Author: Laurel L. Russwurm

CKMS Meet The Candidate

Laurel L. Russwurm Waterloo Region , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cambridge Greens: Vote Lux Burgess

“I’m running because my family’s future—and the future of all families—means everything to me. I want my loved ones to grow up in a world that’s safe, healthy, and full of opportunity. But with rising costs, and growing inequality, that future is at risk.

“I can’t just sit back and hope things get better—I want to be part of the solution. That’s why I’m fighting for real climate action, a fair economy, and stronger support for families.

“This isn’t just politics — it’s personal. It’s about protecting the people and places we love for generations to come.”
— Lux Burgess, 2025 Cambridge Green Party candidate

Even though time constraints prevented Lux from making it onto CKMS this time around, you can still catch his appearance in the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Debate below. I especially like the fact that we’re *still* talking about #Electoral Reform. And that the lack of it inspires excellent candidates like Lux Burgess to seriously challenge complacent incumbents like MP Bryan May. https://luxburgess.ca/campaign/index.php/blog/

Hey Kitchener Centre: don’t forget to ReElect Mike Morrice!

If you haven’t already voted at one of the Advance Polls, do not forget Monday, April 28th, 2025 is ELECTION DAY 2025.  Just because you know Mike Morrice is the best Member of Parliament Kitchener Centre has ever had, it is no reason to be complacent.  

Not so long ago, an incumbent city councillor in this very community lost an election by a single vote. It wasn’t even that people felt it was time for a change. It was that everyone expected her to be re-elected by a landslide, so her voters felt no real sense of urgency to get out and vote.

One vote is really the difference between winning and losing representation in countries still using terrible winner-take-all voting systems like ours. Don’t let your opportunity to vote slip away!

It took a very long time to get a local Green MP elected locally. Help make sure he is re-elected!

Like any Green MP, Mike doesn’t just represent the constituents in his own riding, he provides a voice to otherwise disfranchised Greens across the country. I’m in Kitchener—Conestoga, yet he supported and presented my Petition e-4802 in Parliament. So even if you’re not exactly in Mike’e riding, there is still time to help out by volunteering or donating. Mike’s team will keep working as hard to re-elect Mike as Mike works for us in Ottawa until the very last minute. If getting to the polling station is a problem, you can even call the office and they’ll arrange transportation for you… no matter who you ‘re planning on voting for. And if you haven’t already, you can listen to Mike on CKMS radio:

Kitchener—Conestoga Greens

Unfortunately there was a hitch in our candidate’s registration, so we were unable to secure a Green candidate in Kitchener—Conestoga for this 2025 election. ☹️

Kitchener South—Hespeler: Vote Ethan Russell

Kitchener South—Hespeler candidate Ethan Russell will make another excellent Green MP for Waterloo Region. The photo above was taken just after Ethan’s CKMS “Meet The Candidate” spot, with show producer (and former Green Party candidate) Bob Jonkman. The air time time was made available to all Waterloo Region candidates, and it is interesting to see which did (or didn’t) show up.

Check out Ethan’s Green Party Page and, of course, listen to his CKMS broadcast here:

Waterloo Greens: Vote Simon Guthrie

We have yet another great Green Party candidate running in Waterloo.

And of course, check out Simon’s CKMS spot!

Find out more about Simon at https://www.simonguthrie.ca/

REMEMBER: Monday April 28th, 2025 is Election Day in Canada

[Because the following op-ed was written in haste, it had to be edited for content and clarity. ~llr]

While I would obviously like to see you cast your ballot for the Green Candidate in your riding, I sincerely hope you choose to vote for the candidate who will best represent you. Since my own riding is without a Green Candidate, after checking out the available candidates, I have decided my vote will go to Maya Bozorgzad, the excellent NDP candidate running in Kitchener—Conestoga.

Overall the opinion polls seem to indicate the Liberals are on track for another majority government. As far as I’m concerned, that would be an unfortunate outcome.

