Sep
15th
Mon

rabble.ca exclusive: Green Party desperate to find candidates

by Scott Piatkowski

One of the key aspects of the Green Party’s claim to be a national party (deserving of the same media attention as the big four) is that — at least since 2004 — they run a candidate in every riding across the country.

Notwithstanding the fact that they’re sitting out this campaign in ridings held by Stephane Dion (the infamous “leaders’ courtesy arrangement”) and Bill Casey (who the Greens insist is one of them, despite evidence to the contrary and his own protestations that he wants nothing to do with them), the Greens were expected to do so again.

However, from the “don’t send it by e-mail if you don’t want it to be forwarded” department, comes this missive from the Green Party’s Director of Organizing, Sharon Labchuk. As of September 1, the party was in a last-minute scramble to find candidates — any candidates — in nearly half of Canada’s 308 ridings. This kind of ”organizing strategy” doesn’t really have the mark of credible national party, does it?

From: gpc-ridings@googlegroups.comon behalf of Sharon Labchuk
Sent: Mon 9/1/2008 5:44 PM
To: gpc-members
Cc: gpc-candidates@googlegroups.com; gpc-ridings@googlegroups.com; gpc-oa@googlegroups.com; gpc-organizers@googlegroups.com
Subject: [GPC-RIDINGS] URGENT: help find GPC candidates

URGENT: WE NEED YOUR HELP TO FIND CANDIDATES

Okay everybody, time to pitch in.  We need to get our candidates in place this week.  With the announcement about our first Green MP, it should be a whole lot easier to find people who would love to run in the most exciting election we’ll have had to date.

Think about who you know in the ridings listed below and send us names and ridings of people you think would be good Green MPs, even if you have no contact info.  Could be your mother, your neighbour or someone you’ve seen in the newspaper.  We’ll take it.

We’re interested in more women and other people not as well represented as they could be: aboriginal persons, persons of colour, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons.

Send info to our regional organizers - their contacts are here http://greenparty.ca/en/contact/staff

If we all pitch in we can get our candidates in place now and have more time to help them prepare campaigns.

So that everyone in Canada has the opportunity to vote Green, we’ll also take names of people willing to just put their names on the ballot in the event we do not find enough candidates.

Much appreciated

Sharon Labchuk
Director of Organizing

Maps of the ridings
http://www.elections.ca/scripts/pss/FindED.aspx?L=e

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Burnaby-Douglas
Cariboo-Prince George
Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca
Fleetwood-Port Kells
Kelowna-Lake Country
Okanagan-Coquihalla
Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission
Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam
Richmond
Vancouver Island North
Vancouver Kingsway
Victoria

ALBERTA
Calgary Centre
Calgary Northeast
Calgary Southeast
Crowfoot
Edmonton-Leduc
Edmonton-Millwoods-Beaumont
Edmonton-Sherwood Park
Edmonton-Spruce Grove
Fort McMurray-Athabasca
Lethbridge
MacLeod
Medicine Hat
Red Deer
Westlock-St. Paul
Wetaskawin

SASKATCHEWAN
Blackstrap
Cypress Hills-Grasslands
Prince Albert
Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre
Saskatoon-Wanuskewin
Yorkton-Melville

MANITOBA
Churchill
Kildonan-St. Paul
Selkirk-Interlake
Winnipeg Centre
Winnipeg North
Winnipeg South
Winnipeg South Centre

ONTARIO
35001    Ajax—Pickering
35006    Bramalea—Gore—Malton
35007    Brampton—Springdale
35008    Brampton West
35012    Cambridge
35014    Durham
35015    Davenport
35022    Etobicoke Centre
35023    Etobicoke—Lakeshore
35024    Etobicoke North
35029    Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock
35032    Hamilton East—Stoney Creek
35034    Huron-Bruce
35041    Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox—Addington
35048    Mississauga East—Cooksville
35049    Mississauga—Erindale
35056    Nickel Belt
35059    Oak Ridges—Markham
35060    Oakville
35076    St. Catharines
35077    St. Paul’s
35079    Sault Ste. Marie
35080    Scarborough—Agincourt
35081    Scarborough Centre
35083    Scarborough—Rouge River
35091    Thunder Bay—Superior North
35093    Timmins—James Bay
35094    Toronto Centre
35098    Welland
35101    Willowdale
35102    Windsor West
35106    York South—Weston

QUEBEC
Alfred-Pellan
Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel
Beauce
Beauport-Limoilou
Berthier-Maskinongé
Brossard-Laprairie
Chambly-Borduas
Charlebourg-Haute-Saint0Charles
Montmorency=Charlevoix
Chateauguay-St-Constant
Chicoutimi-Le Fjord
Drummond
Gaspésie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine
Hochelaga
Honoré-Mercier
Joliette
Jonquière-Alma
La Pointe-de-l’Ile
Lasalle-Émard
Laurentides-Labelle
Laval
Laval-les Iles
Longueuil-Pierre-Boucher
Louis-Hébert
Louis-St-Laurent
Marc-Aurèle-Fortin
Mégantic-L’Érable
Montcalm
Abitibi-Eeyou
Portneuf-Jacques-Cartier
Repentigny
Bas-Richelieu-Nicolet-Bécancour
Richmond-Arthabaska
Rimouski-Témiscouata
Montmagny-l’islet
Rivière-du-Nord
Rosem0nt-La Petite-Patrie
St-Bruno-St-Hubert
St-Léonard-St-Michel
Shefford
Trois-Rivières
Verchères-Les Patriotes

NEW BRUNSWICK
Acadie-Bathurst
Madawaska-Restigouche
Miramichi
Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe
Saint John
Tobique-Mactaquac

NOVA SCOTIA
Dartmouth-Cole Harbour
Kings-Hants
Sackville-Eastern Shore
Sidney-Victoria
West Nova

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Cardigan
Egmont
Charlottetown

Newfoundland and Labrador
Avalon
Bonavista-Gander-Grand Falls-Windsor
Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte
Labrador
Random-Burin-St. George’s
St. John’s East
St. John’s South-Mount Pearl

Call them today! If you can find a riding on the map, you too can be a Green Party name-on-the-ballot! If not you, maybe your mother.


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