Is it just me?
There is a tremendous amount of things the green party should be officially discussing, Bill C10, C11, C30, Vic Toews, Iran, Syria, etc.
I am getting a bit disappointed that no one with an official position within the GPC has decided to talk about any of these things. Where is our leadership? When there are important issues to discuss, that's the time to make impressions. Or are we going to wait until the next election to pretend we're only about carbon policy?
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Not just you, but what do you mean?
Where are you looking for official discussions, and what do you mean by discussions? (i.e. between party members, or amongst our caucus, or between the party leader and members, or between the party and the media... )
If you look here: http://greenparty.ca/news/media-releases and here: http://greenparty.ca/blog/emay you'll see that all these issues and more are being reported on by the Green Party, in the voice of our leader Elizabeth May and various members of our Shadow Cabinet (including yours truly).
You can also see that Elizabeth has been raising many of these issues in the House, by following Hansard or this handy resource: http://openparliament.ca/politicians/elizabeth-may/ and you can even set it up to send you an alert each time Elizabeth speaks in the House (which is 2.5 times as often as the average MP, probably 5 times as often as the average backbencher).
If you are concerned that you aren't hearing this in the media, then I'm afraid I can't help you there. The Green Party does everything it can to get into the media, from multiple press releases (on all topics) daily, to hosting press conferences, Elizabeth's various op-eds in newspapers, and her frequent appearances on radio and TV current events or interview shows (like Power & Politics, Prime Time Politics, CPAC, even RCAF), about 2-4 times per week on average. If you'd like an alert each time she'll be on the media (about half are local radio, the other half national radio/TV) then send an email to Rebecca Harrison (try media@greenparty.ca) and ask to be on the lists you'd like. You can also get all the press releases sent directly to you as they come out.
I also have a Google alert that lets me know whenever Google notices the party being quoted or mentioned in the media, which is an indication (but very incomplete) of the pick-up we get.
If your concern is that Elizabeth is the only Green Party rep you see quoted or interviewed in the media, then I'm afraid that's another media-created problem we're trying to overcome. First, they tend to only call on us about environmental issues/panels, even though we have a full-spectrum platform. Also, when we try to have them speak to a non-Elizabeth person, for example our Human Rights critic (who also lives in Ottawa), they decline and insist on speaking directly with Elizabeth (or no-one).
Luckily, I have noticed us being quoted in the media on some other (non-environment) issues, and I've also noticed stories where Elizabeth is the first or sometimes only MP quoted in the story, alongside various other non-elected sources. So we are getting out there. Having only 1 MP and fewer than 1/2 million votes in the last election is a hindrance. Having more active members and riding associations might help get us more media respect, beyond that which is already being earned by our Leader.
If what you're wondering about is discussion on these blogs, then I can't help. These blogs are just one of many venues where members discuss ideas (others include the gpc-general conscoop email server, and gpc-members Yahoo group) but most members aren't active in any of those online "internal" chats. Instead, I presume they chat in real-time with folks they know inside the party, at work, at school, or down the block.
Erich Jacoby-Hawkins, Barrie ON - although I'm on Cabinet (Nat'l Rev. and Ecol. Fiscal Reform), views here are my own and may not reflect official GPC positions. Please visit www.ErichtheGreen.ca
The most recent releases
I am aware we have limited access to traditional media, that is not my issue. And of course, I am not talking about the blogs. I am referring to the media releases on our website (I assume all the media releaes worth mention should be on the website.)
I've looked at the media releases already, I have to go back a week and a half just to find a very bland call for Russia and China not to veto a UN resolution regarding Syria with no elaboration on why we are for a UN resolution or what we hope it would contain. I fear we would equivocate that everyone is equally at fault for the bloodshed. I hope it is clear at this point the Assad is a dictator bent on maintaining his own power no matter what the population wants.
The remaining releases are mostly about human rights, the environment and parliamentary process. While admirable, these are easy statements for the GPC to publicize. They are certainly not hard-hitting.
I am very concerned not to see anything about bills C-10, C11, or C30. All of which are of course topical, and require immediate action. By now, after Vikileaks, it is clear we should have been calling for Vic Toews resignation. As it turns out, he didn't even know C30 allowed for warrantless wiretaps. He also completely lacks integrity as a minister and should be thrown out of cabinet (if not the caucus as well.) Nobody should be told to choose between basic human rights and child molesters.
The only press release I could find regarding Iran seemed to be apologist. First off, the GPC should not be telling anyone to buy oil from anyone -- as a general rule. Let alone, should the GPC be interfering with economic and political choices Euopean leaders want to make. That's their business, not ours. Would we have the gall to tell Turkey where it should buy its oil?
