Green deputy leader defends Bennett for praising the premier
The deputy leader of the B.C. Green Party, Angela Reid, has defended acting leader Chris Bennett's decision to praise Premier Gordon Campbell's environmental record. Bennett made the comments in an interview with the Georgia Straight earlier this month, which have been condemned by some environmentalists on the Smart Growth BC listserv. In an e-mail response to the Smart Growth BC listserv, Reid states that she personally supports Bennett's decision (see below):
I understand the history and know Christopher personally. While his shade of green is just one of the many out there, he has political experience and is trying a new approach that might not be the way some would choose, but he is following a sense of purpose and direction that most of us in the activist community possess, and doing what he can to work towards electing Green Party members. I personally support him meeting with government officials and trying to build healthy relationships so we can be more effective in influencing policy before and after we are elected. Regarding the gateway project, I understand that he had a lengthy conversation with the Minister of Transportation expressing the concern of the Party and many citizens about the backwards approach to solving transportation issues and the seriously negative impacts to the environment and communities.
Respectfully,
Angela
--
Angela Reid
Deputy Leader, Green Party of BC
Director, Green Party of Canada Federal Council
CEO, Kelowna Federal Green Party
Director, BC Sustainable Energy Association
Steering Committee Member, Coalition for a GE Free BC
-----Original Message-----
From: Donna Passmore
Sent: September-14-07 5:49 AM
To: Smart Growth BC - Livable Communities
Subject: [livable-communities] Gateway - Green Leader Slammed & Burnaby to Fight
Donna Passmore
From: Eric Doherty
To: Smart Growth BC - Livable Communities
Subject: [livable-communities] Gateway - Green Leader Slammed & Burnaby to Fight http://www.straight.com/article-109536/hey-bennett-get-off-of-your-cloud
Publish Date: September 13, 2007
Hey! Bennett! Get off of your cloud!
As a Green party of B.C. member, I was outraged to read in the Georgia Straight that interim Green leader Christopher Bennett has been taken for a ride by Premier Campbell and actually wants to "work with" this premier who has so cynically promoted himself and the B.C. Liberals as "environmentalists" ["B.C. Green keen on Campbell", Sept. 6-13]. The reality is that Campbell and the Liberals support the Gateway project, which will be an environmental and health disaster.”¦Clearly anyone with the slightest degree of political common sense sees through the phony environmentalism of Gordon Campbell, but not Bennett, now that he can go and meet with the premier who "wants to see Greens in the legislature". Earth to Mr. Bennett: come off your space platform and get rid of your naive and narcissistic cloud! If Campbell wants Greens in the legislature it's because he wants to split the opposition vote and stay in power.”¦A true people's party in opposition to such a corporate-friendly government does not "work harmoniously with the current government", as Bennett wants Greens to do. That would be a sellout to the people of B.C. and to the many people who have worked so hard to make the Green party different from all the old-line parties.
Finally, as interim leader Bennett has no business launching what appears to be a major strategy shift, especially as the Green party is going into a leadership convention next month!
> Mike Carr / Vancouver
This letter was in response to http://www.straight.com/article-108557/b-c-green-keen-on-campbell
Also see Straight Talk article Burnaby won't budge on Gateway
Comments
1 Comments
Angela Reid
Sep 22, 2007 at 10:15am
For the record, I am by no means supporting Campbell's environmental policies, but I do support Christopher meeting with the Premier of BC to open a line of communication. We are never going to save the world by only taking an us vs them approach (although I think there is a place for this sometimes, just not in government). If we are ever going to solve the world's problems it will be through relationships, one on one conversations and finding common ground (Google <a href="http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&q=%22hopi+prophecy%22&btnG=... target="_blank">Hopi Prophecy</a> for a lovely analogy).
For Green Party members and supporters out there, I'm not suggesting we join other parties or compromise our deep rooted values, but we must begin to create dialogues with the folks who are currently calling the shots or it's going to be more difficult to move our society forward. In my humble opinion Campbell is not an environmental or sustainability visionary in any sense of the word. He and his government have made a few baby steps in the right direction, but he's still developing gas, oil and petrochemical industries, he's not supporting renewable energy anywhere near the extent of other provinces and countries, and he's promoting the Gateway project, to name a few unsustainable directions...but there's nothing wrong with talking to the guy, and this is where I was supporting Christopher.
I'm happy to chat by phone or email with anyone interested in discussing the issue further (250) 215-7714 or angela@kelownagreenparty.ca.