Advocatus Diaboli

This blog is about things, issues, ideas, and concepts on subjects focusing on Canada, Canadian Issues and Affairs and those that affect Canada and Canadians from afar.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

A question for the television brain trust in Canada.

A question for the television brain trust in Canada.

If Global Sunday is Canada's number one current affairs talk show, why is it being cancelled after only 4 years?

What will we get in it's place?

Homer and Marge Simpson raising Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie for an entire hour, and then two doses of Extreme Make-overs, four hours of American television.

Oh. For an extra stab at our intelligence, Global will give us one more half hour of Homer and Marge Simpson raising Bart, Lisa and baby Maggie.

Now tell me again, why people are disconnecting with the mass media in Canada in droves again?

Global trades Danielle Smith for Bart and Marge. What a trade.

An Opportunity for Canada

Like you, I scan the world's media, for ideas, comments and news. In the Reuters dispatches is an interesting story that should form an entire cabinet committee, or opposition inspiration to show the country that someone in Ottawa has vision.

It is a story entitled, 'Congress May Help Grain Exports - House Speaker' - By REUTERS filed 7:44 p.m. ET, September 23, 2005.

The lead paragraph says, 'Congress may have to examine ways to help American farmers export their wheat, corn and soybeans because Hurricane Katrina devastated the Port of New Orleans, a key shipping point, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said on Friday.'

Most Gulf ports were closed on Friday, the sixth day that grain export traffic was stalled. The shutdown sapped market prices.
With U.S. farm losses from Hurricane Katrina being estimated at roughly $2 billion and up, depending on how long farm exports from New Orleans are delayed, what could Canada do to help this situation in the long term so that North America is not held hostage to either mother nature or terrorism?

I think a party that advocated for the fast tracked upgrades to our ports that already have the grain shipping infrastructure in place, as well as rail upgrades the situation in the Mississippi and Gulf Coast could be alleviated to help all agricultural producers.

Why not allow the port of Prince Rupert, Churchill, and Thunder Bay to play a large part in the game of exporting grain to the world, for all of North America?

Hitler had plans of debilitating the American's ability to fuel and feed themselves by an attack on the Mississippi Delta and New Orleans' ports, so why not take a page from history.

I am sure an offer to help the American agricultural producers by shipping grain through our ports duty free, to their customers would show a much better light to the heartland of American than any public relations campaign could.

If we have the ability to improve or increase our oil production to help the Americans meet their needs with the shut down and destruction of the oil processing plants in the Gulf Coast region, can we do the same for helping supply the American's with wheat, and other crops to help them meet their export commitments?

Could we do the same with our poultry and livestock industries to help with the reported $1 billion losses with an additional $1 billion in lost export sales and higher fuel prices? I know for a fact we have excess dairy products sitting in warehouses across the prairies that cannot be sold due to quotas and such. Why not ship that. I am a glass of milk, brick of cheese, or a dozen eggs would go a long way right now for someone who needs a meal in Louisiana.

Canada has had the ability to ramp up productions of airplanes, ships, food stuffs, and other such things when we were called on in the first and second world war.

Isn't Mother Nature waging war right now? Can't we meet this challenge?

RE: A response to Norm Greenfield from Jim Love

Joe, Jim, Tracy, and DD et al...

Americans don't care about the softwood lumber issue at all. Why? They have no idea, nor interest in finding out about it. This is especially true after Katrina.

Canadians want, and would be better served by a new political entity, if that new entity would address the issues that deal with day to day issues that affect Canadians with creativity and vision.

The new party does not have the money it will take to get your phone call even answered by an editor at any of the Portland newspaper. This would have been true even five or six weeks ago. Let alone now with Katrina having taken a swipe at the USA.

Unless the party has some limitless pockets to draw from this is not a strategy worth considering. It is worth killing. I agree with you whole heartedly when you said '...new ideas that we think Canadians are looking for and deserve. It proves that Canadians can stand up for our own interests.' One would be to fast track the expansion of our ports, impose an export tax on our raw logs, and to maintain our own control over how we manage our own natural resources. Whether that is with a stumpage tax or not. That is up to us.

