PortageLisgarGreenParty.ca

Merry Christmas to everyone from the Portage-Lisgar Green Party!

Elizabeth May shared a short, but touching video clip on YouTube a few days ago. Here it is in case you missed it:

Video Transcript:

“Whether you’re celebrating a Merry Christmas or a Happy Hanukkah or just time to be with family and slow down a bit, take the time to enjoy being with each other. Bake some cookies with the grandkids.

And remember there’s a meaning to this time of year. Call for peace, for goodwill, and for harmony. We’re so fortunate here in Saanich-Gulf Island and in Canada. Let’s bring those wonderful spirits of peace and harmony and goodwill to all the world.”

P.S. In this season of giving, if you give the gift of a donation to your local Portage-Lisgar Green Party, the government of Canada will give you the gift of a tax credit up to $625.00!

The end of the 2012 is coming soon, so if you hurry, you can still get that tax credit on your 2012 income taxes. Click Here To See The Tax Credit For Each Donation Amount

Or Click This Button to make a donation:

Here’s an urgent letter and video from Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party:

Dear Green Party Supporters,

Today is election day and I am asking you to get out and vote.

Whether you live in a riding where your Green candidate is coming on strong or one with a landslide incumbent, your candidate deserves your support. They’ve worked incredibly hard over the last six weeks in order to make sure that our shared values of a smart economy, strong communities, and true democracy—all inextricably linked to sustainable environmental practices—are represented on the ballot.

My own riding is too close to call—I need every voter who supports me to cast their ballot.

Wouldn’t you like to wake up on Tuesday morning to the news that a strong Green voice will be in the House? To know that the government will be called to account for environmental and economic decisions that will affect Canadians for decades to come?

There is so much power in voting. Every vote in a democracy matters—in the 2008 election one riding was decided by only 17 votes with over 43,000 votes cast.

This is an issue that is dear to my heart. In 2008, the single biggest voting block was made up of Canadians who stayed home and didn’t vote.

The only vote that is wasted is the one that isn’t cast.

So why not call a “vote” buddy and head down to the polls together?

This is our election. This is our time! Vote Green.

Elizabeth May
Leader, Green Party of Canada

I was dropping off some signs at a Rob McClement and Karen Tjadens’ the other day. Normally a friendly, enthusiastic, dedicated volunteer is enough to get this politician wagging his tail, but Rob stole Karen’s glory.

He showed me his homemade electric car.

I’m doing good if I can complete household wiring without a shower of sparks and a big bang, so I won’t attempt to tell you the intricate details. (Mostly ‘cause I don’t remember them.) But, yes, Rob McClement has made an electric car. To be precise, he converted a normal car to a completely electric drive. I am very willing to give him credit for the whole thing though.

Now, I always had this image of electric cars being driven by urban yuppie types, the kind of people I can’t stand. I’m more of a diesel dually type, myself. But a couple of facts were obvious: Rob is a welder by trade (welders are good people) and is definitely NOT some urban yuppie in hemp sandals and a ponytail.

Secondly, as I found out when he took me for a spin, the car has some serious get up and go. If you want to spray gravel for a half mile, you can do it. Rob states the car gets to 100 faster now than it did (it was a Mazda Miata) with a gas motor.

As I am sitting in this thing, I start to realize some other facts about electric cars. You never need to change the oil. Unless you like lying on your back having gravel fall into your eyes, this is a great achievement. There is one moving part in the motor. That is, according to my calculations, 1385 less things to go wrong when you’re already late for a meeting. There’s none of that awful gas smell, and basically no noise, really the complete opposite of my well worn chariot.

Rob’s cost per running kilometer is less than my cost per kilometer just to have my stereo on. And fuel? He just plugs it in like every other vehicle in Manitoba. Of course, only electric cars and Ford diesels will need to be plugged in during summer, but hey, it’s still faster than going to the pump.

There’s no reason car makers can’t offer an affordable, all purpose electric vehicle for Canadian conditions. Our government needs to develop this industry, not drive it away. Make no mistake: the electric vehicle will be the smart, green economical way of the future.

