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By Mark Taylor on 20 July 2009 - 2:16pm

What makes a good Councilor for Federal Council? 

A convincing 350 word biography?  Answering a questionnaire on party operations?  What about the respect of other Greens within the Green Party community?  Below is a list of Greens who have endorsed my campaign for Councilor at Large.

Former GPC Leader Jim Harris

GPC Shadow Cabinet Advocate Lisa Fox

GPC Shadow Cabinet Advocate Ard Van Leeuwen

GPC Shadow Cabinet Advocate Stephen LaFrenie

GPC Shadow Cabinet Advocate Erich Jacoby-Hawkins

GPC Federal Councilor Rob Brooks

Former GPC candidate Mike Nagy

Former GPC candidate Larry Ashmore

Former GPC staffer Chris Alders

Former GPC staffer Mark Kersten

 

You can take my word on why I believe I should be on Federal Council or you can go to my blog, http://ReportonGreens.blogspot.com, and see why these Greens believe I should be on Council.

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Answers to your questions

Submitted by Mark Taylor on 22 July 2009 - 5:14pm.

Thanks Emily for your question.  I am glad to hear that you are doing research into all the candidates for Council.  If you are wanting to know more about the criteria my supporters used, please feel free to visit my blog (http://ReportonGreens.blogspot.com) and read their specific endorsements.  Also, with many of them being current Shadow Cabinet members, you could contact them directly if you have more questions.

As for my previous resignation, it stemmed from an issue where the Federal Campaign Committee (now called the Campaign Committee) was creating rules for Green Party candidacy and EDA and the staff was enforcing these rules all without prior approval of Federal Council.  This was completely unacceptable to me as a Federal Councilor and as an EDA executive.  I expressed my concerns with the Chair of the FCC and the Chair of the Federal Council and felt that the issue wasn't being given any attention.   This was contrary to the will of the membership as expressed through the Constitution and I could not, in good conscience, continue on Council.

In addition, had I not resigned, out of principle, I still would have had to resign a month later anyway.  My role was that of Alberta Representative and I took a new job in Saskatchewan and therefore couldn't have continued on as a provincial representative.

Why am I wanting to be on Council again?  I believe I have a unique set of skills and experiences that I can bring to the Council table to help grow this Party.  I have formed two EDAs and my current EDA is holding (I'm told) the only 3 contestant nomination race in the Green Party.   I have signed up dozens of members, trained several  and raised thousands of dollars for local campaigns.  My formal training as an engineer and my working with a Lean manufacturer both give me additional skills to aid with governance and organizing of the Green Party.  Finally, several prominant Greens from around the country have asked me to consider running again. I respect their opinions and am honored to have their support.

Mark Taylor

Candidate for Councilor-at-Large, GPC Federal Council

CEO, Cypress Hills - Grasslands EDA

Mark Taylor (Cypress Hills - Grasslands)

http://ReportonGreens.blogspot.com

This statement is purely my own opinion and no way is to be mistaken for the viewpoints of the party

more specific?

Submitted by Emily McMillan on 30 July 2009 - 10:36am.

Hi Mark,

Finding your answer a bit vague in terms of the issue that you quit over - can you give more specifics? 

Will history repeat?

Submitted by Erich Jacoby-Hawkins on 30 July 2009 - 12:17pm.

If the situation between yourself and Council was incompatible when you resigned, is it likely to recur, causing you to resign again? Or do you feel that you and/or Council have changed in some way since then? Obviously it would be foolish to set up the same situation all over again.

Is it correct that you also resigned from Shadow Cabinet (which is not geography-based) at the same time, and mentioned resigning from party membership? How do those relate to the issue of conscience, or were there other issues? If so, have they changed?

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

Learn from history

Submitted by Mark Taylor on 30 July 2009 - 3:08pm.

I learn from history.... assess, re-assess and develop a direction forward.

My thought process on how to handle Council matters has changed as well, much of the Council will have changed next month.  I do not believe the "same situation" is being set up again.

As for Shadow Cabinet, I resigned as the Energy Critic in order to run for Federal Council in 2007.  I did not have the time to be on Shadow Cabinet and Federal Council plus serve on my local EDA as the Financial Agent.  Further, members of the Shadow Cabinet were told (at the time) that they were all to run as candidates of which 1) my EDA already had a candidate and 2) I had no desire to be a candidate.

Mark Taylor (Cypress Hills - Grasslands)

http://ReportonGreens.blogspot.com

This statement is purely my own opinion and no way is to be mistaken for the viewpoints of the party

Lessons Learned

Submitted by Rob Brooks on 30 July 2009 - 2:17pm.

Quite often history does repeat when the lessons of the past are not learned.  I suppose any fact can be spun any way.  In the end it is up to us as members to select our Federal Council members based on all the information that is available to us. 

It is not unheard of for people in political parties to take a break from their parties.  In 1986 Jean Crétien left politics for a while.  Four years later he came back and was elected Leader of his party and went on to be Prime Minister.  Some times a break does a world of good!

My name appears in the list of name of members that have endoresed Mark.  His skills, abilities and work ethic will be a welcome addition to Council if he is chosen.

Rob Brooks, Hull-Aylmer