VANCOUVER -- More than 300 Green Party of Canada members from every corner of the country gathered at the party’s national convention in Vancouver over the weekend to discuss policy, celebrate Green electoral success nationwide and honour the contributions of the party’s hard-working volunteers.
Delegates were introduced to two of the party’s newly nominated candidates for the 2019 election. Astrophysicist Amita Kuttner will be the party’s candidate for Burnaby North-Seymour and former Liberal Party candidate David Merner will be running for the Greens in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke.
On the policy front, members passed a number of resolutions including:
- Safety for sex workers. The Green Party wants sex workers to have control over their working conditions and to be able to conduct business in a safe and healthy environment.
- Human Control Over Weapons. The Green Party wants defense systems to be monitored by humans and not artificial intelligence. In Parliament it will advocate for the establishment of international conventions and policies which will ensure humans control lethal force.
The party also agreed to initiate a thorough consultation with First Nations as a prelude to repealing the Indian Act, a racist remnant of Canada’s colonial history.
“Canada has an obligation to reform its system of government and legal codes to reflect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands). “I am honoured to lead a party whose members have once again proven that they are in the vanguard of policy-making. We must repeal the Indian Act but only after there has been a comprehensive and meaningful consultation with First Nations to ensure that all voices are heard and that no one is left behind.”
In her keynote address to a packed house at Vancouver’s Westin Bayshore last night, Ms. May outlined her vision of the future. “We need to face the facts,” said Ms. May. “At this rate our children will inherit an increasingly unliveable world – Hothouse Earth. We need a government with the courage to take the necessary steps now.”
“Next week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will release its report and it will show that Canada is falling further and further behind on meeting its Paris commitments. Canadians need more Greens in Parliament so we can take real climate action.”
###
For further information or to arrange an interview:
Rod Leggett
Press Secretary
Rod.leggett@greenparty.ca
613-562-4916 ext. 206