If the Green Party has anything to do with it, we’ll all be a lot smarter a lot faster. And to quote Rick Mercer, they can install a coal burning stereo in Stephen Harper’s.

A question that keeps popping up is “won’t control emissions/pollution cost Canadian jobs?” (It’s great; I like the easy to answer questions that make me look good.)

My answer is always quite simple: “no.”

Perhaps I should explain. You see, if we, for example, shut down the oil sands, and introduce carbon taxes on petroleum products, our world will not come to a screeching halt. We all still need to go to work, and eat, and watch the playoffs…our basic needs will, of course, never change. The change will be in how we fill those needs.

Yes, a lot of people would lose their jobs if the oil sands were shut down. Even more jobs would be created producing alternative energy. A great example of this is the wind turbine factory being started in Winkler. And happily, these jobs could be created all across Canada, not just in Fort McMurray.

How would our world change if there was a big carbon tax added to the price of gasoline? First, I doubt people would ‘need’ a 400 horsepower, 6000 pound SUV to haul 80 pounds of little Johnny or Susie to soccer practice. Even better would be the need for electric cars, for increased rail service, better transit systems across Canada. These things would create a lot more jobs than are being created by big oil and the auto industry in Canada right now.

Again, these jobs don’t have to be in the auto belt of southern Ontario, or any other specific centre. They can and will be spread across Canada. A revitalized rail system, expanded and improved to handle the majority of Canadian freight, would create huge amounts of jobs right across Canada, in small towns and in the big cities.

And let’s say that Canada catches up to the rest of the world and starts promoting homeowner alternative energy generation. You know, solar panels on the roof, that sort of thing. Now you, Mr. or Mrs. Homeowner, you are paying a lot less to heat and run your home. And if the conventional electrical grid fails during the next ice storm, your alternative energy source will make sure you still get to see the Leafs lose.

A green economy will make life better for Canadians…even if you are a Leafs fan.

Nowhere is that more obvious than our electoral system. In Canada we have a “first past the post” system. This means that even though a party may have less votes than an different party they can still form the government because they have won more seats. It’s a pretty weird system. What it boils down to is this: because nobody has upgraded our election procedure since 1867, who you vote for is not who you get. Kind of like trying to make a casserole after your kid has ripped all the labels off the cans in your cupboard.

The Green Party has long promoted the concept of proportional representation. This system basically grants a party seats based on the percentage of the vote that the party gets. It’s just like the “Top 10 at 10” that Power 97 does. Enough people call in, and we get to hear Airborne’s latest single. If Power 97 ran it in as a first past the post, some idiot would probably have us listening to another neauseating Nickleback song. Again.

So, if proportional representation is such a good idea, why hasn’t it been enacted? That’s a good question. You should ask your MP, when they get elected. Ask your candidate now, before the election. I suspect it’s because the two largest parties in this country feel it would not be in their best interests to have the public represented accurately. It’s an acid test, really. If your party of choice isn’t promoting proportional representation, they don’t have your best interests at heart.

To be honest with you; I have no idea where the other parties stand on the matter. I will promise you that if elected, the Green party and I will introduce electoral reform.

We really do have your best interests at heart.

Click Here To Listen To Matthew Friesen’s Speech

Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m Matthew Friesen. I am the Green Party candidate for Portage Lisgar.

I live in Miami. I am a welder by trade. I feel right in boots and coveralls. As a welder, on the shop floor, I’ve learned to be direct, to the point, to call a spade a spade. I’ll be very direct with you now.

Tonight you’re going to hear a lot about the gun registry. Ladies and gentlemen, if that is the biggest issue we face today, we’ve got no real problems. We can talk about the registry when bigger, more pressing issues are dealt with. When food banks have no clients, when natives have the same standard of living as everyone else, let’s talk about the registry.