If the government of Canada, our Ambassador to the US, or the international unions and logging companies involved in the lumber industry cannot get the message across, how does an upstart party with limited resources expect to do it? Keep in mind the majority of the lumber companies on the coast of BC are owned by foreign investors with some very large American companies being at the top of the list.

When you do a site search of the New York Times on September 3, 2005, you get nothing about the efforts that Canada is putting in to helping the victims of Katrina.

What you do get at the head of the search is story about the cancellation of the trip to the White House of Chinese President Hu Jintao and that China has offered the United States $5 million in aid for the hurricane victims.

In the second story that comes up you find in the third from last paragraph that ' So they waited until help, in the form of a rescue team of police and emergency workers from around the United States and Canada, finally came.'

The seventh story you get is about ' Jenny Potter scored twice to lead the United States past Sweden 2-0 Saturday, sending the Americans to the final of the women's Four Nations Cup against Canada for the fourth straight year.'

We do find that Qatar pledged $100 million in assistance for the victims of Katrina, with a hyperlink for people to go to a page to find out all about Qatar. Then there is, 'Rice singled out Sri Lanka for praise for making a contribution even as it struggles to recover from the tsunami and earthquake disaster of last December.. By the last paragraph we, Canada, are listed among many, having offered help.

In the L.A. Times and article published August 31, 2005, it said ' Trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada heated up Tuesday after a World Trade Organization panel supported Washington's decision to impose hefty penalties on Canadian softwood lumber firms accused of dumping their products on the U.S. market, ' with the following statement 8 paragraphs down, ' But U.S. lumber importers, home builders and consumer groups side with Canada, arguing that the duties are unwarranted and increase the cost of a new home by at least $1,000.' L.A., is the centre of the largest market for BC lumber products.In an article published by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer on August 23, 2005, titled, 'Canada considers retaliatory tariffs in softwood dispute with US,' it is nothing more than a cut and paste from a Reuters news piece taken from a Regina Saskatchewan source. Nothing in it about the extra cost this dispute has caused the American home buyer. Seattle is one of the places in the USA that is paying the extra cost, yet is one of the roots of the dispute in the first place.

In the The Kalamazoo Gazette of August 19, 2005 an article entitled, 'Free trade in oil, fair trade in softwood,' is three paragraphs long, telling nothing about the extra costs Americans are paying in the building of their homes, directly related to this trade dispute.

My point?

If in fact, 'Americans ARE becoming aware of the softwood lumber issue,' how are they doing that?

Do a search of the CNN site. Nothing.

Do a search of the Washington Post. Nothing.

Do a search of the Wall Street Journal. Something, but not much more than the nothing in the popular mass media. Trust me, not many people out side of Wall Street read the journal, and many of them already know the fight over Softwood is dumb, for Americans.

Canadians are looking for and deserve alternative ideas. Lost efforts trying to teach the Americans about a neighbour they have lived next to for 300 years, and have no idea of what we are,who we are, and what we are, are not that.

Some chatter coming out through my network of news reporters from around the world on Katrina:

Some chatter coming out through my network of news reporters from around the world on Katrina:

"Twice recently, I've mentioned the experience of Cuba in dealing with that hurricane (which was a Category 5 when it hit Cuba) -- 1.3 million people, more than 10% of the population, evacuated under the direction and with transportation provided by the government, not a single person dead, compared to 18 killed in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, and 70 more in the Caribbean."

"'The Superdome is not a shelter. If we were to lose power, if we were to lose plumbing facilities, if a storm were to hit and create flooding in the area; the Superdome would not be a desirable place to be.'

"Something somebody said last week? Nope. Something said on September 23, 2004 by a spokesperson for the Superdome, shortly after Category 4 hurricane Ivan hit the Gulf Coast.
"It is offensive for former Presidents Clinton and Bush to call on people to make donations to help the victims. Bush didn't say that paying for the war and occupation of Iraq would be contingent on voluntary donations; he just went ahead and stole the money from our public schools, healthcare and other social programs.

