the understory 5 - young greens newsletter
DESCRIPTION
CONTENTS THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORT 13 DEBUNKING KYOTO PROTOCOL CRITICS 14 RESISTING MONOCULTURALISM 15 OPINION: MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE 17 DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC 18 ECOPHILOSOPHY – ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO 19 EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING 20 GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET: INTERVIEW WITH A YOUNG GREEN FROM FRANCE 21-22TRANSCRIPT
DIVERSITEacuteDIVERSITYPOLITIQUE ECOLOGICAL CULTURAL EacuteCOLOGIQUE IDEacuteOLOGIQUE CULTURELLEPOLICAL IDEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
VOL 1 5 M A R Oslash 7 FA BRIQUEacute AU C A N A DAM A DE IN C A N A DA
CONTACT THEUNDER STORY ldquoAT rdquo GM AIL COM W W WGR EENPA RT YC A EN YOUNG _ GR EENS NE WSLE T TER
REDACTEUR EN CHEF MANAGING EDITOR GWEN MAYREDACTEUR ADJOINT SUBMISSIONS EDITOR DARCY HIGGINSREDACTEUR ADJOINT ASSOCIATE EDITOR SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMDIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DESIGN EDITOR ADAM SOMMERFELD
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTER
CONTENTSTHE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORT 13DEBUNKING KYOTO PROTOCOL CRITICS 14RESISTING MONOCULTURALISM 15OPINION MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE 17DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC 18 ECOPHILOSOPHY ndash ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO 19EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING 20GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET INTERVIEW WITH A YOUNG GREEN FROM FRANCE 21-22
CONTENURAPPORT DU CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS DU CANADA 3PLUS DE FEMMES CANDIDATES AUX EacuteLECTIONS 4DEacuteFAISONS LES ARGUMENTS ANTI-KYOTO 5LUTTER CONTRE LA MONOCULTURE 7LA DISCIPLINE DE PARTI ET LES ENTENTES SONT ANTI-DEacuteMOCRATIQUES 8CONSIDEacuteRONS LE POTENTIEL DU PORTE-Agrave-PORTE 9COUSINS TERRESTRES INTERVIEW AVEC UN JEUNE VERT FRANCcedilAIS 10-11
FA BRIQUEacute AU C A N A DAM A DE IN C A N A DA
CONTACT THEUNDER STORY ldquoAT rdquo GM AIL COM W W WGR EENPA RT YC A EN YOUNG _ GR EENS NE WSLE T TER
REDACTEUR EN CHEF MANAGING EDITOR GWEN MAYREDACTEUR ADJOINT SUBMISSIONS EDITOR DARCY HIGGINSREDACTEUR ADJOINT ASSOCIATE EDITOR SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMDIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DESIGN EDITOR ADAM SOMMERFELD
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTER
VOL1 NO5 MARS MARCH2OslashOslash7
VOTRE CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS Agrave OTTAWA LORS DE LEUR PREMIEgraveRE REacuteUNION MARS 2007YOUR YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL AT THEIR FIRST MEETING OTTAWA MARCH 2007
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 3
RAPPORT DU CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS DU CANADA
PAR LYNNE CHAMP OUX-WILLIAMSLYNNECHAMPOUX-WILLIAMS laquo Agrave raquo MAILMCGILLC A Eacute TUDIANTE EN ENVIRONNEMENT E T LINGUISTIQUE U MCGILLCOMMUNIC ATION FR ANCOPHONE CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS
Nous avons tout drsquoabord formeacute divers comiteacutes site web (devenu communi-cation) promotion et leveacutees de fonds
clubs universitaires preacuteparation agrave lrsquoeacutelection Nous utilisons Face-book et le courriel pour commu-niquer entre nous et la section Document et Tableur de Google pour partager des documents (tels que le budget et le plan geacuteneacuteral drsquoeacutelection)Nous maintiendrons le contenu jeunesse seacutepareacute sur le site du Parti Vert du Canada (PVC) jusqursquoagrave ce que notre site web soit ameacutelioreacute Nous enverrons un courriel geacuteneacuteral agrave lrsquoeffectif par mois (un par semaine durant les eacutelections) qui sera reacuteviseacute par le conseil avant lrsquoenvoi La chrono-logie du CJVC inclura la preacutepara-tion pour les eacutelections internes
La page Web du PVC sera utili-seacutee jusqursquoagrave ce que nous puissions deacutevelopper la nocirctre et les change-ments apporteacutes au contenu du site Web jeunesse seront reacuteviseacutes par le conseil avant affi chage Les Jeunes Verts du Canada auront deux bases de donneacutees de membres (une pour toutes les personnes-ressources et une pour les membres principaux) agrave moins qursquoune base de donneacutees inteacutegrants les deux en une puisse ecirctre deacuteveloppeacutee Le premier cour-riel aux membres sera envoyeacute apregraves la premiegravere rencontre en personne nous avons maintenant un repreacute-sentant au conseil du PVC et le document chronologique et budgeacute-taire sera compleacuteteacute agrave la rencontre en personne not
IL Y A DE LrsquoACTION AU CONSEIL JEUNES VERTS (CJVC) VOICI UN BREF REacuteSUMEacute DE CE QUI SrsquoEST PASSEacute DURANT FEacuteVRIER DERNIER
+
JAMES BROOKSCOMMUNICATIONS INTERNES
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSCOMMUNICATIONS FR ANCOPHONES
TANNER WALDODIRECTEUR DE LrsquoADMINISTR ATION ET DES FINANCES
K ATIE GIBBSDIRECTRICE DE LrsquoORGANISATION
JARED GIESBRECHT DIRECTEUR DE LrsquoORGANISATION
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONDIRECTRICE DE LrsquoORGANISATION
JASON HAMMOND DIRECTEUR ADJOINT
MEGAN DIETRECH DIRECTRICE ADJOINTE
BEN R ANKIN COMMUNICATIONS EX TERNES
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 4
uand jrsquoai vu la liste de candidats pour la premiegravere eacutelection du Conseil des jeunes verts une question mrsquoa sauteacute agrave lrsquoesprit laquo Ougrave sont les femmes
raquo Je dois avouer que jrsquoeacutetais fort deacuteccedilu du faible taux de participa-tion des femmes ndash seulement 6 femmes se sont preacutesenteacutees pour un des 28 postes disponibles soit un pourcentage de 214 des candidats
Armeacute de cette statistique (avouons que mecircme Jim Harris aurait de la peine agrave travailler avec un tel chiffre) jrsquoai envoyeacute des courriels agrave quelques-unes des femmes plus actives au sein des jeunes verts qui malgreacute leur haut profi l nrsquoavaient pas poseacute leur candidature aux eacutelections Les reacuteponses agrave mes courriels furent tant mystifi antes que frustrantes laquo Je suis trop occupeacuteeraquo ou laquo Je nrsquoy avais pas songeacute raquo eacutetaient les deux reacuteponses les plus communes Tout ce temps je me disais laquo Pourtant les femmes se disent ecirctre geacuteneacuteralement en colegravere vis-agrave-vis leur marginalisation dans la socieacuteteacute Elles se plaignent qursquoelles nrsquoont pas une place agrave la table raquo
Avant drsquoaller plus loin jrsquoaimerais feacuteliciter les femmes qui ont poseacute leur candidature aux eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts Le sujet de
lrsquoineacutegaliteacute des sexes dans le domaine de la politique est souvent discuteacute Comment eacuteliminer les barriegraveres face agrave lrsquoaugmentation de la participation des femmes Le nouveau chef libeacuteral Steacutephane Dion parle drsquoun renouvelle-ment drsquoeffort sur ce front En fait il va mecircme jusqursquoagrave dire que dans certai-nes circonscriptions cleacutes seules les femmes seront eacuteligibles aux nomina-tions pour repreacutesenter le parti lors du prochain scrutin feacutedeacuteral Pour ma part je nrsquoai pas constateacute qursquoil y avait des barriegraveres qui empecircchaient les femmes agrave se preacutesenter lors des eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts Ce qui mrsquoamegravene agrave faire ce commen-taire Femmes agrave vous drsquoassumer votre place agrave la table Votre poste dans les couloirs du pouvoir ne vous sera pas apporteacute sur un plateau ou sous la guise de programmes ou subventions gouvernementales La socieacuteteacute peut seulement agir jusqursquoagrave un certain point pour ocircter les barriegrave-res obstruant lrsquoeacutegaliteacute politique des femmes Le reste est agrave vous agissez Je veux toutefois ecirctre clair sur un point je suis entiegraverement en faveur de programmes ou de subventions publiques qui ont comme but drsquoap-porter un soutien aux foyers mono-parentaux aux femmes victimes de violence conjugale ou aux femmes agrave bas revenus qui souhaitent obtenir une eacuteducation postsecondaire dans
le but drsquoameacuteliorer leur situation eacuteco-nomique Mais outre ces exceptions valables il est temps de reacuteeacutevaluer lrsquoutiliteacute de la plupart des programmes gouvernementaux pour les femmes Certains de ces programmes ont peut-ecirctre lrsquoeffet inverse de creacuteer une deacutependance ou une indiffeacuterence chez les femmes comme nous le voyons avec certains programmes pour les autochtones
Je lance un deacutefi aux lectrices de cet article Donnez-moi de bonnes raisons pour lesquelles il nrsquoy avait que 6 femmes qui ont soumis leur candidature aux eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts ndash et tenez compte du fait que certains des postes eacutetaient reacuteserveacutes uniquement aux femmes
Nous avons eacuteteacute teacutemoin de la colegravere des femmes face aux coupures du gouvernement Harper dans les programmes destineacutes aux femmes Pourquoi ne pas reacuteaffecter cette colegravere de faccedilon tangible en vous preacutesentant aux eacutelections Ce nrsquoest peut-ecirctre pas ma place de question-ner la validiteacute de ces programmes mais drsquoun autre cocircteacute je constate un manque de volonteacute chez les femmes quand il en vient agrave leur participation au processus politique Qursquoest-ce qui est plus important deacutebattre le principe de lrsquoeacutegaliteacute ou drsquoagir de faccedilon pratique pour en faire une reacutealiteacute Le faible taux de partici-
