The residents of the latter two villages along with those of neighbouring village, Beit Nuba, were forcibly expelled from their homes and the villages deliberately destroyed during the 1967 war. The villagers played no role in the fighting and held aloft white flags when Israeli soldiers entered their communities.
Under the guise of "greening" the area, the seized land was then given to the JNF, which conveniently built Canada Park a few years later. This contravenes Canadian government policy, which does not recognize permanent Israeli control over lands occupied since 1967, as well as international law.
CBC's Fifth Estate produced a documentary ("Canada Park: A Park with no Peace," 1991) about the forced expulsion, the deliberate destruction of the villages and the establishment of the park. In the words of former Israeli parliamentarian Uri Avnery, "By putting that park there and calling it 'Canada Park', you give a Canadian cover-up to a war crime."
As a party that emphasizes our commitment to the environment, neither should the party stand idly by... when such abuses are subsidized by our taxpayer dollars.
To this day, there has never been any acknowledgement or recognition of the actions by the Israeli government or compensation given to the nearly 10,000 people who were forced out of their homes, and who have not been granted the right to return, as stipulated under international law, while Canada Park physically prevents any return from taking place. Yet, because of JNF's charitable status, the park continues to be subsidized by the Canadian taxpayer.
It is not easy to move forward in the face of such sustained, yet patently false, attacks. I am proud of my Jewish heritage and traditions. My actions do not make me anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. Neither are the Green Party and its leader anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. The Green Party and its leader are absolutely not anti-Semitic or anti-Israel.
But as a party that emphasizes our commitment to the environment, neither should the party stand idly by while grave human rights abuses are done in the name of environmentalism, particularly when such abuses are subsidized by our taxpayer dollars.
On Saturday, my proposed resolution on the JNF was ultimately defeated in the thrust and parry of party politics by turning the motion into a generic call for any charitable organization's status to be revoked if they are in violation of Canadian or international law. But on Sunday, the Green Party stood by its principles and voted overwhelmingly in favour of the BDS motion.
The debates, carried out in a public forum with media and observers present, and the passing of the BDS motion signals that although one battle may have been lost, ultimately the war has been won in the march towards a just peace in the Middle East.
I like to think that Hedy Epstein, whose memoir was titled Remembering Is Not Enough, would have been proud of my actions.
Updated and reprinted from the Hill Times, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016 6:51 a.m.
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[ http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/corey-levi ... 87746.html
Green Party leader Elizabeth May supported a move to broaden language found in the blogger's original resolution to call for any charitable organization's status to be revoked if they are in violation of Canadian or international law.
Recently, two Holocaust survivors and human rights activists died, both having lived long and fruitful lives.
Over the course of his life, the writer Elie Wiesel received many prizes and much praise for his activism, including speaking out for the beleaguered peoples of Bosnia and Rwanda. Hedy Epstein was no less passionate an advocate; at the age of 90, she was arrested for protesting the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri.
But it was the conflict in the Middle East that flamed Ms. Epstein's social justice passions the most, using her pulpit as a survivor of the atrocities committed against the Jews in the Second World War to encourage people to help stop the sufferings of Palestinians caused by Israel's occupation.
As a Jew committed to tikkun olam, the ideals of social justice that I learned from my parents, I follow the Hedy Epstein school of Holocaust lessons: two wrongs do not make a right.
It is why I decided to submit a resolution to the Green Party to revoke Revenue Canada's charitable status of the Jewish National Fund of Canada, and why I co-sponsored the resolution calling for the boycott, divestment and sanctioning of Israel until they end their occupation of Palestine.
While both resolutions have been roundly condemned by some as anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli, including the former president of the Green Party, Paul Estrin, I have chosen to heed the words of Ms. Epstein: "Remember the past, don't hate, but don't be a bystander."
I am proud of my Jewish heritage and traditions. My actions do not make me anti-Semitic or anti-Israel.