Winner take all voting systems like our own Single Member Plurality, or First Past The Post, are designed to deliver a winner. Every one of Canada’s first eight elections held in the 19th Century were won with a majority. In the 20th Century we had a total of 8 minority governments and 20 majorities. Despite the unfair advantage our Single Member Plurality voting system gives the winning party, it has become increasingly difficult for Liberal or Conservative parties to win Majority Government. They’ve only managed to get 3 Majority governments out of the first 8 federal elections in the 21st Century. it’s clear they need extra help.

No wonder the calls for “strategic voting” have grown louder as campaigns promoting it proliferate.

The status quo parties will accept the help “Strategic Voting” campaigns offer if that’s what they need to win. Such campaigns are generally justified as a way to protect the public, so the two status quo parties usually choose paint the other Party as the boogieman and themselves as savior.

The idea is to convince right wing voters to vote Conservative to kick out Trudeau block a Liberal landslide, even though the Libertarian, Greens or People’s Party would do a far better job of representing your concerns in Ottawa.

The idea on the left is to convince progressive voters not to notice Mark Carney has moved the Liberals so far right they can’t even be considered Centrist, so instead of casting our vote for the NDP, Green or Animal Protection Party candidates who’s policies actually align with our values, we are supposed to hold our nose and vote Liberal to save us all from a Pierre Poilievre.

If Strategic Voting campaigns delivered what they promised, we would only have had to do it once. In reality, every election is always the one that is so important we just have to vote for the lesser evil to save us from the greater evil. And pretty soon, the only choices left

What Strategic Voting really does is:

  • prop up the status quo that underfunds and privatizes our cherished Universal Healthcare
  • allow industry to threaten farmland and food security
  • allow the super rich to get even richer while most struggle to buy groceries,
  • prioritize war to enrich our munitions industry
  • pander to the American military industrial complex by throwing more money at NATO
  • subsidize the fossil fuel giants fuelling Climate Change
  • keep far too many Canadians in poverty
  • forget to uphold Canada’s obligation to International Law
  • continue to inadequately fund disability
  • invest billions in “defense” aircraft unfit for Canadian terrain
  • invest billions more in rescue aircraft needed when those defense aircraft go down ,
  • fail to protect our environment
  • send the RCMP to criminalize and brutalize Indigenous women land defenders
  • support apartheid and genocide,
  • eliminate the consumer carbon rebate, transforming revenue neutral carbon price into a tax
  • permit the suppression of independent thought and free speech on our university campuses
  • further undermine our weakened democracy by driving out the small parties and independent candidates essential to a healthy representative Parliament.
  • fail to implement affordable housing and homeless policy
  • invest even more tax dollars in expanding fossil fuel exploitation
  • absolve government of accountability

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We’ve been told over and over that majority government is strong government. But it’s not. Majority government may be autocratic, but that doesn’t make it strong. When governments rely on polarizing the public to win more power than they deserve, their power is transitory. It drains away when the next government replaces it. Strong government doesn’t have to turn the people against each other, it derives its power from the support of the people.

Even with our inadequate unrepresentative First Past The Post voting system, Canadians could get a lot closer to a representative Representative Democracy by voting for the independent candidates and small parties we actually want to vote for.

If we vote for what we want— regardless of the Opinion Polls, Op Eds and big money ads with which which defenders of the status quo successfully dominate our political discourse— the diverse Canadian electorate would actually have the power to elect nothing but minority governments.

If all we elect are Minority governments, they will have to start listening, and even start representing Canadian voters eventually. It will make governing a lot harder for our elected politicians because they will have to learn to work together instead of painting each other as boogeymen. Most important, this is the only way (short of Proportional Representation) we can achieve truly strong government supported by most Canadians.

I truly believe in democracy. I trust Canadians to do the right thing. That starts with voting. And just as important, it starts with voting for what we want.

Regards,
Laurel Russwurm
Kitchener—Conestoga Greens

Climate Consultation: Deadline Midnight

Laurel L. Russwurm Waterloo Region

Laurel L. Russwurm's avatarLaurel's Free Culture Blog

The Government of Canada is holding another Climate Consultation. Despite the fact they completely ignored the public input from the 2016 in-person Climate Consultation, it is important for every Canadian concerned about the Climate Crisis to participate. This time, they don’t have a majority government, so they have to at least pretend to listen to us.