From the Geopolitical Intelligence Report written by STRATFOR founder Dr. George Friedman:
"The Battle of New Orleans in January 1815 was a key moment in American history. Even though the battle occurred after the War of 1812 was over, had the British taken New Orleans, we suspect they wouldn't have given it back. Without New Orleans, the entire Louisiana Purchase would have been valueless to the United States. Or, to state it more precisely, the British would control the region b cause, at the end of the day, the value of the Purchase was the land and the rivers - which all converged on the Mississippi and the ultimate port of New Orleans. The hero of the battle was Andrew Jackson, and when he became president, his obsession with Texas had much to do with keeping the Mexicans away from New Orleans.
"During the Cold War, a macabre topic of discussion among bored graduate students who studied such things was this: If the Soviets could destroy one city with a large nuclear device, which would it be? The usual answers were Washington or New York. For me, the answer was simple: New Orleans. If the Mississippi River was shut to traffic, then the foundations of the economy would be shattered. The industrial minerals needed in the factories wouldn't come in, and the agricultural wealth wouldn't flow out. Alternative routes really weren't available. The Germans knew it too: A U-boat campaign occurred near the mouth of the Mississippi during World War II. Both the Germans and Stratfor have stood with Andy Jackson: New Orleans was the prize.

"Last Sunday, nature took out New Orleans almost as surely as a nuclear strike. Hurricane Katrina's geopolitical effect was not, in many ways, distinguishable from a mushroom cloud. The key exit from North America was closed. The petrochemical industry, which has become an added value to the region since Jackson's days, was at risk. The navigability of the Mississippi south of New Orleans was a question mark. New Orleans as a city and as a port complex had ceased to exist, and it was not clear that it could recover..."

On MSNBC, there's a phone call from an aide in a State Hospital who reports that while the Tulane hospital across the street has been evacuated, no one has come to help the chronically sick people in his hospital.They are the poor. They are forgotten.

Fox: An articulate young doctor warns the worse is yet to come with public healh officials fearing that water-borne diseases can lead to an epidemic. What is being done about that? So far this next crisis is largely unreported!

"A year ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed to study how New Orleans could be protected from a catastrophic hurricane, but the Bush administration ordered that the research not be undertaken. After a flood killed six people in 1995, Congress created the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, in which the Corps of Engineers strengthened and renovated levees and pumping stations. In early 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a report stating that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S., including a terrorist attack on New York City. But by 2003 the federal funding for the flood control project essentially dried up as it was drained into the Iraq war. In 2004, the Bush administration cut funding requested by the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for holding back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain by more than 80 percent.

"Additional cuts at the beginning of this year (for a total reduction in funding of 44.2 percent since 2001) forced the New Orleans district of the Corps to impose a hiring freeze. The Senate had debated adding funds for fixing New Orleans' levees, but it was too late.

"The New Orleans Times-Picayune, which before the hurricane published a series on the federal funding problem, and whose presses are now underwater, reported online: "No one can say they didn't see it coming ... Now in the wake of one of the worst storms ever, serious questions are being asked about the lack of preparation." www.salon.com

"It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can't be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us.-- Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana;New Orleans Times-Picayune, June 8, 2004.

DiversityInc.com asks: "Are white people "finding" something to eat while black people are "looting" for lunch in New Orleans and other flooded areas?"

"There were two different images-one shot by an AFP/Getty Images photographer and another from The Associated Press (AP)-and each had a different caption when published on Yahoo.com. In the AP photograph, the photo shows a black person with some food. The caption below the picture says he's just finished "looting" a grocery store. The other photo captured two white people with the caption describing how they were "finding" bread and soda from a grocery store, BoingBoing.Net reports. In both pictures, the subjects are swimming, holding food, with no stores in sight.

""The difference in words may be indicative of racial bias in the mainstream media. In a related commentary, Christina Pazzanese wrote in a Poynter.org forum a media-studies organization, that in the national "crisis mode" coverage of the aftermath of Katrina, there have been a number of professional challenges for everyone in the media around racial and economic sensitivity. The hurricane coverage also is taking place in a predominantly poor, black part of the country. "I am curious how one photographer knew the food was looted by one but not the other Š Should editors in a rush to publish poignant or startling images, relax their standards or allow personal or regional biases creep into captions and stories?" Pazzanese asks. We all should be asking that question too."

Help - then watch and learn!

Dear Editor,

To those stunned at the inability of the USA to respond to the needs
of their citizens in the recent hurricane disaster, please don't
forget, the hurricane was expected, the failure of the levees was not.