The policies of the JNF are well documented. Both the UN Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the U.S. State Department have called the JNF discriminatory because of its practice of selling or leasing land only to Jews. But more important, the Attorney General of Israel -- in a 2005 ruling against the JNF -- stated that their practice of refusing to sell or lease their lands to non-Jewish citizens of Israel amounts to discrimination.
Even a JNF official has acknowledged that "a large portion of JNF parks are on lands where Palestinian villages used to stand, and the forests are intended to camouflage this" (page 43).
In Canada, the JNF has raised money for its project in Israel, Canada Park. A beautiful 80,000 acres of lush greenery, this oasis of rest and recreation also happens to sit atop the ruins of the Palestinian villages of Deir Ayyub, Imwas and Yalu. The residents of the latter two villages along with those of neighbouring village, Beit Nuba, were forcibly expelled from their homes and the villages deliberately destroyed during the 1967 war. The villagers played no role in the fighting and held aloft white flags when Israeli soldiers entered their communities.
Under the guise of "greening" the area, the seized land was then given to the JNF, which conveniently built Canada Park a few years later. This contravenes Canadian government policy, which does not recognize permanent Israeli control over lands occupied since 1967, as well as international law.
CBC's Fifth Estate produced a documentary ("Canada Park: A Park with no Peace," 1991) about the forced expulsion, the deliberate destruction of the villages and the establishment of the park. In the words of former Israeli parliamentarian Uri Avnery, "By putting that park there and calling it 'Canada Park', you give a Canadian cover-up to a war crime."
As a party that emphasizes our commitment to the environment, neither should the party stand idly by... when such abuses are subsidized by our taxpayer dollars.
To this day, there has never been any acknowledgement or recognition of the actions by the Israeli government or compensation given to the nearly 10,000 people who were forced out of their homes, and who have not been granted the right to return, as stipulated under international law, while Canada Park physically prevents any return from taking place. Yet, because of JNF's charitable status, the park continues to be subsidized by the Canadian taxpayer.
It is not easy to move forward in the face of such sustained, yet patently false, attacks. I am proud of my Jewish heritage and traditions. My actions do not make me anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. Neither are the Green Party and its leader anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. The Green Party and its leader are absolutely not anti-Semitic or anti-Israel.
But as a party that emphasizes our commitment to the environment, neither should the party stand idly by while grave human rights abuses are done in the name of environmentalism, particularly when such abuses are subsidized by our taxpayer dollars.
On Saturday, my proposed resolution on the JNF was ultimately defeated in the thrust and parry of party politics by turning the motion into a generic call for any charitable organization's status to be revoked if they are in violation of Canadian or international law. But on Sunday, the Green Party stood by its principles and voted overwhelmingly in favour of the BDS motion.
The debates, carried out in a public forum with media and observers present, and the passing of the BDS motion signals that although one battle may have been lost, ultimately the war has been won in the march towards a just peace in the Middle East.
I like to think that Hedy Epstein, whose memoir was titled Remembering Is Not Enough, would have been proud of my actions.
Updated and reprinted from the Hill Times, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016 6:51 a.m.
Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook
- Oscar
- Site Admin
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- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
Re: Elizabeth May questions her own leadership, but some Gre
by Oscar » Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:15 pm
Elizabeth May to continue as Leader of Green Party of Canada
[ https://www.greenparty.ca/en/media-rele ... rty-canada ]
August 22, 2016
(OTTAWA) August 22, 2016 – Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands), released the following statement regarding her leadership decision:
“After much reflection and consideration, I am honoured to continue to serve as Leader of the Green Party of Canada,” Ms. May said. “Following a productive meeting with Federal Council on August 21, the Party has taken important steps to improve our policy proposal process, and will again allow all members to vote on new policies passed at convention or special meetings in future.
“I look forward to continuing my work on the Special Committee for Electoral Reform, and I will continue to hold the Trudeau administration to its promise to make every vote count and ensure 2015 is the last election held under our winner-take-all system. In order to do that, we need proportional representation that ensures Parliament better reflects the will of the people,” Ms. May concluded.
