Archive for Hope

The story of Elizabeth May and the Green Party in 30 minutes.

Chris Kitching followed me along canvassing, and then wrote this article for CP24.com.  It uses my experience as a jumping off point to delve into the various motivations for underdog candidates.

Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu, the Green Party's candidate in Toronto-Danforth, speaks to a man while campaigning for votes at Pape Station recently. Mugnatto-Hamu is in a David vs. Goliath-like battle against the riding's incumbent MP, NDP leader Jack Layton. (CP24/Chris Kitching)

Going toe-to-toe with an incumbent is always a challenge. The task is even more daunting when the reigning MP has a star profile that rivals that of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

So, why are these so-called minnows bothering to invest so much time, energy and money in a short-lived campaign when a landslide defeat is likely?

For Mugnatto-Hamu, a Green Party candidate, she relishes the opportunity to push the agenda of an emerging political party and engage voters on the topic that is most important to her — climate change.

“At one stage I realized that the threats to my children were far more serious, so I was compelled to run,” Mugnatto-Hamu told CP24.com recently as she campaigned for votes at a bustling Pape Station. “I want to change policy and this is one way to change policy.”

Read the whole article on CP24.com.

Advance voting opens today, Earth Day.  What better way of celebrating than by voting for the Earth?

Advance polls are open Easter weekend
Friday, 2011 April 22, noon – 8 pm
Saturday, 2011 April 23, noon – 8 pm
Monday, 2011 April 25, noon – 8 pm

To find your advance poll station, visit elections.ca,
type your postal code and press Go to find your riding,
and then click on Where do I vote?

Please.  Your Green vote will be noticed and will make a difference.  We need your help to change the direction of politics in Canada.

Everyone is welcome vote in the advance polls.

Election day remains Monday, May 2.

Just had a Portuguese language interview with Sandro Miranda of PanTV.  He pointed me to a Brazilian campaign to reduce water use.  I have been impressed with the creativity of public campaigns in Brazil on AIDS, abuse of women, nutrition among the poor and other areas.  Brazil routinely achieves tremendous progress on the cheap.  Here’s how they are reducing water use:

This very much summarizes my experience in Cancún.

Watching the youth count the dead brought tears to my eyes now just as it did in Cancún