When you give an evacuation notice, you must also follow it up with
the tools and aid for those that cannot just pick up and leave. 40%
of the people in the affected area were below the poverty line and
had not the ability to pick up and leave. They had no where to go, no
way to go, and when they got where that place might be, no way of
renting a room, buy food, or such.

Consider the fact that all of the infrastructure of a modern large
city was gone as well. No phone, no water, no electricity and no hope.

Our government should order a train CPR to travel across Canada
picking up the goods and supplies that will be needed for the
refugees of the hurricane and deliver it to the nearest shipping dock
to New Orleans and unload it. At no cost. That can be water, food
stuffs, plywood, portable housing, solar powered water purifiers,
blankets, canned meat, canned or fresh fruit, mobile hospitals, and
all of the rest of the normal things a person with nothing needs.

Canada should do this because we can, we must and not because it is good PR.
After providing whatever the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, or
Georgia need, we must watch. We need to watch and learn.

Our large major urban centres may not fare much better in a major
civil disaster. After all, when was the last time any city practiced
an evacuation?

When did we put our system to the test? Could Calgary, Edmonton,
Vancouver, or Toronto evacuate 1,000,000 people?

Leadership and Martin

Paul Martin only knows how to lead after he has consulted the polls.

Paul Martin is paralyzed by fear.

Fear of the unknown.

He does not know what to do, now that he has gotten to be Prime Minister, something he has lusted after since he first ran for MP.

Brilliant 'White Bread' City

Colin Jackson, president of the Epcor Centre, is right when he says Calgary is the nation's laboratory in creativity, inclusiveness and citizenship, as well as being an admirable example of a great 21st century city. He might want to open his vision and suggest that in many cases Calgary is the world's laboratory in creativity.

We have built the international image to draw visitors to Calgary around the Stampede.

Why keep the dead horse of the Stampede alive, when it is stalled and withering from being a complacent and uncreative monolith that has reached its end?

We forget that there is an entire world outside of our almost 1,000,000,000 residents that want more than just the Stampede, or could careless about the Stampede. Take a look at what goes on at Spruce Meadows.

Why not create more festivals to fill the Olympic Plaza 52 weeks of the year?

Why not create an annual 'Idea's' conference to invite the world to, and show them Calgary's best and brightest?

If Jackson wanted a place to start with his idea, why not open the the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts with programming during the Stampede's 10 days. Why not start with that 10 days to show the world that Calgary is this nation's laboratory in creativity, inclusiveness and citizenship?

What about calling it the Calgary Festival of Creativity?

It is time to try some Whole Wheat bread in Calgary.

The truth about softwood lumber

There is more involved in the current palaver over the soft-wood trade dispute than just the money or that the industry represents just 2% of Canadian exports to the south. There is the creditability of both the Americans and how they don't live up to their word, and how little affect the Prime Minister has shown in much of anything, except hanging on to power by his finger nails.

Yes, in the scheme of things $7.5 billion U.S is a small part of the entire picture. It is though a big thing to the people of B.C., and Western Canada.

Yes, we did ship 20,950 million feet in 2004, but how much of that was processed into dimensional lumber?

Much of the growth has been the shipment of raw logs.

That is wrong.

There does not need to be a huge peeing match type trade war. Canada can impose an export tariff of their own on raw logs.

If the rest of Canada is expected to cough up $400,000,000 to prop up Ontario's rusting auto industry sector, the least the rest of Canada can do is join the fight to get the USA to live up to their commitments.

What's wrong with the Prime Minister actually showing the country he has a spine and stands up to the USA?

Gay Human Rights Complaint

Sent to:
lsn@lifesite.net

It would be nice to know that news service or a web site that purports to be one through the use of the word news, would get its facts right.

You wrongly state the 'the confidentiality agreement did not stop Greenfield.' In fact I repeated nothing that was stated in the meeting, except for what was mutually agreed to by all parties attending the meeting. In fact what I commented on were my impressions of the discussions that were held. I don't think I ever attributed any of my comments on ideas on what will happen now to the Bishop.

Yes, there was substantial stress to Bishop Henry, faithful Christians and freedom lovers across the country. Despite your assertion that it did not enter the equation for Mr. Greenfield or the commission, you will be happy to note that I also knew that there was just as much substantial stress produced for those people in Canada, as does the Bishop, feel they should be treated as equals under the law.