The GPC will hold a Special Meeting pursuant to its Constitution and bylaws in the coming months to address three key tasks: review any resolutions from the August 2016 Convention that lacked consensus; subject decisions of the August 2016 Convention that lacked consensus to a consensus process and to deal with all remaining motions for which time elapsed; and review and adopt improved processes for policy making.
The Special Meeting details will be announced at a later date. The full text of the adopted motion from the August 21 Federal Council meeting is as follows:
1. Moved that the federal council of the Green Party of Canada fully supports Elizabeth May's decision to continue to serve as leader;
2. that the GPC will hold a Special Meeting pursuant to terms of its Constitution and By-laws;
3. that details and logistical arrangements of the Special Meeting are delegated to the Council Executive;
4. that the Special Meeting will be held pursuant to Green Rules to achieve consensus decisions;
5. that the purpose of the Special Meeting will be threefold:
a. to focus attention and public awareness of the recommendations of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform;
b. to subject decisions of the August 2016 convention that lacked consensus to a consensus process and to deal with all remaining motions for which time elapsed;
and c. to review and adopt improved processes for policy making;
6. that the federal council moves that the Special Meeting adopt the pre-2016 process of holding a ratification vote open to all members for all policies adopted at conventions or general meetings of members;
7. and that Shadow Cabinet is requested, with assistance of staff, to review all decisions of the August 2016 meeting to identify any and all policies adopted that lacked consensus and to prepare proposals to be put to the members at Special Meeting with the goal of achieving consensus. -30-
For more information, please contact:
Dan Palmer Press Secretary |
Attaché de presse
dan.palmer@greenparty.ca
m: (613) 614-4916
[ https://www.greenparty.ca/en/media-rele ... rty-canada ]
August 22, 2016
(OTTAWA) August 22, 2016 – Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands), released the following statement regarding her leadership decision:
“After much reflection and consideration, I am honoured to continue to serve as Leader of the Green Party of Canada,” Ms. May said. “Following a productive meeting with Federal Council on August 21, the Party has taken important steps to improve our policy proposal process, and will again allow all members to vote on new policies passed at convention or special meetings in future.
“I look forward to continuing my work on the Special Committee for Electoral Reform, and I will continue to hold the Trudeau administration to its promise to make every vote count and ensure 2015 is the last election held under our winner-take-all system. In order to do that, we need proportional representation that ensures Parliament better reflects the will of the people,” Ms. May concluded.
The GPC will hold a Special Meeting pursuant to its Constitution and bylaws in the coming months to address three key tasks: review any resolutions from the August 2016 Convention that lacked consensus; subject decisions of the August 2016 Convention that lacked consensus to a consensus process and to deal with all remaining motions for which time elapsed; and review and adopt improved processes for policy making.
The Special Meeting details will be announced at a later date. The full text of the adopted motion from the August 21 Federal Council meeting is as follows:
1. Moved that the federal council of the Green Party of Canada fully supports Elizabeth May's decision to continue to serve as leader;
2. that the GPC will hold a Special Meeting pursuant to terms of its Constitution and By-laws;
3. that details and logistical arrangements of the Special Meeting are delegated to the Council Executive;
4. that the Special Meeting will be held pursuant to Green Rules to achieve consensus decisions;
5. that the purpose of the Special Meeting will be threefold:
a. to focus attention and public awareness of the recommendations of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform;
b. to subject decisions of the August 2016 convention that lacked consensus to a consensus process and to deal with all remaining motions for which time elapsed;
and c. to review and adopt improved processes for policy making;
6. that the federal council moves that the Special Meeting adopt the pre-2016 process of holding a ratification vote open to all members for all policies adopted at conventions or general meetings of members;
7. and that Shadow Cabinet is requested, with assistance of staff, to review all decisions of the August 2016 meeting to identify any and all policies adopted that lacked consensus and to prepare proposals to be put to the members at Special Meeting with the goal of achieving consensus. -30-
For more information, please contact:
Dan Palmer Press Secretary |
Attaché de presse
dan.palmer@greenparty.ca
m: (613) 614-4916
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 10165
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
Re: Elizabeth May - stays on Leader of the Green Party
by Oscar » Fri Aug 26, 2016 11:20 am
Green Party Canada Convention 2016 (Numerous LINK online)
[ https://www.globalgreens.org/news/green ... ntion-2016 ]
Posted 21 August, 2016
Green Party Canada (GPC) held its 2016 convention in Ottawa 4-7 August.
