(OTTAWA) - On issues from electoral reform to emergency response to pipelines to indigenous issues, Green members from across Canada emerged united this weekend.
About 350 attending members passed an emergency policy resolution – resulting from the Special Committee on Electoral Reform’s majority report – that supports a Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system, while remaining open to other forms of proportional representation. Prior to this resolution, the GPC had favoured PR without specifying any particular PR system. The resolution also supports a referendum under specific conditions. Greens and all Canadians understand 50% of the votes should equal 50% of the seats in parliament.
“I am gratified that a large turnout, far more members than attended in August, used our traditional consensus-based decision making to heal rifts and go forward united,” said Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands).
Adriane Carr, GPC member and Green Vancouver city councillor, put forward a successful emergency resolution that calls on the federal government to reverse its decision to approve the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project and Line 3, to oppose the Energy East pipeline, and to move to a low-carbon economy.
“British Columbians have been forgotten by the Prime Minister, while he falsely claims we need pipelines exporting diluted bitumen to fuel our economy. We should be building refineries in Alberta instead of exporting high-paying, long-term jobs overseas that put our oceans at risk,” Ms. May said.
Lorraine Rekmans, GPC Indigenous Affairs advocate and member of the Serpent River First Nation, gave an emotional thanks to members for unanimously approving changes to Green Party policy, which included renouncing the centuries-old "Doctrine of Discovery," which justified colonial powers seizing indigenous lands.
Members also voted to repeal a policy on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement passed in August at Convention 2016, and replace it with an addendum to existing policy on the two-state solution advanced in Vision Green.
Full texts of all resolutions will be available at greenparty.ca soon.
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For additional information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Dan Palmer
Press Secretary | Attaché de presse
dan.palmer@greenparty.ca
m: (613) 614-4916