pation des femmes au cours des eacutelections inaugurales du Conseil des jeunes verts aurait causeacute une grande peine chez les heacuteroiumlnes du passeacute qui se sont battues chaire et acircme pour ameacuteliorer le sort des femmes dans la socieacuteteacute Je perccedilois une grande apathie et mecircme ndash ose-je le dire ndash un peu de vaniteacute chez certaines femmes drsquoaujourdrsquohui Je ne sais pas si crsquoest reacutealiste de dire qursquoun taux de participation de 50 serait la seule preuve drsquoune vraie et franche eacutegaliteacute entre les sexes dans le domaine de la politique Mais une chose est sucircre tant que les femmes ne saisissent pas lrsquoopportuniteacute de preacutesenter leur candidature aux eacutelections les choses ne changeront pas Je souhaite voir un plus grand nombre de candidates au cours des prochaines eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes vert et au cours de la prochaine eacutelection geacuteneacuterale Quant agrave lrsquoeacutegaliteacute des sexes lrsquoindif-feacuterence des femmes nuit beaucoup plus agrave la cause que des coupures budgeacutetaires Jeunes femmes je vous implore ne vous reposez pas sur vos lauriers Vos ancecirctres se sont battus pour vous rendez-leur honneur en vous preacutesentant comme candidates Quand jrsquoy pense les hommes sont peut-ecirctre un peu mieux sensibiliseacute aux pratiques de lrsquoeacutegaliteacute que les femmes Femmes prouvez-moi que jrsquoai tort je vous en prie not
laquo DONNEZ-MOI DE BONNES RAISONS POUR LESQUELLES IL NrsquoY AVAIT QUE 6 FEMMES QUI ONT SOUMIS LEUR CANDIDATURE AUX EacuteLECTIONS DU CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS raquo
PLUS DE FEMMESDOIVENT SE PREacuteSENTER
PAR BARTON CUT TENBARTON819 laquo Agrave raquo HOTMAILCOM NATIF DE BIBLE-HILL EN NOUVELLES EacuteCOSSE ANCIEN C ANDIDAT DU PARTI VERT DE L A N-Eacute EN 200 6ILLUSTR ATION PAR VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD laquo Agrave raquo HOTMAILCOM
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 5
DEacuteFAISONS LES ARGUMENTS ANTI-KYOTO
PAR SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN laquo Agrave raquo YAHOOCOMANCIEN C ANDIDAT VERT Agrave 18 ANS DANS CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER AC TUELLEMENT REacuteDAC TEUR EN CHEF ADJOINT DE THE UNDERSTORY
Quoique la Chine lrsquoInde et drsquoautres pays eacutemergents soient membres du Protocole de Kyoto ils nrsquoont aucune obligation de reacuteduire leurs gaz agrave effet de serre Donc tout effort est futile
bullCet argument contient un peu de veacuteriteacute mais heureusement nrsquoest pas sans faille Quand une personne senseacutee prend connaissance drsquoun problegraveme elle travaille drsquoabord agrave le reacutesoudre et puis essaie de convain-cre son entourage de faire de mecircme Par exemple si vous observez un environnement social malsain ducirc agrave un manque de respect geacuteneacuteraliseacute vous commencez par ecirctre respec-tueux et espeacuterez que votre exemple aura un impact La mecircme chose srsquoapplique au Protocole de Kyoto
Mecircme si le Canada atteignait les objectifs auquel il a souscrit ce se-rait un effort inutile puisque nos eacutemissions comptent pour seule-ment 3 des eacutemissions mondiales
bullUne fois de plus crsquoest plein de bon sens drsquoagir comme un modegravele
de la voie agrave suivre Eacutegalement si tout le monde utilisait des argu-ments similaires nous nrsquoarriverions jamais agrave rien que ce soit dans notre combat contre le reacutechauffement de la planegravete ou le travail des enfants
Et puisque le Japon et lrsquoEurope es-saient deacutejagrave drsquoacheter des creacutedits il nrsquoen resterait plus pour nous
bullCrsquoest une fausse supposition Rien ne nous empecircche de nous battre pour ces creacutedits et crsquoest preacute-somptueux de preacutetendre que lrsquooffre de creacutedit de carbone va demeurer aussi basse dans les anneacutees agrave venir
Consideacuterant que les eacutemissions de gaz agrave effet de serre aux Eacutetats-Unis et en Australie nrsquoont pas augmenteacute autant qursquoau Canada cela deacutemon-tre que les mesures volontaires sont plus effi caces que les cibles obligatoires du Protocole de Kyoto et que les cibles obligatoires en geacuteneacuteral ne fonctionnent pas
bullVoyons rien nrsquoempecircche une compagnie ou un pays de reacuteduire
volontairement ces eacutemissions agrave tout moment ils peuvent inventer ou mettre en œuvre toutes les mesures volontaires qursquoils souhaitent Par conseacutequent aucune mesure volon-taire ne marche forceacutement mieux qursquoune mesure coercitive La seule fois qursquoune mesure volontaire sem-ble ecirctre plus effi cace est lorsqursquoelle est mis en œuvre en parallegravele avec des incitatifs Mais une fois encore rien nrsquoa empecirccheacute les gouvernements passeacutes de donner des incitatifs Le Protocole de Kyoto ne nous a jamais empecirccheacutes de faire ccedila
Oui mais le Protocole de Kyoto ne nous a pas aideacute agrave reacuteduire nos eacutemis-sions de gaz agrave effet de serre
bullUne de mes amies vertes pacircles a une fois utiliseacute cet argument Ma reacuteponse a eacuteteacute que les reacutesultats pro-duits par le Protocole de Kyoto nrsquoont pas encore eacuteteacute compileacute et ils ne le seront pas jusqursquoen 2012 Eacutevaluer la performance du Protocole de Kyoto maintenant est lrsquoeacutequivalent de dire que Schumaker ne peut pas gagner
la course quand aucune auto For-mule Un nrsquoa franchi la ligne drsquoarri-veacutee De plus la plupart des meacutecanis-mes qui font lrsquoessence du Protocole de Kyoto comme le Meacutecanisme de Deacuteveloppement Propre nrsquoont mecircme pas encore eacuteteacute utiliseacute et les incitatifs au cœur de Kyoto ne sont pas encore reacuteel Et crsquoest pour cela que Harper souhaite sortir le Canada du Pro-tocole de Kyotomdashil a jusqursquoen 2008 pour le faire Autrement si nous ne remplissons pas nos obligations drsquoici 2012 nous aurons agrave payer une grosse peacutenaliteacute fi nanciegravere Crsquoest en cela que constitue lrsquoincitatif Donc quand quelqursquoun me dit que le Pro-tocole de Kyoto ne fonctionne pas je leur reacuteponds que la plupart des meacutecanismes qui se trouve dans le protocole ne sont mecircme pas utiliseacutes En drsquoautres mots il ne faut pas juger le reacutesultat drsquoune course qui nrsquoa pas commenceacutee Neacuteanmoins certains pays ont pris de lrsquoavance pendant que drsquoautres ont pris un important retard not
laquo EacuteVALUER LA PERFORMANCE DU PROTOCOLE DE KYOTO MAIN-TENANT EST LrsquoEacuteQUIVALENT DE DIRE QUE SCHUMAKER NE PEUT PAS GAGNER LA COURSE QUAND AUCUNE AUTO FORMULE UN NrsquoA FRANCHI LA LIGNE DrsquoARRIVEacuteE raquo
En tant que vert je suis certain que vous voyez le Protocole de Kyoto comme une eacutetape neacutecessaire mais vous connaissez peut-ecirctre des sceptiques qui se font facilement infl uenceacutes par les deacutemagogues Par conseacutequent je vais deacutefaire dans cet article quelques uns des arguments contre le Protocole de Kyoto Mon approche sera de reacutesumer chaque argument et puis de le deacutefaire
IDEacuteES VERTES (VOUS NrsquoEcircTES PAS SEULS)
PAROLES VERTES(EXPRIMEZ-VOUS DANS LE MAGAZINE THE UNDERSTORY)
(SOUMETTEZ VOS IDEacuteES ET VOTRE TRAVAIL Agrave DARCYHIGGINS laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)(SI VOUS DEacuteSIREZ PLUS DrsquoINFORMATION EacuteCRIVEZ Agrave LrsquoADRESSE SUIVANTE THEUNDERSTORY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory est un nouveau mensuel par lequel srsquoexprime la jeunesse verte du Canada Envoyez-nous vos articles vos photographies vos dessins ou tout autre travail qui meacuterite drsquoecirctre publieacute
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 7
LUTTER CONTRE LA MONOCULTURE
ensant deacutejagrave agrave lrsquoimpor-tance de la diver-siteacute au Canada jrsquoai assisteacute agrave un discours de David Suzuki dans lequel il mention-nait lrsquoimportance de
toutes les sortes de diversiteacute La vie srsquoembellit suite agrave la diversiteacute biologique et culturelle a-t-il dit laquo Ccedila a eacuteteacute la cleacute de notre succegraves raquo Une affirmation inspirante consi-deacuterant qursquoon entend continuelle-ment combien comme Canadiens nous vivons dans une socieacuteteacute diverse Si la diversiteacute nous a meneacute si loin il est certain que la diversiteacute nous poussera encore plus loin non
Mais ce qursquoa dit le Docteur Suzuki apregraves mrsquoa fait reacutefleacutechir encore plus laquo Nous sommes en train de creacuteer une mono-culture sur la terre avec notre conception du progregraves raquo Ce qui veut dire que comme socieacuteteacute nous tendons agrave nous conformer agrave la norme et nous tenir au milieu Nous avons adopteacute un principal plan drsquoaffaire et un modegravele de croissance Nous avons
pris ce qui marchait et lrsquoavons pousseacute jusqursquoagrave son extrecircme limite Trop peu freacutequemment cependant nous pre-nons la peine de consideacuterer les autres options disponiblesmdashles options plus durables
Avec la monteacutee du Parti Vert ces autres options sont suggeacutereacutees re-connues et lentement mais sucircrement incorporeacutees au sein de la culture Ca-nadienne et des politiques Canadien-nes Aussi inspirant que cela puisse ecirctre crsquoest important de se souvenir qursquoil y a beaucoup de travail en ter-mes de diversiteacute raciale ethnique et culturelle au sein du gouvernement et de la socieacuteteacute Trop souvent alors que nous vantons notre politique baseacute sur le multiculturalisme nous ne parvenons pas agrave inteacutegrer ce que cela veut vraiment dire
Le critique aux droits humains et agrave la reacuteforme de la fonction publique du Parti Vert Joe Foster mrsquoa dit que la diversiteacute affecte plus drsquoenjeux que lrsquoon pourrait initialement penser Bien que son portfolio portant sur les droits humains touche eacutevidemment les enjeux de diversiteacute agrave tout moment
la diversiteacute apparaicirct eacutegalement lors-qursquoil est question de la reacuteforme de la fonction publique laquo Un problegraveme ma-jeur dans la fonction publique est le manque de minoriteacutes visibles qui sont engageacutees raquo a-t-il dit Le problegraveme est aussi refleacuteteacute dans la composition des eacutelus partout au pays laquo Si lrsquoon a des po-liticiens qui repreacutesentent le Canada ils doivent provenir de diffeacuterents milieux raquo Quoique le Canada soit lrsquoun des meilleurs exemples deacutemontrant que le multiculturalisme fonctionne il dit que ce nrsquoest pas assez Pendant que la population est de plus en plus diverse le gouvernement nrsquoa pas fourni les ressources neacutecessaires pour assurer une socieacuteteacute diverse et sucircre Comme il dit laquo il y a un besoin eacutenorme de reconnaicirctre la diver-siteacute Ccedila devrait ecirctre vu comme un investissement qui a pour but de faire du Canada une nation harmonieuse raquo Eacutechouer dit-il ne fera pas du tort seulement aux minoriteacutes mais agrave la socieacuteteacute entiegravere laquo Peu importe quel point de vue on prend il y a diffeacuterents groupes qui forment un pays Si lrsquoon en exclue on va perdre la richesse
