Hi Friend,
I am hoping you can help us show staying power as we head into 2020. Until we began to overtake the NDP in fundraising earlier in 2019, I had not realized how much donation levels are read by the pundits and pollsters as key signs of political clout. It is clear that every donation helped us develop momentum as we headed into the election.
We need more donations in what is left of 2019 to secure the gains we made this year.
And, we did make gains.
This time last year, I sat as the lone Green MP. Now, thanks to all your support, I have been joined by Paul Manly (who, with his team, had to campaign and win two elections in Nanaimo-Ladysmith in the same year!) and Jenica Atwin from Fredericton, who secured our first ever federal seat in Atlantic Canada!
I know a lot of us are disappointed that we did not win more than three seats. We were so close in many others. But when I am feeling regret about “only” winning three seats, I think of our colleagues in the UK. Caroline Lucas was the very first Green candidate to ever be elected in a national parliament using First-Past-the-Post. She made her historic breakthrough in 2010. She is fantastic - articulate, hard-working and respected. Yet, she still sits alone.
First-Past-the-Post is a very challenging system for parties outside the old established parties, unless your new party is a regional party. That is why the Bloc Quebecois, with nearly the same number of votes as Greens, has 32 seats. So we must continue the fight for fair voting.
You may not know Paul Manly and Jenica Atwin yet – but you will.
Together, we make such a strong team. Each of us has chosen areas of concentration. Being able to split up my workload is a real joy. We can do more than three-times the amount of work.
As the Green Party parliamentary leader I can concentrate on making progress with Paul and Jenica in our efforts to press for climate action, for reconciliation and a well-crafted law to bring in UNDRIP, as well as for universal pharmacare and reform of Canadian environmental protection laws.
And Jo-Ann Roberts, our wonderful interim party leader can take the party’s message cross-country to keep building as we enter our first leadership contest in 14 years!
The leadership race is crucial. It will keep the Green Party in the news. It will expand our membership as people join to support their favourite candidate in our one member / one vote system. Please think about coming to the Convention in Charlottetown in the first weekend of October. Or stay at home and cast your ballot online.
I will also be crossing the country and hope to thank all of you who have so generously supported my work since I became leader in August 2006. We hope to raise funds across the country to start saving for the next election campaign. With a minority parliament, it could come anytime. While my hunch is that we will not be going back to the polls in 2020, we must be prepared, just in case.
2020 is the year we prove that we have bench-strength and staying power.
Thanks to you the future is looking Green!
Love and Hope,
Elizabeth May
MP Saanich-Gulf Islands
GPC Parliamentary Leader