What leadership means - David Merner

As I’ve been campaigning across BC in the past ten days, in public parks and on Zoom calls, I am hearing from Greens that our party needs a unique kind of leadership. 1. Unity:
We need a leader who can pull together the other leadership candidates, build a team of rivals, and generate a positive, winning culture inside our party. I understand the sources of Green Party disunity, the internal obstacles to success, and the opportunities for our party to improve our performance in the next federal election, thanks to my experience as the only candidate to campaign who has worked on winning Green campaigns from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Thanks to a professional life in negotiation, mediation, and early resolution, as well as a volunteer life working on professionally run political, environmental, and other organizations, I have the experience we need to pull Greens together, solve our internal problems, and build for the future. 2. Experience:
We need a leader who has the unique experience necessary to transform the Green Party into a competent political force in Canadian politics. In particular, I am the only leadership candidate to have: a) Earned votes on doorsteps across Canada in both official languages. I’ve won votes in French ridings in New Brunswick, Québec, and Eastern Ontario. I’m the only candidate in the race who has participated in summer “épluchettes de blé d’Inde” and Christmas “guignolées” across Canada’s francophone communities.
b) Thirty years of experience in all aspects of volunteer politics from knocking on doors to serving in Elizabeth May’s shadow cabinet (as Justice critic and Democratic Reform critic).
c) Twenty eight years of work as a lawyer and public servant advising Ministers in Conservative, Liberal, and NDP governments, both in Ottawa (at the Department of Justice and Privy Council Office) and in Victoria (at the Ministry of Attorney General). This experience is especially relevant to solving the internal challenges now facing the Green Party. We need to transform our party into an organization that can win seats in the House of Commons and hold government to account in the House of Commons. Click to read more

TELEPHONE TOWN HALLS

David Merner Telephone Town Hall coming to your region
Last Wednesday, we kicked off a series of three live and interactive Telephone Town Hall meetings with Green Party members across the country, starting with western and northern Canada. Moderated by Victoria Serda, former Green Party of Ontario Deputy leader, and with special guest Judy Green, over 1200 Green Party members participated in our first virtual town hall for western Canada and the North.
You can see it here
This Wednesday’s event will be held entirely in French for Quebec and Francophone Canada. Everyone is welcome including people who are not Francophone. Former Green Party candidate Sylvie Lemieux will moderate the town hall. Our excellent super organizers, Michel Seguin in Quebec and Luc Côté in Ontario, will be behind the scenes helping to select questions from the audience.
So please mark it down in your calendar and get ready to ask me your questions en francais!

David Merner Virtual Town Hall #2: Quebec and Francophone Canada Time: 7:30 pm ET 4:30 pm PT Date: Wednesday, September 16th Register Now David Merner Virtual Town Hall #3: Ontario & Atlantic Canada Date: Wednesday, September 23rd Time: 7:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm AT Register Now

IN PERSON TOUR ENDING

We are ending our in person tour of BC. The COVID-19 numbers are rising again in BC and kids are returning to school. We may soon see a more rapid rise in BC’s numbers. Secondly, south Vancouver Island is covered in smoke right now due to forest fires in Washington State. Folks with respiratory problems are feeling the impacts and staying indoors. So we’re now shifting back to phone calls, Zoom, and social media as the ways we are reaching out to Greens across BC and Canada!

DONATIONS WELCOME

We are now campaigning hard across BC, from Squamish, to Kamploops, Kelowna, Abbotsford, Surrey, New Westminster, Vancouver, Gibsons, the Sunshine Coast, and all of Vancouver Island. We’re in top campaign shape, having completed tours of Ontario and Quebec in the last three weeks! Can you help us with the costs of travel by donating? No amount is too small! (And the maximum is $1625.)

DONATE

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Jean-Claude Bourque lives in Shediac, New Brunswick – the lobster capital of the world. In 1967, he graduated with a BA in Languages and Psychology from the University of Moncton. After graduating, he worked as a Communication Specialist for the Premier of New Brunswick before he became an Interpreter for the province. He also opened two international interpretation companies (JCB Interpretation Inc. in Canada and Pittsburgh). Jean-Claude was involved with the NDP both provincially and federally, as a riding President and Candidate. In the Green Party, he has been President of his EDA for Shediac-Beaubassin-Cap-Pelé provincially. Federally, he is a member of the Electoral District Association for Beausejour, where the two provincial ridings inside the federal riding are represented by Green Party MLAs. “I support David Merner because he is dynamic, intelligent, down to earth and fully bilingual. It is important, being Acadian from the only officially bilingual province (New Brunswick), to have a bilingual Leader of the Green Party at the federal level. DAVID FOR LEADER.”

JOIN OUR TEAM

Join the movement to unite the Green Party and empower Green members. As our campaign grows, we need volunteers to help with everything from phone outreach, to media and communications, fundraising, event planning and research. Training and support will be provided to all. This is a great opportunity to get involved in a winning leadership campaign and to campaign at the national level.
To volunteer, please email us at: vote.merner@greenparty.ca

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

HOW TO HELP Volunteer Attend a Zoom call Donate SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow our campaign on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with events, Green Party policy, and campaign updates!

@DavidMerner @David.Merner DavidMernerESS

Thank you again for your support. Sincerely, David

David Merner 250 514 5507