que ce groupe a agrave offrir raquo Le critique agrave la justice du Parti
Vert Rebecca Bromwich est drsquoac-cord qursquoen tant que parti politique nous avons besoin de nous adresser aux enjeux de diversiteacute afin drsquoecirctre preacutepareacute agrave gouverner le pays laquo Eacutevidemment il y a beaucoup de di-versiteacute dans notre pays raquo a-t-elle dit laquo Crsquoest tregraves important que tous soient traiteacutes eacutequitablement raquo Elle a dit que les jeunes en particulier devraient voir la diversiteacute comme un enjeu im-portant et universel laquo La population des jeunes est plus diverse que la geacuteneacuteration plus acircgeacutee raquo a-t-elle dit laquo La faccedilon dont les choses se deacutevelop-pent aujourdrsquohui aura un impact agrave long terme sur les jeunes raquo
Comme jeune politiseacute nous avons besoin drsquoecirctre continuellement cons-cient de la diversiteacute qui nous entoure Acceptant la suggestion de David Suzuki agrave lrsquoeffet que la diversiteacute a eacuteteacute la cleacute du deacuteveloppement humain si nous voulons que le Canada continue agrave srsquoeacutepanouir nous devons accepter et encourager la diversiteacute sous toutes ces formes not
PAR LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA EST EacuteTUDIANTE EN SCIENCE POLITIQUE Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute DE QUEENrsquo S ELLE TR AVAIL POUR LE JOURNAL EacuteTUDIANT DE QUEENrsquo S ILLUSTR ATION PAR VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 8
LA POLITIQUE AUTREMENT
LA DISCIPLINE DE PARTI ET LES ENTENTES SONT ANTIDEacuteMOCRATIQUES
e suis certain que nous sommes tous drsquoaccord pour dire qursquoil y a plu-sieurs problegravemes avec les partis politiques au Canada Mais selon moi deux des problegravemes les
plus nuisibles pour la deacutemocratie sont la discipline de parti et les ententes entre partis Les deux impliquent un controcircle de la direction du parti agrave lrsquoendroit de la base du parti et reacutesulte en la destruction de la diversiteacute poli-tique et ideacuteologique agrave lrsquointeacuterieur drsquoun parti politique Jrsquoespegravere que nous les jeunes verts pourront travailler agrave empecirccher les ententes et la discipline de parti de prendre racine agrave lrsquointeacuterieur du Parti Vert du Canada
La discipline de parti se produit lorsque la direction drsquoun parti dicte agrave leurs candidats comment preacutesenter certaines politiques durant une eacutelec-tion et et lorsqursquoon dit aux deacuteputeacutes comment voter agrave voter agrave la Chambre des communes Eacutevidemment le problegraveme avec cette pratique tregraves courante est que cela ne permet pas aux parlementaires de voter dans la Chambre des communes selon les aspirations de leurs eacutelecteurs Donc le deacuteputeacute ne repreacutesente plus les gens qui lrsquoont eacutelu
Les ententes se produisent lors-que la direction drsquoun parti se met drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un candidat sans panache un laquo poteau raquo dans le jargon politique dans certaines circonscriptions en eacutechange qursquoun autre parti fasse pareil dans un autre comteacute Par exemple la direction du NPD pourrait se mettre drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un laquo poteau raquo dans un comteacute ougrave les libeacuteraux ont de bonnes
chances de battre les conservateurs En eacutechange la direction du Parti Libeacuteral se mettrait drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un poteau dans un comteacute lagrave ougrave le NDP a de bonnes chance de battre les conservateurs
Ces pratiques sont tregraves couran-tes en politique canadienne parce qursquoelles facilitent un gain politique agrave court terme Cependant ces deux pratiques limitent eacutegalement les deacutebats sur les politiques gouverne-mentales et deacutecouragent la diversiteacute drsquoopinion Par conseacutequent ces deux pratiques nuisent de maniegravere signifi-cative agrave notre deacutemocratie
Notez que les ententes impliquent que la direction du parti deacutecide quels candidats repreacutesenteront le parti dans un comteacute speacutecifique Les enten-tes megravenent eacutegalement naturellement agrave une discipline de parti stricte Quand une entente est conclue entre les strategraveges de deux partis les citoyens du comteacute en question se font simplement dire qui va les laquo re-preacutesenter raquo Et par conseacutequent leur soit disant repreacutesentant (si eacutelu) est envoyeacute agrave Ottawa sans lrsquoappui concret de leurs membres locaux et devient donc tregraves faible dans sa capaciteacute de srsquoopposer agrave la discipline de parti Si un deacuteputeacute veut plus que simplement suivre la ligne de parti telle que dic-teacutee par la haute direction du parti il doit avoir eacuteteacute choisi localement pour repreacutesenter ces eacutelecteurs
Pour nous les Verts la deacutemocra-tie participative et la diversiteacute sont importantes et sont des principes fondateurs dans notre politique Une des meilleures faccedilons drsquoavoir une di-versiteacute politique est de srsquoassurer que tous les candidats soient librement choisis par les membres du Parti Vert dans leur comteacute plutocirct que choi-
sis par lrsquoexeacutecutif du parti Faire des ententes est une pratique qui con-centre le pouvoir au sein des partis et creacutee des structures hieacuterarchiques deacutevastatrices pour la deacutemocratie en eacuteliminant la diversiteacute
Au congregraves du Parti Vert en aoucirct 2006 une reacutesolution cherchant agrave permettre la direction du Parti agrave faire des ententes avec drsquoautres par-tis a eacuteteacute proposeacutee Cette reacutesolution suggeacuterait de donner agrave lrsquoexeacutecutif du Parti le pouvoir de retirer un can-didat sans consideacuterer lrsquoopinion des membres locaux Je suis heureux de vous dire que cette reacutesolution a eacuteteacute deacutefaite et que les membres du Parti Vert ont deacutemontreacute leur engagement envers la diversiteacute politique au sein drsquoune deacutemocratie repreacutesentative Cependant je suis triste de constater
que crsquoest toujours un deacutebat au sein du parti
Je suis confiant que le deacutebat concernant les ententes entre partis deviendra plus prononceacute tandis que notre parti continuera agrave croicirctre Jrsquoespegravere sincegraverement que les jeunes verts plus que quiconque dans le parti souviendront de lrsquoimportance de la repreacutesentation locale au deacuteve-loppement de la diversiteacute politique En effet jrsquoespegravere que nous nous impliquerons dans nos associations locales du Parti Vert et aiderons agrave nominer des candidats du Parti Vert pour nous repreacutesenter Dans cet es-prit si vous avez besoin drsquoaide pour contacter votre organisation locale du Parti Vert veuillez envoyer un courriel au Conseil des jeunes verts agrave jeunesse laquo agrave raquo partivertca not
laquo LA DIVERSITEacute POLI-TIQUE CrsquoEST LAISSER LES MEMBRES DE CHAQUE COMTEacute CHOI-SIR LEUR CANDIDATE PLUTOcircT QUE LrsquoEXEacute-CUTIF DU PARTI raquo
PAR JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBR ECHT laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMEacuteTUDIANT EN DROIT Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute QUEENrsquo S PREacuteSIDENT DES QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp REacuteDACTEUR EN CHEF FONDATEUR DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 9
CONSIDEacuteRONS LE POTENTIEL DU PORTE-Agrave-PORTE
n dimanche apregraves-midi de janvier je marche prudem-ment dans une salle de reacuteunion agrave Kingston Jrsquoy trouve environ une douzaine
de personnes et ils me semblent tous tregraves relaxe consideacuterant ce que lrsquoon srsquoapprecircte agrave faire ce qui est drsquoapprendre agrave faire du deacutemarchage ou du porte-agrave-porte En fait je ne serais pas en train drsquoeacutecrire srsquoil srsquoagissait simplement de porte-agrave-porte conventionnel quelque chose que jrsquoeacutevite autant que possible Cet atelier concerne le dialogue deacutemocratique via le porte-agrave-porte (D3 en anglais) un nouveau style de campagne unique au Parti Vert et jusqursquoici unique aux Verts de Kingston
Selon le guide de formation sur le D3 laquo Le Dialogue Deacutemocratique est plus qursquoune strateacutegie de campagne Cette meacutethode nous distinguera des vieux partis politiques en encour-ageant des relations authentiques et durables entre le Parti Vert et les citoyens verts raquo
D3 est lrsquoideacutee originale drsquoAndrew McCann un reacutesident de Kingston Le but de D3 est de prendre cette activiteacute campagne et de la trans-former en conversation qui permet aux participants drsquoapprendre lrsquoun de lrsquoautre plutocirct qursquoun discours agres-sif orienteacute sur la vente
McCann a commenceacute agrave penser agrave une nouvelle approche au deacutemar-chage lrsquoanneacutee derniegravere lorsqursquoil a accompagneacute son ami Eric Walton un candidat du Parti Vert feacutedeacuteral lors de son deacutemarchage durant
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa premiegravere expeacuterience de campagne politique et il a eacuteteacute frappeacute qursquoune conversation avec quelqursquoun sur leur perron agrave propos de politique constitue de la deacutemocratie
Ayant gagneacute une compreacutehension conventionnelle du deacutemarchage politique McCann a preacutesenteacute en deacutecembre sa nouvelle faccedilon de faire campagne aux supporteurs Verts de Kingston et a eu le feu vert
