Good Sunday Morning!
And happy Groundhog day.. I write from Guelph where local Greens are in the midst of two election campaigns at once. Ford did call the snap election claiming he needed a strong mandate to take on Trump — as though a majority provincial government was not enough. The question hangs over Ontario voters; if Ontario needs Ford to protect it from Trump, who protects Ontario from Ford?
Guelph is the home base and first electoral district in Ontario to elect a Green MPP, leader Mike Schreiner! And now with spectacular federal candidate Dr. Anne Marie Zaijdlik we have realistic hopes of another double Green riding! https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/zajdlik-wins-local-federal-green-party-nomination-9750019 Just as in Saanich North and the Islands and Saanich-Gulf Islands, we have a Double Green riding in Kitchener Centre with MP Mike Morrice and MPP Aislinn Clancy, I spent yesterday campaigning in both Guelph and nearby Kitchener, door-knocking, walking along snowy and icy paths, thankful for young Ojibway volunteer Charlotte, who at 21 became my newest adopted grand-daughter. I really needed her arm to stay upright on the ice! We must ensure the re-election of Ontario’s second Green MPP Aislinn Clancy working with Green champion Mike Schreiner.
This week we had a lot of Green leadership news – some sad, some joyful. Of course, the sad news was the decision of brilliant and inspiring Sonia Furstenau to leave her role as leader of BC Greens, and then, quite unrelated, the news that Vancouver Green leader, and my former federal Deputy leader, Vancouver Green council member, Adriane Carr, is also stepping away based on her disgust with Vancouver’s mayor.
Joyful, of course, was the amazing decision of Jonathan Pedneault to come back to his role as my co-leader (but only if the members of the federal Greens vote in favour). I am now buoyed up knowing JP can change our fortunes in Quebec, where a breakthrough has been close. Against a number of odds, the steps set out in our 2022 leadership platform are all falling into place. In November the membership voted to make the constitutional change to allow co-leadership, and that change is being put to the required ratification vote, with, as set out in our platform, a confirming vote that Jonathan and I would serve as first co-leaders.
We had a very exciting press conference on Monday to announce the news, joined by Green candidates from coast to coast who had been in our weekend Shadow Cabinet retreat. Speaking for the cabinet was our North Island Powell River candidate Jessica Wegg, who really impressed media with her clarity and poise. https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/jonathan-pedneault-to-return-as-greens-co-leader–january-27-2025?id=ac6b71d9-ed82-4dc5-afa2-0845d853c7c8
By next week I will be able to share if the vote carried. If you are a member, please check your emails and please vote YES and YES!
In other happy news, the BC government has extended the moratorium to protect Fairy Creek.
Fairy Creek to remain protected until at least September 2026
And it is an extension of Fairy creek news to update you all on the tragic news that Fairy Creek community land defenders, Sophia Papp and her husband Zain Haq, have been forcibly separated by the CBSA deportation order. No last minute reprieve came from the Immigration minister. Still, we have hope. After Zain was sent back to Pakistan we regrouped with a strategy meeting on zoom, with their lawyer, a group of supporters plus Zain and Sophia. They are so brave. Lawyer Randall Cohn confirmed what I thought, that even after the deportation, Minister Marc Miller still has the power to issue an order to allow Zain back to Canada and to restart the process for his status in Canada as a permanent resident based on his and Sophie’s marriage. Watch for a renewed campaign to Bring Zain Home!
In less reported news, the shocking last act of former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, was only reported January 31 by the National Observer.
In one of her last moves as finance minister Freeland loaned the Trans Mountain pipeline project $20 billion
Thanks to reporting by John Woodside,
“One of the last things Chrystia Freeland did as finance minister was authorize an additional $20-billion loan to the Trans Mountain pipeline project, bringing the total disclosed federal commitment to nearly $50 billion.
“The latest financing, described as “repayment of higher-cost TMC debt/working capital support,” was disclosed on Export Development Canada’s website on January 30, but is dated Dec. 13 2024 — the Friday before Freeland announced her resignation on Monday Dec. 16.”