Ladies and gentlemen, tonight you’re going to hear about expensive and unnecessary elections, about the $1.95 per vote subsidy. You and I know that when you don’t have elections, you have a dictatorship. I’d rather pay for the election. You and I know that without strict federal control of political funding, the money will win, not the people’s choice. Libya is a great example of not having expensive and unnecessary elections, a lovely example of not having a per vote subsidy.

Ladies and gentlemen; tonight you’re going to hear a lot about coalitions. Some people don’t like them. Some people don’t like to cooperate, to share, to work with others. People who can’t work in a team don’t get anything done. People who can’t work in a team are selfish, they think only of themselves. Every day I work as part of a team, and we get a lot accomplished. On the shop floor and on parliament hill, people need to get rid of their egos and get to work.

Ladies and Gentlemen; tonight you’re going to hear a lot about Gilles Duceppe and the Bloc. You’re going to hear about how they are to be feared. How they want to destroy Canada. Why is it that some people try to create fear, to always be afraid? I am not afraid of Gilles Duceppe. I am not afraid of the Bloc. Mr. Duceppe is open about his agenda. So am I. I am not afraid to answer any and all questions. I am not afraid to talk to anyone. I am not afraid of the media. I am not so fearful that I have to tightly control public appearances, check who likes who on facebook. I am not afraid of questions straight from the audience. I am not afraid to tell the truth.

Ladies and gentlemen of Portage Lisgar: I am a simple man, a welder. I like welding because every day I get to build things, to create things, to make stuff. I like to work hard, to see results at the end of the day. People of Portage Lisgar, I and my party will build Canada. We will create things. At the end of the day, we will have results.

Voters of Portage Lisgar: vote for me, for the Green Party, for a Green future. Vote for a bright future. I thank you.

Candidates Present Political Party Platforms At PCI – CPHeraldLeader.com

Forum Informative But Format Needs Work: Portagers – CPHeraldLeader.com

Portage Lisgar Candidates Weigh In – PortageOnline.com

During a recent conversation with Chief David Meeches of Long Plain First Nation, I was given quite the insight. We were talking about plans to build more prisons in Canada, and David said (in his quiet and thoughtful manner) “You know who’s going to be in those prisons? Largely Natives. They’re the largest demographic in the prison system. Those prisons are being built for Natives.”

I replied with my standard answer to the prison question: “The Green Party believes crime has to be attacked at the source; poverty.”

The truth is, very simply, prisons are full of poor people. Poor people who have grown up poor. Kids that didn’t have little league or chess club. Kids that didn’t have someone sending them to school with a sandwich, an apple, two cookies and clean clothes. Grow up poor, without education, become hopeless and frustrated, and yep, you’re likely to commit crimes. Yes, I am generalizing. The stats bear me out, though.

And once you’re in prison, odds are you’ll end up back in there. Prison does not make you better. Prison does not spit out well groomed, successful contributing members of society. The odds of anyone getting “rehabilitated” in prison are about the same as me winning this riding. (Of course, miracles can happen…)

So essentially, we as a society take people who have nothing, do nothing for them, and then blame them when they go wrong. Not really a logical process, to me.

What I (and my party) would like to do is stop the cycle. Not by making all inmates earn their PhD’s, as nice as that might be. Let’s simply tackle poverty. Let’s make sure the people at risk of becoming criminals have the resources to stick to the straight and narrow. Send the kids to school with food in their bellies. Make sure the home life is conducive to getting homework done. Give mom and dad the attitude and the aptitude to parent properly. Spend enough on the schools so the kids can learn, including textbooks new enough to tell how the Korean war ended. Ensure that everybody has access to post secondary education.

Ensure everybody has a chance.

And if you think I’m some kind of crazy idealist, well, you’re right. But I’d say the same thing if I was the coldest hearted money loving so and so you ever saw. Because it is a heck of a lot cheaper to pay teachers instead of guards. It is a lot cheaper to build schools instead of prisons. Inmates don’t pay a lot of taxes, but successful, contributing members of society do. It makes sense to fight crime by ending poverty no matter which way you look at it.

And, lastly, Johnny Cash has passed on to his reward and we need no more inspiration for prison songs.