laquo Jrsquoai demandeacute agrave une association de comteacute de penser agrave faire cam-pagne avec cette perspective et ils ont deacutecideacute drsquoessayer raquo a dit McCann laquo Tu ne vends rien tu converses seulement et donc tu ne te sens pas comme un vendeur don-nant son discours raquo
Cette ideacutee a eacuteteacute reacutepeacuteteacutee tout au long de lrsquoatelier auquel jrsquoai participeacute Nous nrsquoessayons pas de changer les opinions des gens nous voulons simplement savoir ce que la per-sonne dans cette maison pense de la politique en geacuteneacuteral et du Parti Vert en particulier laquo Crsquoest quelque chose que je peux faire raquo je crois laquo Je nrsquoai jamais eacuteteacute tregraves bon agrave convaincre quiconque de quoique ce soit mais je peux probablement les eacutecouter raquo
En deacuteveloppant et en enseignant D3 McCann se retrouve agrave deacutepous-sieacuterer des outils politiques oublieacutes McCann nrsquoa deacutecouvert pratique-ment aucun mateacuteriel sur le porte-
agrave-porte Il y a certainement rien au Parti Vert et si les autres parties ont du mateacuteriel sur le porte-agrave-porte ils le gardent secret Il y a aussi aucun mateacuteriel acadeacutemique sur le porte-agrave-porte selon lui
McCann a lrsquoimpression que cela srsquoexplique par le fait que le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest pas consideacutereacute comme faisant partie de lrsquoarsenal typique de la politique du 21iegraveme siegravecle Lrsquoarsenal standard est lrsquoutilisation des meacutedias les pancartes etc en drsquoautres mots des outils de cam-pagne qursquoun quartier geacuteneacuteral peut facilement controcircler et propager Le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest ni lrsquoune de ces choses parce que crsquoest deacutecentraliseacute Crsquoest comme McCann dit laquo aussi citoyen que ccedila puisse ecirctre raquo
Donc McCann nrsquoa aucune bro-chure et peu de preacuteceacutedent Mais ce preacuteceacutedent existe
laquo Il y a deacutejagrave une roue et D3 nrsquoessaie pas de la reacuteinventer Ap-prenons simplement agrave comment lrsquoutiliser agrave nouveau agrave la deacutepoussieacuter-er et agrave lrsquohuiler Crsquoest une roue sans
manuel drsquoinstruction raquoMcCann espegravere que lrsquoapproche
D3 sera eacuteventuellement introduite agrave toutes les associations du Parti Vert Il pense que les organisations locales du parti seront capables drsquoutiliser la strateacutegie D3 de trois faccedilons la premiegravere faccedilon est comme programme de formation au porte-agrave-porte pour les nouveaux beacuteneacutev-oles la deuxiegraveme faccedilon est comme strateacutegie de campagne precircte agrave servir qui puissent ecirctre utiliseacute durant les eacutelections et la troisiegraveme faccedilon est comme ressource sur agrave quoi srsquoattendre durant une campagne de porte-agrave-porte en se basant sur les reacutesultats du projet D3 des Verts de Kingston
Quoique cette phase de D3 soit encore dans le futur les choses bou-gent et un jour peu lointain avec un peu de chance tous les jeunes verts seront engageacutes dans un dialogue deacutemocratique avec la personne au fond de la rue qursquoils nrsquoont jamais rencontreacutee auparavant not
laquo IL A EacuteTEacute FRAPPEacute QUrsquoUNE CONVERSA-TION AVEC QUEL-QUrsquoUN SUR LEUR PERRON Agrave PROPOS DE POLITIQUE CONSTITUE DE LA DEacuteMOCRATIE raquo
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa
GWEN MAYGWENMAY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMMEMBRE DES QUEEN rsquo S GREENS Agrave Lrsquo U QUEEN rsquo S (BEN OUI ) REacuteDAC TRICE EN CHEF DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 10
SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES
UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert originaire de Lyon a 21 ans et eacutetudie actuellement le droit europeacuteen agrave Louvain en Belgique pour 1 an avant de retourner en France lrsquoan-neacutee prochaine poursuivre ses eacutetudes avec une speacutecialisation en droits de la personne Membre des verts depuis 4 ans il a eacuteteacute preacutesident des jeunes verts de Lyon pendant 1 an Il fait mainte-nant partie de la commission justice des verts et participe agrave lrsquoeacutelaboration du programme des verts en matiere de justice Jrsquoai eu la chance de correspon-dre avec lui eacutelectroniquement pour mieux connaicirctre la perspective verte franccedilaise
Comment concevez-vous du rocircle des jeunes au sein des verts
Les jeunes ont toujours eu un grand rocircle pour faire eacutevoluer la so-cieacuteteacute Crsquoest particuliegraverement vrai en France puisque par exemple mai 68 a eacuteteacute le moteur drsquoune contestation de lrsquoordre eacutetabli Les eacuteveacutenements de mai 68 ont permis de remettre en cause une socieacuteteacute ougrave les jeunes nrsquoavaient pas droit agrave la parole et ougrave seule une eacutelite monopolisait le pouvoir
Drsquoune part les jeunes doivent sensibiliser les Verts pour que le parti puisse porter nos revendications Ce premier rocircle est donc plutocirct celui drsquoun lobby jeune afin que les Verts pren-nent conscience des difficulteacutes ren-contreacutees par la jeunesse aujourdrsquohui
Les conditions de vie de la jeunesse en France sont en effet difficiles le chocircmage touche en particulier les jeunes il est difficile de trouver un logement et par conseacutequent drsquoecirctre autonome vis-agrave-vis de ses parents les eacutetudes coucirctent chegraveres et ne sont donc pas accessible agrave tous
Ce rocircle de la jeunesse nrsquoest pas speacutecifique aux Verts Tous les partis devraient entendre ce que leur disent les jeunes Mais il nrsquoy a que chez les
Verts (en France en tout cas) que le parti prend vraiment en consideacutera-tion ce que disent les jeunes
Drsquoautre part les jeunes ont eacutegale-ment un rocircle beaucoup plus direct agrave jouer Il srsquoagit drsquoexercer nous mecircme des responsabiliteacutes et pour se faire drsquoecirctre eacutelu que ce soit au niveau local ou national En effet il est intoleacuterable que 95 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais aient plus de 40 ans (de mecircme qursquoil est anormal que plus de 80 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais soient des hommes)
Comment peut-on preacutetendre repreacute-senter un pays en excluant du Par-lement ceux qui seront les premiers toucheacutes par les politiques meneacutees notamment en matiegravere environne-mentale Les deacuteputeacutes drsquoaujourdrsquohui ne seront plus lagrave lorsque le reacutechauffe-ment climatique aura des conseacutequen-ces directes sur notre mode de vie
Il ne srsquoagit pas de dire que tous les deacuteputeacutes devraient avoir moins de 30 ans Mais il me semble normal que dans un pays les jeunes occupent une place dans les institutions afin de pouvoir deacutefendre les inteacuterecircts de la jeunesse Or les Verts sont un des seuls partis en France qui permet cela Notre secreacutetaire nationale (preacutesidente des Verts France) Ceacutecile Duflot est une jeune femme de 31 ans
Les Verts ont toujours eu comme objectif de faire de la laquo politique autrement raquo Cela signifie que le pouvoir politique ne doit pas rester entre les mains des hommes de plus de 40 ans
Selon vous quels sont les princi-paux deacutefis faces aux jeunes verts agrave Lyon en France
Le principal deacutefi est donc de se faire entendre que ce soit au niveau local ou au niveau national Et ce nrsquoest pas chose facile La preuve dans les banlieues le seul moyen qursquoont
trouveacute les jeunes pour se faire enten-dre crsquoest de bruler des voitures
Nous jeunes verts nous devons nous faire les portes paroles de cette jeunesse afin drsquoexprimer de faccedilon construite ce que les jeunes des banlieues ont tenteacute de dire par des moyens spectaculaire mais ineffica-ces
Nous devons donc convaincre les Verts mais aussi et surtout toute la socieacuteteacute que nous aussi nous avons des ideacutees que sommes conscients de ne pas avoir reacuteponse agrave tout car nous manquons drsquoexpeacuterience mais que nous sommes jusqursquoagrave preuve du con-traire les mieux placeacutes pour parler des problegravemes auxquels la jeunesse doit faire face
Le principal deacutefi que nous devons releveacute est donc celui de la creacutedibiliteacute ce qui nous impose de nous inves-tir beaucoup en politique afin de pouvoir ecirctre non seulement entendu mais aussi eacutecouteacutes et eacutelus
Quelle est la perception des verts agrave Lyon en France Selon-vous le mouvement vert souffre-t-il drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute ou drsquoimage
En France les Verts ont lrsquoimage drsquoun parti sympathique qui dit des choses inteacuteressantes mais qui nrsquoest pas assez bien structureacute pour ecirctre creacutedible
En effet les franccedilais ont je crois bien compris que les enjeux eacutecolo-giques seront les enjeux majeurs du 21egraveme siegravecle Plus personnes en France agrave quelques exceptions pregraves ne conteste la responsabiliteacute des activiteacutes humaines dans le reacutechauf-fement climatique et la majoriteacute de la population commence agrave prendre conscience qursquoun changement des comportements individuels est neacutecessaire
Cependant il est encore difficile de faire comprendre aux citoyens que les
politiques publiques doivent changer elles aussi Il ne suffit pas drsquoacheter des ampoules agrave eacuteconomies drsquoeacutenergie pour reacutesoudre la crise eacutecologique agrave laquelle nous faisons face
Lrsquoeacutecologie politique ce nrsquoest pas seulement srsquooccuper des petits oiseaux et des fleurs
Crsquoest aussi repenser notre systegraveme eacuteconomique afin que deacuteveloppement ne rime pas avec destruction de notre environnement
Crsquoest pourquoi selon moi il srsquoagit plus drsquoune crise drsquoimage que drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute Nous savons qui nous sommes et ce que nous pensons mais nous nrsquoarrivons pas toujours agrave communiquer
Les eacutelecteurs attendent des Verts qursquoils ne srsquooccupent que drsquoenviron-nement et de rien drsquoautre en laissant aux grands partis le soin de srsquooccuper du reste Notre responsabiliteacute crsquoest drsquoexpli-quer et de convaincre que lrsquoeacutecologie politique agrave vocation agrave se saisir de tous les sujets