My actions were taken to have the Bishop define and defend what he meant by demanding the government use its coercive powers, in a public format. has admitted to the media that his actions were done in order to attract media attention.

The Bishop says, "Given the nature of my office..' that he must observe confidentiality. He must also know that "Given the nature of my office,' his words carry far more weight and receive far more attention than that of the average citizen.

He must also know that the use of coercive powers in the past by a government led to the beginnings of the very religion he calls his, as well as

When you state, that ' the mostly unaccountable human rights complaints process...' is unaccountable, then you discount the intelligence of the voters for either keeping the provincial government that set up the commission, or voting them out.

Since you did not call me and ask me any questions I suppose you will be surprised to not, I am a Christian as you are, with a different interpretation of the bible.

Dinger is right

The dinger is right when he says I should have not used the coercive powers of the government of Alberta to find out exactly what Bishop Henry had in mind when he demanded the same government use their coercive powers to stop same sex couples from marrying.

As a teacher, Bell knows full well that some words have more meaning to them, than what shows up in the pages of a dictionary.

A coercive power of the government can be as minimal as passing a motion of support of a project, policy, or idea. It can also pass a law that puts people in jail for going against its wishes or the public good.

That is why we put people in jail for drunk driving, pornography, or even communicating for the purposes of procuring a prostitute.

Unfortunately the vast majority of us do not have the gift nor the avenue to ask questions of public figures and to have them explain themselves.

That is what I did through the process of filing a complaint through the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

Henry can preach all he wants about protecting his version of marriage, and the Catholic Church's doctrine and dogma. He does not have the right to ask our government to use their powers to deny the same rights that we all have, to one specific group of Canadians, nor to carry out what he cannot do from his pulpit.

We have seen that happen before in Canada, and we have seen what that has cost us.

It is too bad Bell has to sink to the level of name calling and making false assumptions with out first checking out the facts.

The threats to my life would never be worth pulling a, 'publicity stunt.'

Murray Smith and Conflict of Interest

It is rather interesting why the other side to the story of Murray Smith accepting outside employment while being a government (political) appointment.

What about the other government MLA's who are working in a variety of jobs, while still sitting MLA's. Some even chairing or sitting on Standing Policy Committees of the Legislature.

Ever wonder why Mark Hlady was able to be an active investment councillor and sit on the various committees he did, even as chair?

How many other MLA's do this, and why? Do they not have enough to do as full time MLA's?

Bishop Objects to 'Thought police.'

It is too bad that Mr. Henry has to sink to using derogatory comments against those that disagree with him. It does show what he will stoop to, to get his way.

This is the concern and nexus of the complaint I filed with the 'Mickey Mouse,' organization known as the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

Where will Henry stop to getting the government to carry out the doctrine and dogma of the Catholic Church? Will he use the past history of the Catholic Church as a guide?

Does he forget that the Catholic Church has used its coercive powers in the past, against those that did not agree with these, 'first principles,' and church teachings?'

Henry should know all about the use of thought police and political tools to silence people. The Catholic Church has used its coercive powers in the past, against those that did not agree with those, 'first principles,' and church teachings.'

If Henry wants the Marriage Commissioners exempted from the law of the land, what other officers of the courts and agents of the government does he want exempted next?

Henry can rest easy, I will bring the tin foil to the conciliation meeting with Henry at the Pastoral Centre, so he can protect himself from any invasion of his thoughts from me.

How he can cover his head with the foil and wear the Mickey Mouse ears I have no idea. Maybe he can stop stomping his foot long enough to figure it out, while considering the fact that he may just not get his way.

Letter To The Editor - Silence ain't golden

In David Menzies' column titled 'Silence ain't golden,' he could not have been more right. I have entered by 34th year in the corporate, marketing, and political communications field, and am getting tired of the 'silence is golden,' rule being taught in the Public Relations programs in our schools and colleges.

The reason for the rampant use of silence to tackle a crisis or sticky corporate communications issue, can be boiled down to one thing. Lawyers.

Most corporate communications problems grow from a pebble in the road, to a mountain, and is purely based on the idea that if they shut up, things will go away.

In most cases, the public already knows the corporation screwed up, and aren't paying attention to the company hack standing up before the microphones and lying by omission.