You don’t have to be a climate expert to partcipate… climate change is already affecting all of our lives. The policies our governments make will either help or make it worse. So far, Canadian policies have only made it worse.

The deadline for submissions is tonight at midnight, so to make it easier, I’ve reproduced the questions so you can think about what you will say before you go online. It’s important to note that the “tell us more” essay questions each have a 5,000 character limit.

Privacy
They’ve made this an anonymous survey…

View original post 1,569 more words

Last Day to sign up to vote for the new #GPC Leader!

Laurel L. Russwurm Green Party of Canada , , , , , , ,

Eight GPC Leadership Candidates on the ballot:  David Merner, Annamie Paul, Andrew West, Meryam Haddad, Amita Kuttner, Glen Murray, Courtney Howard and Dimitri Lascaris

If you want a say in who the next Leader of the Green Party of Canada will be, it’s not too late!

To vote in the Leadership Contest, you must be a member of the GPC.

Today, September 3rd, 2020 is the LAST DAY in which you can join the Green Party of Canada (or renew your lapsed membership) to be a voting member.

There’s a diverse slate of eight awesome candidates:

Join the Green Party of Canada

Green Drinks Cambridge

Laurel L. Russwurm Waterloo Region ,

The gang attending Cambridge Green Drinks

Green drinks is not a partisan event: it is an opportunity for anyone to come out to discuss green issues and network.  That said, there are often Green party members in attendance.

Please come and join us for casual conversation.

February 7th, 2020

When:          Every 1st Friday

Time:          7:00 to 9:00 PM

Where:       Grand River Brewery, 295 Ainslie St S, Cambridge, ON N1R 3L3

Cambridge Green Drinks is a great way to meet new people and enjoy the company of good friends. So bring a friend and look forward to meeting new friends. It’s an engaging evening of green thinking, sharing, and networking at its best!

Check out what’s on tap.  Non-alcoholic beverages are available as well.  Please note, food is not available at this location, however, you may bring or order your own if you wish.

For more information:  i.douglas@rogers.com

Please feel free to forward this email and extend the invitation to other green minded folks you know!

PEI Greens: A Night of Firsts

Laurel L. Russwurm Waterloo Region , , , , , , , , ,

PEI Greens 2019 : Members of the Legislative Assembly | Peter Bevan-Baker in New Haven—Rocky Point | Hannah Bell in Charlottetown—Belvedere | Lynne Lund in Summerside—Wilmot | Trish Altass in Tyne Valley—Sherbrooke | Michele Beaton Mermaid—Stratford | Karla Bernard in Charlottetown—Victoria Park | Steve Howard in Summerside—South Drive | Ole Hammarlund Charlottetown—Brighton |
results via CBC

Back in 2015, Peter Bevan-Baker was the first Green ever elected in PEI.  It was only the second time any third party had ever won a seat in PEI.

Then, in a 2017 by-election, Hannah Bell won a second Green seat.

I’m not a big believer in Opinion Polls in politics.  Parties used to do them as research, to get a feel for how voters felt, and to get an idea which way they might vote (and what they could change to get voters to vote for their party).   Largely because I think they’re misused.  But it’s a good bet the only Opinion Polls we see today are only the ones whoever paid for them wants us to see.  They are used as advertising.  Propaganda to convince us how to vote.   And in these days of decimated news rooms, main stream media outlets have taken to writing entire articles about Opinion Poll results: they’re treated as news by the main stream media.

The only Opinion Poll that counts is the one on Election Day.   Even so, for the last year or so, the third party Greens have been consistently polling ahead of PEI’s Liberal Government.  That’s not a single Opinion Poll, it’s a trend— and in a traditionally 2 party province.   Clearly such a trend is a strong indication that voters are looking for change.

This trend made people start thinking and talking about the unthinkable… what if the upstart Greens, going into the election with only 2 MLAs — were to come out the other side with enough support to form government?  Pretty wild idea, right?

Firsts

Last night, PEI Greens MLA’s Peter Bevan-Baker and Hannah Bell were both re-elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.  That was the first time any third party MLA had ever been re-elected in PEI.

It was also the first time a third party became a second party in PEI.  The Greens are likely to form the Official Opposition (at minimum).