Sur le logement par exemple les Verts proposent que tous les nou-veaux logements construits soient isoleacutes correctement afin de ne pas gaspiller de lrsquoeacutenergie en chauffage mais eacutegalement afin de reacuteduire la fac-ture drsquoeacutelectriciteacute ou de gaz des gens qui vivent dans ces logements
Or en France il est tregraves difficile de se loger actuellement car les loyers sont eacuteleveacutes et les charges (chauffages eau) elles aussi
Par cet exemple donc on voit bien que les Verts ce nrsquoest pas simple-ment la nature et la forecirct mais aussi le logement lrsquoemploi (la mise en place drsquoeacutenergies renouvelables crsquoest 400 000 emplois non deacutelocalisables creacuteeacutes) etc qui sont traditionnelle-ment des sujets ougrave les eacutelecteurs VOIR LA PAGE SUIVANTE
ENTR E VUE AVEC LOIumlC ROBERTPAR ADAM SOMMER FELD DESIGNER GR APHIQUE MONTREacuteAL DIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DE THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD laquo Agrave raquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 11
SUITE DE LA PAGE PREacuteCEacuteDANTE nrsquoattendent pas que les Verts se prononcent
Le deacutefis des Verts en France mais je crois partout dans le monde crsquoest de montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie politique est un paradigme eacuteconomique et po-litique agrave part entiegravere comme le sont le communisme le capitalisme
Il nous faut donc trouver le moyen drsquoavoir une image plus conforme agrave ce que nous sommes ce qui nrsquoest pas facile En effet les meacutedias jouent un grand rocircle dans le deacutebat politique et nous nrsquoavons que tregraves rarement la pa-role car nous sommes un petit parti
Or lorsque nous avons la parole la plupart du temps les journalistes nous interrogent sur nos laquo bagarres internes raquo et pas sur nos propositions Il faut donc que nous arrivions agrave nous imposer drsquoune part de reacutegler nos problegravemes internes discregravetement et ne pas eacutetaler nos divergences sur la place publique et qursquoagrave chaque inter-view nous reacuteussissions agrave ne parler que de nos ideacutees pour convaincre les eacutelecteurs qursquoelles sont bonnes
De quelle maniegravere les verts se sont-ils pencheacutes sur la question de comment le message du parti est communiqueacute au grand public
Les verts en France ne sont pas tregraves agrave lrsquoaise avec les meacutedias En tant que petit parti nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de paroles et crsquoest pourquoi il est difficile de parler de nos ideacutees Alors bien sucircr nous avons deacutejagrave reacutefleacutechi au problegraveme mais les reacuteponses ne sont pas simples et ce pour plusieurs raisons
Comme je lrsquoai dit nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de parole Lrsquoac-tualiteacute en France est domineacutee par les eacutelections preacutesidentielles qui auront lieu au printemps
Or degraves que nous les Verts sommes
inviteacutes dans les meacutedias les journalis-tes ne nous questionnent que sur nos conflits internes sur les sondages actuels qui sont mauvais sur ce que lrsquoon pense des autres candidats etc Mais jamais les journalistes ne nous demandent ce que lrsquoon pense sur le logement sur les OGM sur le nucleacuteaire ou sur les immigreacutes clandestins
Ainsi notre message ne peut pas passer Lrsquoeacutecologie est une chose complexe qui neacutecessite du temps pour ecirctre expliqueacutee La tendance actuelle est agrave la simplification des problegravemes politiques afin drsquoecirctre com-pris des citoyens Malheureusement lrsquoeacutecologie ne peut ecirctre simplifieacutee et nous nrsquoavons pas le temps de faire ce travail de peacutedagogie pour expliquer et convaincre les Franccedilais que notre projet est ambitieux et actuellement le seul capable de faire face agrave lrsquoenjeu eacutecologiqueCrsquoest donc un double travail qursquoil nous faut effectuer
Tout drsquoabord ecirctre plus visible dans les meacutedias sur les questions de fond et pas seulement pour commenter lrsquoactualiteacute des autres candidats Cela neacutecessite que les militants verts se mobilisent drsquoavantage afin de mettre en avant lrsquooriginaliteacute de notre projet et susciteacute un inteacuterecirct meacutediatique Pour exister il faut que nous soyons creacuteateur de deacutebats par des positions trancheacutees et des actions de terrain Nous ne devons plus suivre les deacutebats mais les conduire pour enrichir le deacutebat public de la theacutematique envi-ronnementale qui doit ecirctre centrale et sur laquelle les verts partout dans le monde sont les meilleurs
Ensuite il nous faut ecirctre peacutedagogue et expliquer lrsquoeacutecologie avec des mots simples mais sans simplifier et donc deacutenaturer le contenu de notre projet Nous ne devons pas apparaicirctre
comme des ennemis du progregraves qui voudraient revenir agrave la bougie et ha-biter dans une caverne Nous devons au contraire montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie crsquoest le progregraves Le progregraves crsquoest de pouvoir assurer agrave nos enfants et petits enfants une vie descente dans un en-vironnement saint Et pour cela nous avons besoin de reacuteduire nos deacutepenses eacutenergeacutetiques de sortir drsquoune socieacuteteacute de consommation destructrice de lrsquoenvironnement pour rentrer dans une socieacuteteacute sobre ougrave le relationnel et les rapports humains valent plus que les biens mateacuteriels
Crsquoest ce discours la qursquoil faut parvenir agrave faire passer Mais ce nrsquoest pas simple car la caricature est facile Certains nous considegraverent comme des fous furieux drsquoautres comme des nostalgique de la preacutehistoire Il faut leur montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie ce nrsquoest pas revenir dans le passeacute mais se creacuteer un avenir
Alors oui nous avons reacutefleacutechis sur le sujet Nous sommes conscients des difficulteacutes et nous tentons de les sur-monter Mais les Verts en France sont un parti jeune (24 ans) et nous man-quons certainement drsquoexpeacuterience Mais nous devons faire lrsquoeffort drsquoac-queacuterir cette expeacuterience tregraves vite car les meacutedias repreacutesentent aujourdrsquohui un pouvoir tregraves important certaine-ment aussi important que le pouvoir exeacutecutif ou leacutegislatif
Existe-t-il une solidariteacute ou une collaboration entre les verts (le parti politique) et les groupes eacutecologistes
Je ne suis pas un expert donc je ne mrsquoattarderais pas trop sur le sujet Bien entendu il y a une collaboration entre les Verts et les associations et groupes eacutecologistes Crsquoest mecircme pour cela que les Verts ont eacuteteacute creacuteeacutes en
France en 1984Le mouvement vert est neacute du
constat de nombreux eacutecologistes qui militaient dans des associations de protection de lrsquoenvironnement que lrsquoon ne pouvait changer vraiment les choses qursquoen eacutetant preacutesent dans les deacutebats politique Les Verts franccedilais sont donc au deacutepart le porte parole des associations de deacutefense de lrsquoenvi-ronnement
Lrsquoexemple le plus reacuteveacutelateur est la faccedilon dont les verts exercent leurs responsabiliteacutes politiques au niveau local Les Verts deacutefendent la deacutemo-cratie participative qui integravegre les citoyens au deacutebat avant de prendre une deacutecision qui aura des conseacute-quences sur leur environnement Par conseacutequent pour chaque projet les Verts srsquoimposent de consulter drsquoabord les associations locales de deacutefenses de lrsquoenvironnement pour connaicirctre leur avis car elles sont souvent de bons conseils eacutetant donneacute leur connais-sance du terrain
Par conseacutequent je dirais que le milieu politique et le milieu associatif sont deux mondes bien diffeacuterents qui nrsquoont pas le mecircme objectif Les associations sont lagrave pour interpeler les politiques et les politiques sont lagrave pour reacutepondre aux interpellations des associations Crsquoest pourquoi il nous faut travailler ensemble tout en deacutelimitant bien la frontiegravere entre les deux En effet les associations doivent ecirctre influentes sur tous les partis politiques et pas seulement les Verts De ce fait et afin de rester creacutedible il ne faut donc pas meacutelanger les Verts et les associations pour que ces derniegrave-res puissent influer eacutegalement sur les eacutelus des autres partis not
laquo LE DEacuteFIS DES VERTS EN FRANCE MAIS JE CROIS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE CrsquoEST DE MONTRER QUE LrsquoEacuteCOLOGIE POLITIQUE EST UN PARADIGME EacuteCONOMIQUE ET POLITIQUE Agrave PART ENTIEgraveRE COMME LE SONT LE COMMUNISME LE CAPITALISME raquo
FR SUITE SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
CONTENTSTHE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORT 13DEBUNKING KYOTO PROTOCOL CRITICS 14RESISTING MONOCULTURALISM 15OPINION MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE 17DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC 18 ECOPHILOSOPHY ndash ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO 19EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING 20GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET INTERVIEW WITH A YOUNG GREEN FROM FRANCE 21-22
CONTENURAPPORT DU CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS DU CANADA 3PLUS DE FEMMES CANDIDATES AUX EacuteLECTIONS 4DEacuteFAISONS LES ARGUMENTS ANTI-KYOTO 5LUTTER CONTRE LA MONOCULTURE 7LA DISCIPLINE DE PARTI ET LES ENTENTES SONT ANTI-DEacuteMOCRATIQUES 8CONSIDEacuteRONS LE POTENTIEL DU PORTE-Agrave-PORTE 9COUSINS TERRESTRES INTERVIEW AVEC UN JEUNE VERT FRANCcedilAIS 10-11
FA BRIQUEacute AU C A N A DAM A DE IN C A N A DA
CONTACT THEUNDER STORY ldquoAT rdquo GM AIL COM W W WGR EENPA RT YC A EN YOUNG _ GR EENS NE WSLE T TER
REDACTEUR EN CHEF MANAGING EDITOR GWEN MAYREDACTEUR ADJOINT SUBMISSIONS EDITOR DARCY HIGGINSREDACTEUR ADJOINT ASSOCIATE EDITOR SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMDIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DESIGN EDITOR ADAM SOMMERFELD
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTER
VOL1 NO5 MARS MARCH2OslashOslash7
VOTRE CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS Agrave OTTAWA LORS DE LEUR PREMIEgraveRE REacuteUNION MARS 2007YOUR YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL AT THEIR FIRST MEETING OTTAWA MARCH 2007
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 3
RAPPORT DU CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS DU CANADA
PAR LYNNE CHAMP OUX-WILLIAMSLYNNECHAMPOUX-WILLIAMS laquo Agrave raquo MAILMCGILLC A Eacute TUDIANTE EN ENVIRONNEMENT E T LINGUISTIQUE U MCGILLCOMMUNIC ATION FR ANCOPHONE CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS
Nous avons tout drsquoabord formeacute divers comiteacutes site web (devenu communi-cation) promotion et leveacutees de fonds
clubs universitaires preacuteparation agrave lrsquoeacutelection Nous utilisons Face-book et le courriel pour commu-niquer entre nous et la section Document et Tableur de Google pour partager des documents (tels que le budget et le plan geacuteneacuteral drsquoeacutelection)Nous maintiendrons le contenu jeunesse seacutepareacute sur le site du Parti Vert du Canada (PVC) jusqursquoagrave ce que notre site web soit ameacutelioreacute Nous enverrons un courriel geacuteneacuteral agrave lrsquoeffectif par mois (un par semaine durant les eacutelections) qui sera reacuteviseacute par le conseil avant lrsquoenvoi La chrono-logie du CJVC inclura la preacutepara-tion pour les eacutelections internes
La page Web du PVC sera utili-seacutee jusqursquoagrave ce que nous puissions deacutevelopper la nocirctre et les change-ments apporteacutes au contenu du site Web jeunesse seront reacuteviseacutes par le conseil avant affi chage Les Jeunes Verts du Canada auront deux bases de donneacutees de membres (une pour toutes les personnes-ressources et une pour les membres principaux) agrave moins qursquoune base de donneacutees inteacutegrants les deux en une puisse ecirctre deacuteveloppeacutee Le premier cour-riel aux membres sera envoyeacute apregraves la premiegravere rencontre en personne nous avons maintenant un repreacute-sentant au conseil du PVC et le document chronologique et budgeacute-taire sera compleacuteteacute agrave la rencontre en personne not
IL Y A DE LrsquoACTION AU CONSEIL JEUNES VERTS (CJVC) VOICI UN BREF REacuteSUMEacute DE CE QUI SrsquoEST PASSEacute DURANT FEacuteVRIER DERNIER
+
JAMES BROOKSCOMMUNICATIONS INTERNES
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSCOMMUNICATIONS FR ANCOPHONES
TANNER WALDODIRECTEUR DE LrsquoADMINISTR ATION ET DES FINANCES
K ATIE GIBBSDIRECTRICE DE LrsquoORGANISATION
JARED GIESBRECHT DIRECTEUR DE LrsquoORGANISATION
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONDIRECTRICE DE LrsquoORGANISATION
JASON HAMMOND DIRECTEUR ADJOINT
MEGAN DIETRECH DIRECTRICE ADJOINTE
BEN R ANKIN COMMUNICATIONS EX TERNES
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 4
uand jrsquoai vu la liste de candidats pour la premiegravere eacutelection du Conseil des jeunes verts une question mrsquoa sauteacute agrave lrsquoesprit laquo Ougrave sont les femmes
raquo Je dois avouer que jrsquoeacutetais fort deacuteccedilu du faible taux de participa-tion des femmes ndash seulement 6 femmes se sont preacutesenteacutees pour un des 28 postes disponibles soit un pourcentage de 214 des candidats
Armeacute de cette statistique (avouons que mecircme Jim Harris aurait de la peine agrave travailler avec un tel chiffre) jrsquoai envoyeacute des courriels agrave quelques-unes des femmes plus actives au sein des jeunes verts qui malgreacute leur haut profi l nrsquoavaient pas poseacute leur candidature aux eacutelections Les reacuteponses agrave mes courriels furent tant mystifi antes que frustrantes laquo Je suis trop occupeacuteeraquo ou laquo Je nrsquoy avais pas songeacute raquo eacutetaient les deux reacuteponses les plus communes Tout ce temps je me disais laquo Pourtant les femmes se disent ecirctre geacuteneacuteralement en colegravere vis-agrave-vis leur marginalisation dans la socieacuteteacute Elles se plaignent qursquoelles nrsquoont pas une place agrave la table raquo
Avant drsquoaller plus loin jrsquoaimerais feacuteliciter les femmes qui ont poseacute leur candidature aux eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts Le sujet de
lrsquoineacutegaliteacute des sexes dans le domaine de la politique est souvent discuteacute Comment eacuteliminer les barriegraveres face agrave lrsquoaugmentation de la participation des femmes Le nouveau chef libeacuteral Steacutephane Dion parle drsquoun renouvelle-ment drsquoeffort sur ce front En fait il va mecircme jusqursquoagrave dire que dans certai-nes circonscriptions cleacutes seules les femmes seront eacuteligibles aux nomina-tions pour repreacutesenter le parti lors du prochain scrutin feacutedeacuteral Pour ma part je nrsquoai pas constateacute qursquoil y avait des barriegraveres qui empecircchaient les femmes agrave se preacutesenter lors des eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts Ce qui mrsquoamegravene agrave faire ce commen-taire Femmes agrave vous drsquoassumer votre place agrave la table Votre poste dans les couloirs du pouvoir ne vous sera pas apporteacute sur un plateau ou sous la guise de programmes ou subventions gouvernementales La socieacuteteacute peut seulement agir jusqursquoagrave un certain point pour ocircter les barriegrave-res obstruant lrsquoeacutegaliteacute politique des femmes Le reste est agrave vous agissez Je veux toutefois ecirctre clair sur un point je suis entiegraverement en faveur de programmes ou de subventions publiques qui ont comme but drsquoap-porter un soutien aux foyers mono-parentaux aux femmes victimes de violence conjugale ou aux femmes agrave bas revenus qui souhaitent obtenir une eacuteducation postsecondaire dans
le but drsquoameacuteliorer leur situation eacuteco-nomique Mais outre ces exceptions valables il est temps de reacuteeacutevaluer lrsquoutiliteacute de la plupart des programmes gouvernementaux pour les femmes Certains de ces programmes ont peut-ecirctre lrsquoeffet inverse de creacuteer une deacutependance ou une indiffeacuterence chez les femmes comme nous le voyons avec certains programmes pour les autochtones
Je lance un deacutefi aux lectrices de cet article Donnez-moi de bonnes raisons pour lesquelles il nrsquoy avait que 6 femmes qui ont soumis leur candidature aux eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts ndash et tenez compte du fait que certains des postes eacutetaient reacuteserveacutes uniquement aux femmes
Nous avons eacuteteacute teacutemoin de la colegravere des femmes face aux coupures du gouvernement Harper dans les programmes destineacutes aux femmes Pourquoi ne pas reacuteaffecter cette colegravere de faccedilon tangible en vous preacutesentant aux eacutelections Ce nrsquoest peut-ecirctre pas ma place de question-ner la validiteacute de ces programmes mais drsquoun autre cocircteacute je constate un manque de volonteacute chez les femmes quand il en vient agrave leur participation au processus politique Qursquoest-ce qui est plus important deacutebattre le principe de lrsquoeacutegaliteacute ou drsquoagir de faccedilon pratique pour en faire une reacutealiteacute Le faible taux de partici-
pation des femmes au cours des eacutelections inaugurales du Conseil des jeunes verts aurait causeacute une grande peine chez les heacuteroiumlnes du passeacute qui se sont battues chaire et acircme pour ameacuteliorer le sort des femmes dans la socieacuteteacute Je perccedilois une grande apathie et mecircme ndash ose-je le dire ndash un peu de vaniteacute chez certaines femmes drsquoaujourdrsquohui Je ne sais pas si crsquoest reacutealiste de dire qursquoun taux de participation de 50 serait la seule preuve drsquoune vraie et franche eacutegaliteacute entre les sexes dans le domaine de la politique Mais une chose est sucircre tant que les femmes ne saisissent pas lrsquoopportuniteacute de preacutesenter leur candidature aux eacutelections les choses ne changeront pas Je souhaite voir un plus grand nombre de candidates au cours des prochaines eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes vert et au cours de la prochaine eacutelection geacuteneacuterale Quant agrave lrsquoeacutegaliteacute des sexes lrsquoindif-feacuterence des femmes nuit beaucoup plus agrave la cause que des coupures budgeacutetaires Jeunes femmes je vous implore ne vous reposez pas sur vos lauriers Vos ancecirctres se sont battus pour vous rendez-leur honneur en vous preacutesentant comme candidates Quand jrsquoy pense les hommes sont peut-ecirctre un peu mieux sensibiliseacute aux pratiques de lrsquoeacutegaliteacute que les femmes Femmes prouvez-moi que jrsquoai tort je vous en prie not
laquo DONNEZ-MOI DE BONNES RAISONS POUR LESQUELLES IL NrsquoY AVAIT QUE 6 FEMMES QUI ONT SOUMIS LEUR CANDIDATURE AUX EacuteLECTIONS DU CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS raquo
PLUS DE FEMMESDOIVENT SE PREacuteSENTER
PAR BARTON CUT TENBARTON819 laquo Agrave raquo HOTMAILCOM NATIF DE BIBLE-HILL EN NOUVELLES EacuteCOSSE ANCIEN C ANDIDAT DU PARTI VERT DE L A N-Eacute EN 200 6ILLUSTR ATION PAR VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD laquo Agrave raquo HOTMAILCOM
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 5
DEacuteFAISONS LES ARGUMENTS ANTI-KYOTO
PAR SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN laquo Agrave raquo YAHOOCOMANCIEN C ANDIDAT VERT Agrave 18 ANS DANS CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER AC TUELLEMENT REacuteDAC TEUR EN CHEF ADJOINT DE THE UNDERSTORY
Quoique la Chine lrsquoInde et drsquoautres pays eacutemergents soient membres du Protocole de Kyoto ils nrsquoont aucune obligation de reacuteduire leurs gaz agrave effet de serre Donc tout effort est futile
bullCet argument contient un peu de veacuteriteacute mais heureusement nrsquoest pas sans faille Quand une personne senseacutee prend connaissance drsquoun problegraveme elle travaille drsquoabord agrave le reacutesoudre et puis essaie de convain-cre son entourage de faire de mecircme Par exemple si vous observez un environnement social malsain ducirc agrave un manque de respect geacuteneacuteraliseacute vous commencez par ecirctre respec-tueux et espeacuterez que votre exemple aura un impact La mecircme chose srsquoapplique au Protocole de Kyoto
