Archive for Social justice & diversity

The NDP have now grown up into a mainstream, increasingly centrist party nickel-and-diming the poor for their vote and misleading on the environment.  I’m deeply disturbed by their success in Toronto-Danforth.

Over a week has passed since the night while I watched in horror as the Harper government got its majority coupled with the relatively minor shock of seeing the Green vote collapse in Toronto-Danforth despite the widely acknowledged strongest campaign we have ever had.

Nationally I am most concerned about a majority government which clearly caters to oil industry priorities.  In Toronto-Danforth specifically, I’m concerned about the success the NDP has had with convincing voters with timid and contradictory policies that will do little for climate change and will hurt the constituents the party has professed to care about in the past.  I ran a campaign promoting the positive aspects of the Green plan without challenging the obvious defects of NDP policies.  But it’s clear to me now that these need to be made explicit.

I had never expected to win in the NDP leader’s riding this time around, but I did hope for a strong Green vote to pressure Jack Layton and the NDP to improve their climate change policies and address some of the priorities of Green voters.  That didn’t happen, so I need people who care about the Green Party, the thousands who told me that they were considering voting Green, to help put the pressure on the NDP to get it right.

It’s time to stop mincing words.  The stakes are simply far too high.     Read more »

Adriana gave out these bookmarks at TTC subway stations during morning and afternoon rush hours in the third week of the campaign.

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I have been wanting to comment for days on the appalling response to flooding in First Nations communities.  Apparently the election is getting in the way of what was always an inadequate response.

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

A group of volunteers — William, Amy, Ron, Jo, Michael and myself — joined Adriana and her son on a visit to East Chinatown.  We started with lunch at Simon’s Wok, and then met with business owners and shoppers while putting up campaign signs and distributing cards.     Read more »