Although the Greens didn’t win enough seats (14) to claim a majority, they did win 8 seats.  Clearly a Green record for Canada.

A clear majority— five of the eight elected Greens— are women.  I understand no PEI party has ever managed anything like this before.

Added to the single female PC candidate, that makes six: a record number women sitting MLAs in PEI.  Another First.

2019 Prince Edward Island General Election Result Chart | Colour: Blue | Progressive Conservative - Leader Dennis King | 26 Candidates | 8 seats in 2015 | 8 seats at the dissolution of the legislature | 12 seats in 2019 | +4 | 29,333 votes | 36.52% Change -0.88 | Colour: Green | Green Party of PEI | Leader Peter Bevan-Baker | 26 Candidates | 1 seat in 2015 | 2 seats at the dissolution of the legislature | 8 seats in 2019 | +6 | 24,591 votes | 30.62% | Change +19.81 | Colour: Red | Liberal - Leader Wade MacLauchlan | 26 Candidates | 18 seats in 2015 | 16 seats at the dissolution of the legislature | 6 seats in 2019 | -10 | 23,711 votes | 29.52% | Change -11.31 | Colour: Orange | New Democratic - Leader Joe Byrne | 23 Candidates | 0 seats in 2015 | 0 seats at the dissolution of the legislature | 0 seats in 2019 | -- | 2,402 votes | 2.99% | Change -7.98 | Colour: Grey | Independent | 3 Candidates | 0 seats in 2015 | 1 seat at the dissolution of the legislature | 0 seats in 2019 | -1 | 282 votes | 0.35% | Change +35 | Colour: White | Vacant | 0 seats at dissolution | 1 Seat in 2019 | TOTAL 104 Candidates | 2015: 27 seats | dissolution: 27 seats | 2019 27 seats | Popular Vote: 80,319 | 100% |
Wikipedia: 2019 Prince Edward Island General Election

Now What?

The ruling Liberals dropped to third place.  The PEI Progressive Conservative Party had gone through 5 leaders in 5 years, but 2 months before this election, they chose a new leader.  Under Dennis King’s leadership, the PC’s won 12 seats, two shy of a majority, but certainly enough for a minority government if he can get the Confidence of the House.  The CBC commentators talked about how Mr King’s leadership style had contributed to the civility of the election.  Listening to his own post election speech, peppered with words like collaboration and sustainability, he seems to be an old style PC, and it sounds as though the reimagined PC party will actually be both progressive and conservative under his leadership.

But its early days; we will need to see how it unfolds.

Under Westminster rules, Liberal Premier Wade MacLauchlan  will be given an opportunity to win the confidence of the house.  This seems unlikely as the outgoing Premier was unable to retain his own seat, and his party is down to 6 MLAs.

More likely possibilities are that Dennis King’s PCs could form an actual minority government on their own.  Or his PCs could forge a Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Greens.  Or the Liberals to ensure electoral stability for the next 4 years.   Or the PCs could join with another party to form a ruling coalition.

Just as the Greens and Liberals could form a majority ruling coalition.  My best guess is the PEI Greens won’t join a coalition with anyone; they’ve worked too hard to build a viable third party to turn PEI back into a 2 party province.

Is it really a Green wave sweeping the country?  It sure looks like it.  But if we had some form of Proportional Representation, there would be many more Green MPs in Parliament.  Nearly a million voters voted Green federally in 2008.  And not a single Green was elected that year.  The GPC hasn’t earned that many votes since.   That doesn’t mean those Green voter stopped being Green, they just stopped voting Green because voting Green wasn’t effective.  So maybe it isn’t a “Green Wave” … maybe it’s just a case of the people who want to vote Green actually voting Green.  Because they believe in the policy that’s been formed out of Green values.  And they believe in the candidates who would best represent them.

However it plays out, it will be interesting.   Go Greens!

Hannah Bell and Peter Bevan Baker at the 2018 Guelph Green Party Convention

[Republished from Whoa!Canada]

More Reading: Tragedy and politics on Prince Edward Island

A statement from PEI Greens Peter Bevan-Baker

Laurel L. Russwurm Canada , , , ,

On The Loss of a Friend

CHARLOTTETOWN – It is with the deepest sadness that Green Party leader, Peter Bevan-Baker issued the following statement:

“As Leader of the Green Party of Prince Edward Island, I was bereft to learn about the death of Josh Underhay and his son in a tragic accident today.