Mecircme si le Canada atteignait les objectifs auquel il a souscrit ce se-rait un effort inutile puisque nos eacutemissions comptent pour seule-ment 3 des eacutemissions mondiales
bullUne fois de plus crsquoest plein de bon sens drsquoagir comme un modegravele
de la voie agrave suivre Eacutegalement si tout le monde utilisait des argu-ments similaires nous nrsquoarriverions jamais agrave rien que ce soit dans notre combat contre le reacutechauffement de la planegravete ou le travail des enfants
Et puisque le Japon et lrsquoEurope es-saient deacutejagrave drsquoacheter des creacutedits il nrsquoen resterait plus pour nous
bullCrsquoest une fausse supposition Rien ne nous empecircche de nous battre pour ces creacutedits et crsquoest preacute-somptueux de preacutetendre que lrsquooffre de creacutedit de carbone va demeurer aussi basse dans les anneacutees agrave venir
Consideacuterant que les eacutemissions de gaz agrave effet de serre aux Eacutetats-Unis et en Australie nrsquoont pas augmenteacute autant qursquoau Canada cela deacutemon-tre que les mesures volontaires sont plus effi caces que les cibles obligatoires du Protocole de Kyoto et que les cibles obligatoires en geacuteneacuteral ne fonctionnent pas
bullVoyons rien nrsquoempecircche une compagnie ou un pays de reacuteduire
volontairement ces eacutemissions agrave tout moment ils peuvent inventer ou mettre en œuvre toutes les mesures volontaires qursquoils souhaitent Par conseacutequent aucune mesure volon-taire ne marche forceacutement mieux qursquoune mesure coercitive La seule fois qursquoune mesure volontaire sem-ble ecirctre plus effi cace est lorsqursquoelle est mis en œuvre en parallegravele avec des incitatifs Mais une fois encore rien nrsquoa empecirccheacute les gouvernements passeacutes de donner des incitatifs Le Protocole de Kyoto ne nous a jamais empecirccheacutes de faire ccedila
Oui mais le Protocole de Kyoto ne nous a pas aideacute agrave reacuteduire nos eacutemis-sions de gaz agrave effet de serre
bullUne de mes amies vertes pacircles a une fois utiliseacute cet argument Ma reacuteponse a eacuteteacute que les reacutesultats pro-duits par le Protocole de Kyoto nrsquoont pas encore eacuteteacute compileacute et ils ne le seront pas jusqursquoen 2012 Eacutevaluer la performance du Protocole de Kyoto maintenant est lrsquoeacutequivalent de dire que Schumaker ne peut pas gagner
la course quand aucune auto For-mule Un nrsquoa franchi la ligne drsquoarri-veacutee De plus la plupart des meacutecanis-mes qui font lrsquoessence du Protocole de Kyoto comme le Meacutecanisme de Deacuteveloppement Propre nrsquoont mecircme pas encore eacuteteacute utiliseacute et les incitatifs au cœur de Kyoto ne sont pas encore reacuteel Et crsquoest pour cela que Harper souhaite sortir le Canada du Pro-tocole de Kyotomdashil a jusqursquoen 2008 pour le faire Autrement si nous ne remplissons pas nos obligations drsquoici 2012 nous aurons agrave payer une grosse peacutenaliteacute fi nanciegravere Crsquoest en cela que constitue lrsquoincitatif Donc quand quelqursquoun me dit que le Pro-tocole de Kyoto ne fonctionne pas je leur reacuteponds que la plupart des meacutecanismes qui se trouve dans le protocole ne sont mecircme pas utiliseacutes En drsquoautres mots il ne faut pas juger le reacutesultat drsquoune course qui nrsquoa pas commenceacutee Neacuteanmoins certains pays ont pris de lrsquoavance pendant que drsquoautres ont pris un important retard not
laquo EacuteVALUER LA PERFORMANCE DU PROTOCOLE DE KYOTO MAIN-TENANT EST LrsquoEacuteQUIVALENT DE DIRE QUE SCHUMAKER NE PEUT PAS GAGNER LA COURSE QUAND AUCUNE AUTO FORMULE UN NrsquoA FRANCHI LA LIGNE DrsquoARRIVEacuteE raquo
En tant que vert je suis certain que vous voyez le Protocole de Kyoto comme une eacutetape neacutecessaire mais vous connaissez peut-ecirctre des sceptiques qui se font facilement infl uenceacutes par les deacutemagogues Par conseacutequent je vais deacutefaire dans cet article quelques uns des arguments contre le Protocole de Kyoto Mon approche sera de reacutesumer chaque argument et puis de le deacutefaire
IDEacuteES VERTES (VOUS NrsquoEcircTES PAS SEULS)
PAROLES VERTES(EXPRIMEZ-VOUS DANS LE MAGAZINE THE UNDERSTORY)
(SOUMETTEZ VOS IDEacuteES ET VOTRE TRAVAIL Agrave DARCYHIGGINS laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)(SI VOUS DEacuteSIREZ PLUS DrsquoINFORMATION EacuteCRIVEZ Agrave LrsquoADRESSE SUIVANTE THEUNDERSTORY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory est un nouveau mensuel par lequel srsquoexprime la jeunesse verte du Canada Envoyez-nous vos articles vos photographies vos dessins ou tout autre travail qui meacuterite drsquoecirctre publieacute
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 7
LUTTER CONTRE LA MONOCULTURE
ensant deacutejagrave agrave lrsquoimpor-tance de la diver-siteacute au Canada jrsquoai assisteacute agrave un discours de David Suzuki dans lequel il mention-nait lrsquoimportance de
toutes les sortes de diversiteacute La vie srsquoembellit suite agrave la diversiteacute biologique et culturelle a-t-il dit laquo Ccedila a eacuteteacute la cleacute de notre succegraves raquo Une affirmation inspirante consi-deacuterant qursquoon entend continuelle-ment combien comme Canadiens nous vivons dans une socieacuteteacute diverse Si la diversiteacute nous a meneacute si loin il est certain que la diversiteacute nous poussera encore plus loin non
Mais ce qursquoa dit le Docteur Suzuki apregraves mrsquoa fait reacutefleacutechir encore plus laquo Nous sommes en train de creacuteer une mono-culture sur la terre avec notre conception du progregraves raquo Ce qui veut dire que comme socieacuteteacute nous tendons agrave nous conformer agrave la norme et nous tenir au milieu Nous avons adopteacute un principal plan drsquoaffaire et un modegravele de croissance Nous avons
pris ce qui marchait et lrsquoavons pousseacute jusqursquoagrave son extrecircme limite Trop peu freacutequemment cependant nous pre-nons la peine de consideacuterer les autres options disponiblesmdashles options plus durables
Avec la monteacutee du Parti Vert ces autres options sont suggeacutereacutees re-connues et lentement mais sucircrement incorporeacutees au sein de la culture Ca-nadienne et des politiques Canadien-nes Aussi inspirant que cela puisse ecirctre crsquoest important de se souvenir qursquoil y a beaucoup de travail en ter-mes de diversiteacute raciale ethnique et culturelle au sein du gouvernement et de la socieacuteteacute Trop souvent alors que nous vantons notre politique baseacute sur le multiculturalisme nous ne parvenons pas agrave inteacutegrer ce que cela veut vraiment dire
Le critique aux droits humains et agrave la reacuteforme de la fonction publique du Parti Vert Joe Foster mrsquoa dit que la diversiteacute affecte plus drsquoenjeux que lrsquoon pourrait initialement penser Bien que son portfolio portant sur les droits humains touche eacutevidemment les enjeux de diversiteacute agrave tout moment
la diversiteacute apparaicirct eacutegalement lors-qursquoil est question de la reacuteforme de la fonction publique laquo Un problegraveme ma-jeur dans la fonction publique est le manque de minoriteacutes visibles qui sont engageacutees raquo a-t-il dit Le problegraveme est aussi refleacuteteacute dans la composition des eacutelus partout au pays laquo Si lrsquoon a des po-liticiens qui repreacutesentent le Canada ils doivent provenir de diffeacuterents milieux raquo Quoique le Canada soit lrsquoun des meilleurs exemples deacutemontrant que le multiculturalisme fonctionne il dit que ce nrsquoest pas assez Pendant que la population est de plus en plus diverse le gouvernement nrsquoa pas fourni les ressources neacutecessaires pour assurer une socieacuteteacute diverse et sucircre Comme il dit laquo il y a un besoin eacutenorme de reconnaicirctre la diver-siteacute Ccedila devrait ecirctre vu comme un investissement qui a pour but de faire du Canada une nation harmonieuse raquo Eacutechouer dit-il ne fera pas du tort seulement aux minoriteacutes mais agrave la socieacuteteacute entiegravere laquo Peu importe quel point de vue on prend il y a diffeacuterents groupes qui forment un pays Si lrsquoon en exclue on va perdre la richesse
que ce groupe a agrave offrir raquo Le critique agrave la justice du Parti
Vert Rebecca Bromwich est drsquoac-cord qursquoen tant que parti politique nous avons besoin de nous adresser aux enjeux de diversiteacute afin drsquoecirctre preacutepareacute agrave gouverner le pays laquo Eacutevidemment il y a beaucoup de di-versiteacute dans notre pays raquo a-t-elle dit laquo Crsquoest tregraves important que tous soient traiteacutes eacutequitablement raquo Elle a dit que les jeunes en particulier devraient voir la diversiteacute comme un enjeu im-portant et universel laquo La population des jeunes est plus diverse que la geacuteneacuteration plus acircgeacutee raquo a-t-elle dit laquo La faccedilon dont les choses se deacutevelop-pent aujourdrsquohui aura un impact agrave long terme sur les jeunes raquo
Comme jeune politiseacute nous avons besoin drsquoecirctre continuellement cons-cient de la diversiteacute qui nous entoure Acceptant la suggestion de David Suzuki agrave lrsquoeffet que la diversiteacute a eacuteteacute la cleacute du deacuteveloppement humain si nous voulons que le Canada continue agrave srsquoeacutepanouir nous devons accepter et encourager la diversiteacute sous toutes ces formes not
PAR LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA EST EacuteTUDIANTE EN SCIENCE POLITIQUE Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute DE QUEENrsquo S ELLE TR AVAIL POUR LE JOURNAL EacuteTUDIANT DE QUEENrsquo S ILLUSTR ATION PAR VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 8
LA POLITIQUE AUTREMENT
LA DISCIPLINE DE PARTI ET LES ENTENTES SONT ANTIDEacuteMOCRATIQUES
e suis certain que nous sommes tous drsquoaccord pour dire qursquoil y a plu-sieurs problegravemes avec les partis politiques au Canada Mais selon moi deux des problegravemes les