What I don't hear from the GPC is that Iran is pursuing, at the very minimum, the means to produce a nuclear weapon while it is still a signatory to the NPT. Saudi Arabia has made it clear that if Iran acquires a weapon while being a signatory, that they will consider the NPT to be worthless. Rightly so, I imagine, and it is a true failing. Worse, Iran is silencing any local opposition to this maneuvering by threatening, jailing or killing journalists. I hear nothing about this. I only hear how Europe needs to buy more Iranian oil while Iran apparently carries out terrorist attacks on foreign soil. I find our position silly considering that we have relatively strong support amongst expat Iranians who don't like what is happening there.
There is some sort of disconnect between our actual media releases and what we could be capitalizing on.
Not sure if that's our area of competency
I think the GPC will continue to be less vocal on international issues that don't correspond to our domestic priorities. Of all the elected parties, we have the least resources for policy research. Most of Elizabeth's support through Shadow Cabinet is purely volunteer, and most of that of a spare-time nature. And there is also a need for Cabinet consensus before getting too far out on any particular issue, especially if it's not already clearly articulated in our policy or Vision Green, and sometimes that consensus isn't forthcoming.
On issues like Syria or Iran, I'm not sure that we have much to offer besides a "me too" message. We certainly have made reference to the difficulties of getting international agreement in Syria back when our mission creep in Libya went from RTP to regime change without parliamentary debate. Our response now would be an "I told you so" message.
I'm no expert on what's happening in Iran, or what the Green Party (the 4th oppositon party in the House, not even recognized there as a party) can do to influence Canada's already rather limited influence on that issue. As for NPT, I understand that signatories are allowed to pursue peaceful (generation) used of nuclear, and that's what Iran claims to be doing. At least Canada isn't giving them the kind of nuclear support that ended up helping India get the bomb, nor are we sending them uraniaum that could end up in bombs, as we are about to do with China.
All that aside, if you have some strong messaging ideas, and would actually like to draft potential press releases, then you could try submitting them to media@greenparty.ca. They may then get passed to Shadow Cabinet for approval, and make their way to being official party statements, filling the void you perceive. (And if you get no response from that avenue, send them directly to me instead).
Erich Jacoby-Hawkins, Barrie ON - although I'm on Cabinet (Nat'l Rev. and Ecol. Fiscal Reform), views here are my own and may not reflect official GPC positions. Please visit www.ErichtheGreen.ca
GPC statement on Iran
This was our statement on Iran which was also entered into Vision Green.
http://greenparty.ca/media-release/2009-08-21/green-party-statement-iran
This statement was negotiated and co-created not only by the GPC shadow cabinet international critics but also in consultation with two Iranians who had polar opposite views on their country. One is a member of the GPC and the other was a person who came to the GPC to offer assistance. He was a consultant to several Embassies on Iran relations. When the GPC puts together comprehensive statements on issues like Iran or Darfur, Israel/Palestine it approaches it from several viewpoints. The main thrust is rooted always in Green ethics and the Global Green Charter which binds us to the pursuit of peace and non-violence. This is why the GPC will always (hopefully) attempt to seek a balance in its position that reflects respect for international law as applied to all nations equally. This is not an easy task and one that will always invite backlash and often disappointment from all sides. Thus is human nature and the nature of global alliances. Iran is a particular sore spot as there are a lot of lies and misinformation coming from all sides and the Middle East is far from a cut and dry situation.
It should never be about the most immediate story. The monitoring of Iran's nuclear program still has not produced evidence that it is building a nuclear weapon or is even close to that capability. However Iran is not cooperating fully to the extent that it will dispell the belief that this is exactly what they want and are planning to do. So the threat remains there to be exploited by whomever wants to use it to advance their own agenda.
This is why comprehensive statements will always serve a better purpose in eventually establishing the GPC's stance on global issues as opposed to short PRs that have only one message.
This blog reflects my personal opinion. It is not official Green Party Policy. www.departmentofpeace.ca
http://stephenlafrenie.blogspot.com
May's comment on C-30
Although this article is about an event that featured MPs from many parties, Elizabeth May gets top billing and most of the quotes:
http://www.oakbaynews.com/news/139733713.html
Erich Jacoby-Hawkins, Barrie ON - although I'm on Cabinet (Nat'l Rev. and Ecol. Fiscal Reform), views here are my own and may not reflect official GPC positions. Please visit www.ErichtheGreen.ca