D-Brief for Sep 27

Posted on September 27, 2020

Dimitri receives the endorsement of Sharon Labchuk.

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D-Brief for September 27

Respected environmentalist Sharon Labchuk endorses Dimitri
How to vote for Dimitri on a ranked ballot
Team Dimitri: Indigenous Rights Platform
Video: Watch and share the Team Dimitri playlist

An environmental activist on PEI for more than 30 years, Sharon Labchuk, for many Islanders, is the Green Party. She has held significant posts for the federal Greens as environment and agriculture critic, and served as campaign manager for party leader Elizabeth May.

Respected environmentalist Sharon Labchuk endorses Dimitri

"I’m endorsing Dimitri Lascaris and he’ll be my top pick on the ballot.

"I cancelled my party membership in 2012 after 8 years of intense involvement as a three-time candidate, regional organizer, shadow cabinet critic under two leaders, campaign manager for Elizabeth May and national Director of Organizing for 5 years. All while founding the Green Party of PEI in 2005 and leading it for 7 years. I rejoined the GPC this month for just one reason -- to vote for party rejuvenation, renewed relevance and eco-socialist values by helping elect Dimitri Lascaris.

"In 2004 when the GPC ran a full slate of candidates for the first time and emerged as a nationally engaged party, there was a real sense of hope and energy that drew people to the GPC, including me.

"Over time, dysfunction and backroom drama ruled. The party drifted further to the centre and seemed to become more irrelevant in a political scene already occupied by centrist parties.

"Now, with some leadership candidates like Dimitri Lascaris proudly identifying as eco-socialists, I’m regaining some of that hopeful excitement and promise from the early days of 2004.

"I don’t know Dimitri personally but I like what I see -- an accomplished lawyer, activist and journalist with a strong record of standing up and speaking out on issues that matter to me -- human rights, animal rights and planetary destruction. But policy positions are just the starting point. Dimitri’s campaign has shown us a candidate with passion, ethics, solid competence, and leadership skills gained through experience in real life struggles.

"The GPC needs a leader who brings new energy, the hope of cleaning house, and a fresh eco-socialist perspective. Wallowing in the centre ensures irrelevance and the dissatisfaction of progressive left-leaning people."

-- Sharon Labchuk

Ranked Ballot voting for Dimitri and your preferred candidates

If we all voted for our single, favorite candidate and did not rank all of our other preferred candidates, the result would be the same as in any "First Past The Post" election -- a distortion of the proportion of support each candidate has earned from all voters.

The result of ranked ballots is a "consensus” candidate -- the candidate preferred by most electors.

If we rank Dimitri as our number 1 -- followed by all other candidates in our order of preference -- we'll ensure a proportionate recognition of our choices. That's how the Green Party of Canada chooses a leader who fully represents a consensus among all voters.

Please vote for Dimitri as your number 1 choice, and carefully rank everyone who has worked so hard to represent you.

Team Dimitri: Indigenous Rights Platform

As a settler society, Canada’s history has been one of dispossessing Indigenous peoples of their land, sovereignty and rights. Though the Royal Proclamation of 1763 recognized Indigenous peoples as the original occupants of the land and, as such, bearers of special rights including collective rights such as the right to self-determination or sovereignty and rights to traditional land, to this day, the Canadian state continues its termination policy towards all three in order to support its extraction-based economy. The result is genocide.

The ongoing dismissal of land rights, the kidnapping of Indigenous children from their communities, the over-incarceration of Indigenous people in the justice system and the tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls are only the most visible features of this genocide.

The Green Party of Canada under Dimitri’s leadership is committed the most affirmative possible approach in working with Indigenous peoples to effect a root and branch overhaul of the relations between the Canadian state and Indigenous people, above all by insisting on Indigenous land, sovereignty and rights and rejecting the racist doctrines of discovery and terra nullius.

Our approach is committed to working with Indigenous peoples, their grassroots and elected leaders and their Indigenous knowledge, strengths and ways in nation-to-nation relations. It is committed to restoring Indigenous sovereignty, land and rights and ending the genocide as national priorities.

Read The Indigenous Rights Platform announcement.

For important historical analysis and a radical and positive position statement, please see Indigenous Land, Indigenous Sovereignty, Indigenous Rights (PDF).

Watch #TheTimeIsNow to recognize the pain caused by Residential Schools

You can read all of our platform statements on our web site. They cover all aspects of our society from health to workers’ rights to the economy, foreign policy, Indigenous rights, justice, equity, our party’s internal governance and, of course, the environment. These documents build on the underlying platform of the Green Party as developed over the last 15 years.

Learn more about Dimitri and his team.