“Josh has been a dear friend and colleague of mine for many years, as a volunteer, musician, passionate cycling advocate and Green Party supporter. He has touched the lives of everyone who knew him, including the students he taught, fellow musicians, and members of the party. Whether advocating for proportional representation, dazzling us with his mastery of languages, or being there to support fellow candidates, Josh brought humour, enthusiasm and boundless energy to every situation.

“I simply cannot imagine how much he will be missed.

Peter Bevan-Baker and Josh Underhay

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, and I know we will all join together to provide each other with support and comfort during this terrible time.”

All Green election activities will be suspended for the remainder of the campaign.

We ask all media to respect the privacy of the family at this time. Please direct all media inquiries to Green Party of PEI Director of Communications Shannon Carmont.

You can help Josh Underhay’s family by donating to the GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/raise-money-for-the-family-of-josh-underhay

Welcome WRGreens Candidates

Laurel L. Russwurm Cambridge, Election 2019, event, Green Party of Canada, Kitchener Centre, Kitchener South-Hespeler, Kitchener-Conestoga, Waterloo, Waterloo Region , , , , , ,

WRGreens second nomination meeting has filled our slate of 2019 WRGreens candidates.  Congratualations!

Cambridge GPC Candidate

  • Michele Braniff

Kitchener—Conestoga GPC Candidate

  • Stephanie Goertz

Kitchener South—Hespeler GPC Candidate

David Weber, Kitchener South—Hespeler Candidate makes his case

  • David Weber

Mingling

Music

Networking

Cambridge, Kitchener—Conestoga and Kitchener South—Hespeler Candidate Nominees
Candidate Nominees: Cambridge: Michele Braniff, Kitchener—Conestoga: Stephanie Goertz,
Kitchener South—Hespeler: Ian Graham, Archie Henderson, David Weber

With all our candidates chosen, our 2019 candidates first official outing was the following Saturday’s pancake flipping team at the 2019 Elmira Maple Syrup Festival.

In 2015 WRGreens only female candidate was Michele Braniff in Cambridge.  In 2018 we got closer to gender balance when Stacey Danckert ran in Kitchener Centre provincially.  But now, in 2019, we are especially pleased to note the WRGreens gender imbalance now swings the other way, with 3 of our 5 (60%) candidates being women.

THE FULL SLATE

Congratulations to all our 2019 candidates!

David Weber                Michele Braniff             Stephanie Goertz            Kirsten Wright             Mike Morrice
Kitchener South—Hespeler  •   Cambridge    •   Kitchener—Conestoga      •     Waterloo      •     Kitchener Centre

 

 

 

 

WRGreens Candidate Nominations TONIGHT: April 4th!

Laurel L. Russwurm Cambridge, Election 2019, Green Party of Canada, Kitchener South-Hespeler, Kitchener-Conestoga, Waterloo Region , , , , ,

Green Party of Canada Nominations

Thursday, 4 April 2019 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Come vote for your riding’s Green Party candidate for the 2019 Federal Election!
Whether you’re a GPC member or just considering green, you’re welcome to come along and hear from the candidate nominees and find out about the Green Wave growing in Waterloo Region and across Canada.

Cambridge Nominee

Returning Cambridge Candidate Michele Braniff was unable to attend the WRGreens preNomination meeting so there is no available video.  Instead, you may listen to the tail end of the speech she gave at the Cambridge Greens launch last year.

    • Michele Braniff

As this would be Michele’s 3rd time running for the Green Party, you can check our more of her past election videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap3lnrg4_SI&list=PLM8NcWI58uu5AaNIMguCVNSvWQZTHjiL4

Kitchener—Conestoga Nominee

    • Stephanie Goertz

Kitchener South—Hespeler Nominees

    • David Weber

This would be David’s 4th time running for the Green Party, so you can see more of him in past election debates: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM8NcWI58uu466PNnvdfbhlRheVekOiwl

    • Ian Graham
    • Archie Henderson

Unfortunately Mr Henderson wasn’t at the prenomination event, so you’ll have to come out to the event to hear from him!