With the internet the average person can find out what they want, without opening their tired old, and passé grey mass media newspapers, radio or television stations.

By keeping quiet, the corporate hack does only one thing. Expose just how ignorant they are of the communities or publics they are communicating with, as well as just how poor their corporate or crisis communications plan is.

Tell the truth up front, be honest when you don't know something, and be honest when you do know something, and much of the corporate legal suite will be emptied as few people will sue if they are dealt with as if they have a brain.

Compare how corporate Japan and corporate Canada and USA handle company screw-ups. In one country the CEO resigns, stands before the country and apologizes with a bow. In the other they run to hide under the rocks or behind their lawyers.

Prince Rupert Port Plan May Be Sinking

I think that the headline writer for Friday, July 22's Globe and Mail made a mistake.

To the headline writer, I would suggest the headline for the story by William Mbaho, referring to tunnel vision might have better applied to the story by Mary Lynn Young.

On the inside pages of the Report On Business, Young continued to display her ignorance of the reasons why the Prince Rupert port plan could benefit the Port of Vancouver, and improve Canada's ability to trade with the world, outside of the American Kingdom.

The Port of Vancouver and Prince Rupert could work in tandem. The Port of Prince Rupert would allow shippers who want fast access to the Eastern Seaboard, direct and timely access via rail, on CN tracks. It would be a direct off load to rail, instead of the being off-loaded to trucks. In fact now with CN owning B.C. Rail they can also off load and ship down the west coast of North America with little effort.

This would be the reason for using Prince Rupert.

No one that I have talked to is silly enough to think they would off load on to a truck to ship the containers to any where in Canada.

Shippers could dedicate a boat for this purpose, and leave the boats that serve Vancouver to serve the local Vancouver market with truck or rail, and Los Angeles to do what it does best for the purposes it is used.

Yes, the Port of Vancouver does handle cargo destined for Vancouver and area itself, but that is no reason to have the shipping system of the nation plugged up and held hostage to small thinkers such as those who cannot see the benefits to both the nation and the Port of Vancouver to have the Port of Prince Rupert come of age.

Purely to protect their bureaucratic turf.

Mary Lynn Young should really come down out of the Ivory Tower and see for herself that there is a better way of looking at how best to put Canada back on the map as a maritime trading nation. It is would be best if she would use a pair of binoculars instead of the rear view mirror she is now using for looking into the future.

Green Party Blues

In Green Party Blues, Murray Dobbins does a masterful job of showing Canada just why the environmental report card from the North American Commission for North America was so poor, and how outdated his knowledge of the political playing field in either Canada, or even the world.

The use of terms, like right wing, and left wing, are the tell tale signs of the latter. There is no left or right wing in politics anymore, there is a whole group of people on the outside of the political game looking in, and waiting for a change. They do not sit on the left or right wings, but on the outside somewhere waiting for a party and leader that understands their want for change, and a need for someone who looks past the next election cycle for the sake of the world's future.

Those on the outside represent about 75% of those under 35, and about 50% of the average Canadian eligible voter.

The story also goes a long way to explain why the various environmental groups have failed so badly in getting solid intelligent change made to the way the Canadian government looks at protecting the environment.

If there are 2,000 environmental groups in Canada, who do not want to get political, or consider themselves lobbyists, then the problem is defined in that paragraph. It certainly gets no solutions provided by Elizabeth May, and all others think that by working in small unorganized groups will affect change.

What is needed, is to get into the power centre, and make the changes that are needed. To do that you need to get elected. To do that you need some money. To do that you need to think.

Jim Harris did that. Yes, Jim employed some tried and true political campaigning tools and ways.

They worked, and now the Green Party of Canada is creeping onto the political, public and finally media agendas at the same time.

Some people don't like that. Some people are scared of that. Some people are scared that they may be asked to put up or shut up.

The membership is where the policy and sweat for the success of the party has come.

The Green Party of Canada is different than most others in the world, because Canada is unique.

The Green Party of Canada is just different enough to pull those from the outside into the centre of the political stage and actually make a difference.

Maybe Dobbins should have spent more time looking at those on the outside looking in, instead of displaying a lack of real knowledge of just what the political playing field looks like, and the new players waiting to suit for the game.