Our fifth Annual General Meeting has come and gone and by all measures it was a success. It was held at the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Public Affairs, and what a fine venue it was, and very accommodating to our needs.
There were two amendments to our By-laws, both deemed to be important changes.
The first was to create an amending formula to the Leader’s salary, thus removing the fixed amount from the by-law itself. This provides the Executive with greater flexibility to react to changes in our financial strength without the necessity of another by-law change.
The second change is in how our membership renewal process is structured. Membership will now follow the calendar year, much like other political parties. We have factored in a three month grace period so that new memberships (and for this year, renewals) that occur after October 1st, will carry over until the end of the following year. This will simplify the renewal process for members and the Membership Secretary, who thanks you very much.
Most of the AGM was taken up with ratifying policy initiatives and we had three overarching policy strategies and sixteen policy proposals ready for this meeting. I am proud to say that we got through all of them with vigourous discussion on many points. There are still several policy areas to cover and we hope to get to them at the next AGM in late Spring 2012. If you like policy talk, please contact the policy committee and make your views known. The ratified policies will be posted here in the near future when editing and formatting is complete. A big thank you to Mary Lou Harley, Sheila Richardson and Ellen Durkee for their service.
There was also an election. Several positions were up for re-election and here are the results:
Leader – John Percy (by vote of confidence)
1st Deputy Leader – Kris Maclellan
2nd Deputy Leader – Brynn Horley (by vote of Executive)
Co-President Male – Rob Pierce
Co-President Female – Mary Lou Harley
Policy Co-Convenor Female – Sheila Richardson
Ian Charles remains as our Official Agent and Shari-Lynn Hiltz has renewed as our Treasurer.
These are extremely capable and thoughtful people and they all hold the best interests of the party and the people of Nova Scotia close to their heart. This is a strong Executive with a wealth of experience and insight and it will be a pleasure to work with them throughout the coming term.
As I say after every AGM, a party is only as strong as its members. We need to hear from you. We need your input, your ideas, your time and your money. All politics is local and you are the ones who will make us aware of issues of local and regional concern. I am still a strong adherent of the 3M Policy: Membership, Money, and Media. These are the three dietary staples of every political party. These can only come from a strong sense of committment by all members to the principles and ideals that we as a party espouse.
We were also graced with the prescence of Elizabeth May, O.C. MP on Saturday night for a dinner and talk at the Atlantica Hotel. Elizabeth is one of my personal heroes and I wish I had a tenth of her strength. I had originally asked her to speak for about fifteen minutes and had made accomodations for her to speak sitting down, in deference to her hip replacement surgery four weeks ago. But no. She walked up and climbed the podium and spoke for at least thirty minutes without notes and most likely would have gone longer but the hotel staff were looking nervously at their watches. This country is most fortunate in having her voice in Parliament.
I would like to thank the Green Party of Canada for absorbing the costs of travel and accommodation for Elizabeth. It was appreciated.
We are two years or less from a provincial election. It is not too early to be thinking about the election or our platform. The policies that we passed and the ones for the Spring 2012 AGM will be important cornerstones for the election platform.
I was visited last Thursday by the PC candidate for my riding, Sackville-Cobequid. He is already doing door to door canvassing. We spent an hour and a half in my living room in deep discussion. Paul Russell is a thoughtful and caring man with great intelligence and we got along famously. He will be a formidable opponent. Your Executive has been in election preparation mode for several months now and the membership should start gearing up on the local front so you are not caught by surprise and lacking organization. Electoral District Associations are a big part of the election process. They can legally raise funds, and select local candidates and receive money from the party. They are essential components of democracy. Consider holding a meeting in your area to form an EDA, if you don’t already have one, and get the ball rolling. Remember, the Leadership and Executive are here to help. We are willing to go everywhere in Nova Scotia to assist you in your endeavours. Strong organization is the key component to success and voter visibility. Like everything else in the Green Party, it comes from the grass roots.
“I always thought somebody should do something about things, but then I realized I was somebody” – Lily Tomlin