The program included an opening by Elizabeth May, Party Leader and MP, European Green Party Representative and Belgium MP Evelyne Huytebroeck, New Zealand Green Party Leader and MP James Shaw, and Federal Council President Ken Melamed, Bill McKibben keynote, a reflective and cathartic "laugh and cry together as we relive the trials and tribulations of 2015" evening, and workshops on a variety of resolutions including Indigenous Rights Issues in Canada and the controversial resolution on Palestinian Self-Determination and the Movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (see press release [
https://www.greenparty.ca/en/media-rele ... 2016-wraps ]), panel discussion on Getting Elected as a Green, trainings on community engagement, peer-to-peer learning dialogues, trade and the TPP, and a round table session for Green Party members to create an action plan for moving forward together in communities across the country on Proportional Representation.
I am still inspired by the progress Canada is making on election system reform on which GPC is deeply involved. Check out Elizabeth May's video blogs giving you an insider's look into the Electoral Reform Committee's effort to reform Canada's electoral system in order to make every vote count equally. [ http://www.sgigreenparty.ca/electoral_reform ]
Learn about how many votes it takes to elect 1 Member of Parliament in Canada.
If you're curious about what Green Party Canada stands for, start with reading Vision Green which explains GPC's policies on: economy, climate, environment, people, global citizenship, and good governance.
"Overall, we had a terrific convention,” said Elizabeth May; “engaged members from across the country came and reaffirmed deep commitment to climate action, fair voting and turning away from unfair trade deals."
Watch Canada in 2016 and beyond for some exciting and really significant advancements in election system reform!
[ https://www.globalgreens.org/news/green ... ntion-2016 ]
Posted 21 August, 2016
Green Party Canada (GPC) held its 2016 convention in Ottawa 4-7 August.
The program included an opening by Elizabeth May, Party Leader and MP, European Green Party Representative and Belgium MP Evelyne Huytebroeck, New Zealand Green Party Leader and MP James Shaw, and Federal Council President Ken Melamed, Bill McKibben keynote, a reflective and cathartic "laugh and cry together as we relive the trials and tribulations of 2015" evening, and workshops on a variety of resolutions including Indigenous Rights Issues in Canada and the controversial resolution on Palestinian Self-Determination and the Movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (see press release [
https://www.greenparty.ca/en/media-rele ... 2016-wraps ]), panel discussion on Getting Elected as a Green, trainings on community engagement, peer-to-peer learning dialogues, trade and the TPP, and a round table session for Green Party members to create an action plan for moving forward together in communities across the country on Proportional Representation.
I am still inspired by the progress Canada is making on election system reform on which GPC is deeply involved. Check out Elizabeth May's video blogs giving you an insider's look into the Electoral Reform Committee's effort to reform Canada's electoral system in order to make every vote count equally. [ http://www.sgigreenparty.ca/electoral_reform ]
Learn about how many votes it takes to elect 1 Member of Parliament in Canada.
If you're curious about what Green Party Canada stands for, start with reading Vision Green which explains GPC's policies on: economy, climate, environment, people, global citizenship, and good governance.
"Overall, we had a terrific convention,” said Elizabeth May; “engaged members from across the country came and reaffirmed deep commitment to climate action, fair voting and turning away from unfair trade deals."
Watch Canada in 2016 and beyond for some exciting and really significant advancements in election system reform!
- Oscar
- Site Admin
- Posts: 10165
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm
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