Coming up on a month after the Federal election and there doesn’t appear to be much information coming out of the National office about the future of the Green’s. This is not totally unexpected, I am hoping some key people are taking a much deserved break after the intensity of the election. I myself am struggling with a new round of health concerns following the election and have spent lots of quality time both with my doctor and in the emergency room.
With Elizabeth May officially being sworn in today though, I am very curious to start hearing about what the impact of this election will be! I am assuming that the party is in better financial health now than it was after the 2008 election, as there is additional money for staffing with an MP (although I assume not much) and I assume that the federal council learned the 2008 lessons about not over-extending financially and that it will be relatively painless for the party to be out of debt almost immediately.
Does anyone know what Elizabeth, Georges, Johan, Adrienne and the Federal Council have planned for a four-year strategy? Are we investing money in organizers who can now emphasize EDA building? Are resources being shifted to help BC and Ontario prepare for provincial elections*? Are there key messages or issues that Elizabeth is planning to take on in Parliament that we could be playing off of in our own local events and messaging?
Regardless, it’s an exciting moment in Guelph. Almost every active member of the Lawson campaign team has applied for a role on the local executive and there are two EXTREMELY talented people who are campaigning to be our provincial candidate in the Fall. My allegiance/preference/vote is for local Solar business owner Steve Dyck. He’s a long time Green with a large amount of passion and enthusiasm. His competition, former city councillor Mike Salisbury, is an excellent candidate as well but he’s left questions unanswered for me in his candidacy so far. Watching Steve bring new people into the party and motivate a team of folks who just left a federal campaign exhausted has been inspiring and a positive sign for what he may be able to achieve in the next six months.
I’m looking forward to seeing what a group who is dedicated to doing tangible, relationship-building oriented work in the community is capable of. The recent election shellacking seems to have motivated local Green’s to not repeat the same mistakes, which should make for a very fun summer! I’m sure that we’ll be looking for ways that we can make a positive contribution in the community, so if you know of a local organization that is looking for volunteer help for specific projects, drop me a line and we’ll see what we can partner on!
(*in unofficial ways, obviously)
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