There will still be a contest for districts with only one nominee; the ballot also has a choice for “None Of The Above”.

In order to vote for a candidate your membership must have been activated by 6 March 2019, or if you have an expired membership you can renew it before or at the event.

6:30pm Doors open (hear the music)
7:15pm Official business gets underway: Introductions, hear from the candidate nominees and voting will ensue!
Musical performances will be scattered through the night and we’ll end with an opportunity to socialize. There’ll be light refreshments and additional food and beverage service will be available. Come early for a pre-event dinner!

What: Joint Nomination Contest for Cambridge, Kitchener—Conestoga, Kitchener South—Hespeler
When: Thursday, 4 April 2019 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Where: Edelweiss Tavern
Location: 600 Doon Village Road, Kitchener, Ontario Map 1

#GreenWaveRising      #VoteGreen2019

 

Bill 71, Paris Galt Moraine Conservation Act, 2019

Laurel L. Russwurm democracy, environment, Green Party of Ontario, Mike Schreiner , , , , , ,

Mike Schreiner: “It’s time we started taking seriously our sacred responsibility to leave a livable planet for our children and grandchildren.”

On Wednesday February 20th, 2019, Mike Schreiner made history again when he introduced his first Private Member’s Bill in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

You can read Bill 71, Paris Galt Moraine Conservation Act, 2019 online
(An Act to conserve the Paris Galt Moraine by providing for the Paris Galt Moraine Conservation Plan)

In the face of climate change, resource extraction and sprawl, Mike’s draft legislation seeks to protect the Paris Galt Moraine, an essential water ecologically sensitive recharge area in the Grand River Watershed which naturally purifies water for the citizens of Guelph and the surrounding area.  Bill 71  would amend the province’s Planning Act and Development Charges Act  to more strictly regulate development that could jeopardize the moraine’s integrity.

“This is about conserving what nature can do for free, so I cannot think of a more fiscally responsible solution. Failure to act could put the government on the hook for hundreds of millions in water infrastructure, like an expensive pipeline from the Great Lakes.”
—Mike Schreiner.

Mike wrote the draft legislation over a period of months where he consulted with water experts and Ontario stakeholders, including First Nations, municipalities, farmers and MPPs from all parties.

With this important legislation, Mike has demonstrated the Green Party’s core commitment to participatory democracy and consensus based governance by building all-party support, which resulted in the bill’s passage at Second Reading on March 7th, 2019. “I’m glad my colleagues unanimously showed their commitment to Ontario’s water today. Safeguarding water and food-growing farmland should not be partisan issues. Let this be a first step towards all-party collaboration to protect the places we love,” said Schreiner.

First Green Bill gets all-party support! Let this be the first step of all-party collaboration to protect Ontario's water for our children and grandchildren." - Mike Schreiner, MPP, Green party of Ontario

“I appealed to good progressive conservative thinking from the past. But it took four different bills over two years before the Oak Ridges Moraine was protected by legislation. With climate change on Ontario’s doorstep, and $1.2 billion in damage last year alone, we must act quicker. I look forward to working on this bill at committee, and this legislation returning to the House for a final vote.”
—Mike Schreiner, First Green legislation passes key vote with all-party support

 

Nominations: Kitchener Centre and Waterloo

Laurel L. Russwurm Election 2019, Kitchener Centre, Waterloo Region , , , , , , ,

Kirsten Wright speaks to the crowd

There was a packed house for the Kitchener Centre and Waterloo Green Party nomination contest, held at Descendants Brewery on Wednesday, 6 March 2019.

Green Party of Ontario Deputy Leader Abhijeet Manay

Green Party of Canada Organizer, Randi Ramdeen


Bob Jonkman, Kirsten Wright, Ian Graham and Mike Morrice

Music by Joni NehRita

Candidate Nominee Q & A

Returning Officers Matt Piggot and Dave Doulson

Congratulations to Mike Morrice for winning the Kitchener Centre nomination, and to Kirsten Wright for winning the Waterloo nomination!

And many thanks to all those from the Waterloo Region Greens who helped put on this event, the largest Green Party nomination contest in Waterloo Region history!