COPE reaches out to Vision

The Coalition of Progressive Electors has resolved to initiate a powwow with its former tent mates in Vision Vancouver. But judging from early ?reactions, Vision appears unprepared ?and even reluctant to smoke the political peace pipe.

At a January 18 executive meeting, COPE approved a proposal by former city councillor Tim Louis for the party to invite Vision Vancouver for a meeting to explore the prospect of an alliance in the November 2008 election.

“The best way possible to bring about a positive change in government and in city hall is to build a broad coalition,” Louis told the Georgia Straight in a January 23 interview. “COPE is reaching out to all parties and movements.”

Louis said that COPE’s letter of invitation to Vision should be out within a week.

“We’re starting one step at a time,” he said.

When contacted by the Straight for comment, Vision Coun. Tim Stevenson sounded surprised and angry. “They shouldn’t be saying anything [to you] because they haven’t said anything to us,” he said. “This comes completely out of the blue.”

Stevenson also recalled previous political differences, claiming that COPE “opposed” Vision’s mayoral candidate, Jim Green, in the 2005 municipal election. “They have been hostile to Vision and would not come to any agreement with us in the past,” Stevenson said. “I think we can have relations on the floor of council, and that means we will be voting together. But going any further than that would obviously take a long discussion.”

Stevenson also made light of COPE’s conciliatory move. “They’ve been acting very differently,” he said. “If this letter is looking at a change of their policy, well, they’ve had some kind of conversion experience. Maybe they’re realizing they’re in big trouble.”

Vision Coun. Raymond Louie told the Straight that it’s “much too early” to determine whether or not COPE and his party need to enter into an alliance for the November 2008 balloting.

“We obviously are two separate electoral organizations,” Louie said. “We are further away from the elections rather than closer.”

Stevenson, Louie, Green, and then-mayor and now Liberal Senator Larry Campbell previously bolted the left-of-centre COPE to form Vision Vancouver following differences on such issues as gambling, transit fares, and what was then known as the RAV line, now the Canada Line.

Prior to talking with Stevenson and Louie, the Straight was able to interview Pat Davitt, external cochair and spokesperson for COPE, and Loretta Woodcock, COPE park board commissioner.

“We’re just basically inviting them to meet us,” Davitt said. “We’re not suggesting a time or place at this point, but just essentially assessing the appetite to have a meeting. Do they have any appetite for it?”

Davitt stressed that it is in the interest of the two parties to work jointly to defeat the ruling Non-Partisan Association, which gained control of city hall in the 2005 election following the split within COPE. “We don’t want them [the NPA] to win again,” she said. “So both Vision Vancouver and COPE have an interest in ensuring that that doesn’t happen.”

Woodcock told the Straight she can “work well with Vision folks”. She added that her party, COPE, is “just starting now to communicate [with Vision Vancouver] in an orderly fashion. There is recognition that the two parties have to work in some way between now and the next election and during the election.”

During the last election, voters placed four of the five Vision Vancouver candidates on city council. COPE, on the other hand, only elected one of its candidates, David Cadman, whereas four other incumbents—Louis, Ellen Woodsworth, Fred Bass, and Anne Roberts—were defeated.