Of course, Canadians eyes were looking south yesterday for whether Trump would fulfill his threats of a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican exports and 10% on China. And he did, signing executive orders after 5 pm, with threats of more to come. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/01/us/trump-tariffs-news
So much for signing treaties with other governments where the US got the best of all deals. That’s called Canada being really hard to deal with.
Following Trump’s announcement, the premiers all met as did the federal cabinet. There appears to be a level of solidarity. At the latest evening news conference I can ever recall. after 9 pm ET, Prime Minister Trudeau along with his ministers of public safety, finance and foreign affairs spoke to several audiences- first to Americans to remind and confirm for them that Canada is the best friend and neighbour the US has ever had, and to Trump and his administration, confirming that we would not back down. Despite Trump threatening even more punishments should Canada retaliate with tariffs of our own, Trudeau announced 25% tariffs on $155 billion worth of US goods imported to Canada, $30 billion worth this week and another $125 billion in 21 days, and lastly Trudeau spoke to Canadians, urging us to pull together and protect each other. Mexico has also retaliated while China has said it will pursue remedies through the WTO. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6632060
That Trump has done is illegal, violating treaties, and undoing decades of negotiated trade policies, that have deeply enmeshed our economies. Breaking international treaties does not mean a thing to Trump. Why would it? He can get away with anything. As damaging as the tariffs are likely to be to our economy, they will also boomerang and hurt Americans. We need to prepare, build bridges with other democracies and rebuild a new network of solidarity for peace, justice and climate. This alliance must protect peoples and planet from an emerging new world order of oligarchs and fascists.
As bad as were yesterday’s tariffs, I found his comments in the immediate aftermath of the horrific aviation accident at Reagan airport somehow more disturbing. That his first reaction was not to express sympathy for the dead and bereaved is incomprehensible. But that he would seek to blame previous administrations for policies to undo decades of unfairness and ignorant prejudice through actions fostering diversity, equity and inclusion is actually an obscenity.
I want a parody, an imagined “heritage moment” – “Let us all recall those sepia-tinted historical records, previous golden eras when only old white men, preferably obese and filthy rich, ran the world. Those were the days! Times when nothing went wrong. Stock markets did not collapse and housing bubbles did not burst. Planes did not crash and no one lacked that chicken in every pot. Letting women vote was the thin end of the wedge. Letting them into the military and then worse LGBTQ youth and people of colour. Well, harrumph!, it has brought us to ruin.”
I do think it is time to give Trump and Musk the deal they want, the great planetary swap.. We can fund an immediate mission to Mars, in exchange for which, we will keep and protect planet Earth. Pack your bags billionaires, off to Mars you go! Bon voyage! If only!
Pundits ask “what does Trump want?” He wants what all bullies want- he wants us to be afraid. He wants us to pay attention. He thrives on chaos.
We need to be unafraid, resilient and fair. The bully will be surprised if we refuse to panic. Let’s hope we can use this crisis to make real changes to our fragmented federation- eliminate interprovincial trade barriers, emerge with an economy based, not on a rip and strip model of resources exported without value added, moving to a circular economy, with greater resilience and self-sufficiency.
The meek will inherit the earth, but first we have to organize.
And not be so meek. We are Canadian, As we topple the bullies, I will not mind if we pause to say, “sorry.”
Onward I go by train, VIA and then Amtrak, to the belly of the beast- Washington DC. Next week I will bring reports from the front lines.
With much love to all and thanks for your support and kind messages.
Elizabeth
Please send your feedback on this newsletter to [email protected].
Saanich-Gulf Island Greens publish two newsletters:
- The monthly SGI Greens Newsletter
- The weekly Good Sunday Morning — Elizabeth May’s perspective
To subscribe to one or both of these go to sgigreenparty.ca/signup_2020.
Click here to unsubscribe from one or both newsletters.
Our archive of past editions is at sgi.edagreens.ca/news-events.
Saanich-Gulf Islands Greens
https://www.sgigreenparty.ca/