plus nuisibles pour la deacutemocratie sont la discipline de parti et les ententes entre partis Les deux impliquent un controcircle de la direction du parti agrave lrsquoendroit de la base du parti et reacutesulte en la destruction de la diversiteacute poli-tique et ideacuteologique agrave lrsquointeacuterieur drsquoun parti politique Jrsquoespegravere que nous les jeunes verts pourront travailler agrave empecirccher les ententes et la discipline de parti de prendre racine agrave lrsquointeacuterieur du Parti Vert du Canada
La discipline de parti se produit lorsque la direction drsquoun parti dicte agrave leurs candidats comment preacutesenter certaines politiques durant une eacutelec-tion et et lorsqursquoon dit aux deacuteputeacutes comment voter agrave voter agrave la Chambre des communes Eacutevidemment le problegraveme avec cette pratique tregraves courante est que cela ne permet pas aux parlementaires de voter dans la Chambre des communes selon les aspirations de leurs eacutelecteurs Donc le deacuteputeacute ne repreacutesente plus les gens qui lrsquoont eacutelu
Les ententes se produisent lors-que la direction drsquoun parti se met drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un candidat sans panache un laquo poteau raquo dans le jargon politique dans certaines circonscriptions en eacutechange qursquoun autre parti fasse pareil dans un autre comteacute Par exemple la direction du NPD pourrait se mettre drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un laquo poteau raquo dans un comteacute ougrave les libeacuteraux ont de bonnes
chances de battre les conservateurs En eacutechange la direction du Parti Libeacuteral se mettrait drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un poteau dans un comteacute lagrave ougrave le NDP a de bonnes chance de battre les conservateurs
Ces pratiques sont tregraves couran-tes en politique canadienne parce qursquoelles facilitent un gain politique agrave court terme Cependant ces deux pratiques limitent eacutegalement les deacutebats sur les politiques gouverne-mentales et deacutecouragent la diversiteacute drsquoopinion Par conseacutequent ces deux pratiques nuisent de maniegravere signifi-cative agrave notre deacutemocratie
Notez que les ententes impliquent que la direction du parti deacutecide quels candidats repreacutesenteront le parti dans un comteacute speacutecifique Les enten-tes megravenent eacutegalement naturellement agrave une discipline de parti stricte Quand une entente est conclue entre les strategraveges de deux partis les citoyens du comteacute en question se font simplement dire qui va les laquo re-preacutesenter raquo Et par conseacutequent leur soit disant repreacutesentant (si eacutelu) est envoyeacute agrave Ottawa sans lrsquoappui concret de leurs membres locaux et devient donc tregraves faible dans sa capaciteacute de srsquoopposer agrave la discipline de parti Si un deacuteputeacute veut plus que simplement suivre la ligne de parti telle que dic-teacutee par la haute direction du parti il doit avoir eacuteteacute choisi localement pour repreacutesenter ces eacutelecteurs
Pour nous les Verts la deacutemocra-tie participative et la diversiteacute sont importantes et sont des principes fondateurs dans notre politique Une des meilleures faccedilons drsquoavoir une di-versiteacute politique est de srsquoassurer que tous les candidats soient librement choisis par les membres du Parti Vert dans leur comteacute plutocirct que choi-
sis par lrsquoexeacutecutif du parti Faire des ententes est une pratique qui con-centre le pouvoir au sein des partis et creacutee des structures hieacuterarchiques deacutevastatrices pour la deacutemocratie en eacuteliminant la diversiteacute
Au congregraves du Parti Vert en aoucirct 2006 une reacutesolution cherchant agrave permettre la direction du Parti agrave faire des ententes avec drsquoautres par-tis a eacuteteacute proposeacutee Cette reacutesolution suggeacuterait de donner agrave lrsquoexeacutecutif du Parti le pouvoir de retirer un can-didat sans consideacuterer lrsquoopinion des membres locaux Je suis heureux de vous dire que cette reacutesolution a eacuteteacute deacutefaite et que les membres du Parti Vert ont deacutemontreacute leur engagement envers la diversiteacute politique au sein drsquoune deacutemocratie repreacutesentative Cependant je suis triste de constater
que crsquoest toujours un deacutebat au sein du parti
Je suis confiant que le deacutebat concernant les ententes entre partis deviendra plus prononceacute tandis que notre parti continuera agrave croicirctre Jrsquoespegravere sincegraverement que les jeunes verts plus que quiconque dans le parti souviendront de lrsquoimportance de la repreacutesentation locale au deacuteve-loppement de la diversiteacute politique En effet jrsquoespegravere que nous nous impliquerons dans nos associations locales du Parti Vert et aiderons agrave nominer des candidats du Parti Vert pour nous repreacutesenter Dans cet es-prit si vous avez besoin drsquoaide pour contacter votre organisation locale du Parti Vert veuillez envoyer un courriel au Conseil des jeunes verts agrave jeunesse laquo agrave raquo partivertca not
laquo LA DIVERSITEacute POLI-TIQUE CrsquoEST LAISSER LES MEMBRES DE CHAQUE COMTEacute CHOI-SIR LEUR CANDIDATE PLUTOcircT QUE LrsquoEXEacute-CUTIF DU PARTI raquo
PAR JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBR ECHT laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMEacuteTUDIANT EN DROIT Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute QUEENrsquo S PREacuteSIDENT DES QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp REacuteDACTEUR EN CHEF FONDATEUR DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 9
CONSIDEacuteRONS LE POTENTIEL DU PORTE-Agrave-PORTE
n dimanche apregraves-midi de janvier je marche prudem-ment dans une salle de reacuteunion agrave Kingston Jrsquoy trouve environ une douzaine
de personnes et ils me semblent tous tregraves relaxe consideacuterant ce que lrsquoon srsquoapprecircte agrave faire ce qui est drsquoapprendre agrave faire du deacutemarchage ou du porte-agrave-porte En fait je ne serais pas en train drsquoeacutecrire srsquoil srsquoagissait simplement de porte-agrave-porte conventionnel quelque chose que jrsquoeacutevite autant que possible Cet atelier concerne le dialogue deacutemocratique via le porte-agrave-porte (D3 en anglais) un nouveau style de campagne unique au Parti Vert et jusqursquoici unique aux Verts de Kingston
Selon le guide de formation sur le D3 laquo Le Dialogue Deacutemocratique est plus qursquoune strateacutegie de campagne Cette meacutethode nous distinguera des vieux partis politiques en encour-ageant des relations authentiques et durables entre le Parti Vert et les citoyens verts raquo
D3 est lrsquoideacutee originale drsquoAndrew McCann un reacutesident de Kingston Le but de D3 est de prendre cette activiteacute campagne et de la trans-former en conversation qui permet aux participants drsquoapprendre lrsquoun de lrsquoautre plutocirct qursquoun discours agres-sif orienteacute sur la vente
McCann a commenceacute agrave penser agrave une nouvelle approche au deacutemar-chage lrsquoanneacutee derniegravere lorsqursquoil a accompagneacute son ami Eric Walton un candidat du Parti Vert feacutedeacuteral lors de son deacutemarchage durant
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa premiegravere expeacuterience de campagne politique et il a eacuteteacute frappeacute qursquoune conversation avec quelqursquoun sur leur perron agrave propos de politique constitue de la deacutemocratie
Ayant gagneacute une compreacutehension conventionnelle du deacutemarchage politique McCann a preacutesenteacute en deacutecembre sa nouvelle faccedilon de faire campagne aux supporteurs Verts de Kingston et a eu le feu vert
laquo Jrsquoai demandeacute agrave une association de comteacute de penser agrave faire cam-pagne avec cette perspective et ils ont deacutecideacute drsquoessayer raquo a dit McCann laquo Tu ne vends rien tu converses seulement et donc tu ne te sens pas comme un vendeur don-nant son discours raquo
Cette ideacutee a eacuteteacute reacutepeacuteteacutee tout au long de lrsquoatelier auquel jrsquoai participeacute Nous nrsquoessayons pas de changer les opinions des gens nous voulons simplement savoir ce que la per-sonne dans cette maison pense de la politique en geacuteneacuteral et du Parti Vert en particulier laquo Crsquoest quelque chose que je peux faire raquo je crois laquo Je nrsquoai jamais eacuteteacute tregraves bon agrave convaincre quiconque de quoique ce soit mais je peux probablement les eacutecouter raquo
En deacuteveloppant et en enseignant D3 McCann se retrouve agrave deacutepous-sieacuterer des outils politiques oublieacutes McCann nrsquoa deacutecouvert pratique-ment aucun mateacuteriel sur le porte-
agrave-porte Il y a certainement rien au Parti Vert et si les autres parties ont du mateacuteriel sur le porte-agrave-porte ils le gardent secret Il y a aussi aucun mateacuteriel acadeacutemique sur le porte-agrave-porte selon lui
McCann a lrsquoimpression que cela srsquoexplique par le fait que le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest pas consideacutereacute comme faisant partie de lrsquoarsenal typique de la politique du 21iegraveme siegravecle Lrsquoarsenal standard est lrsquoutilisation des meacutedias les pancartes etc en drsquoautres mots des outils de cam-pagne qursquoun quartier geacuteneacuteral peut facilement controcircler et propager Le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest ni lrsquoune de ces choses parce que crsquoest deacutecentraliseacute Crsquoest comme McCann dit laquo aussi citoyen que ccedila puisse ecirctre raquo
Donc McCann nrsquoa aucune bro-chure et peu de preacuteceacutedent Mais ce preacuteceacutedent existe
laquo Il y a deacutejagrave une roue et D3 nrsquoessaie pas de la reacuteinventer Ap-prenons simplement agrave comment lrsquoutiliser agrave nouveau agrave la deacutepoussieacuter-er et agrave lrsquohuiler Crsquoest une roue sans
manuel drsquoinstruction raquoMcCann espegravere que lrsquoapproche
D3 sera eacuteventuellement introduite agrave toutes les associations du Parti Vert Il pense que les organisations locales du parti seront capables drsquoutiliser la strateacutegie D3 de trois faccedilons la premiegravere faccedilon est comme programme de formation au porte-agrave-porte pour les nouveaux beacuteneacutev-oles la deuxiegraveme faccedilon est comme strateacutegie de campagne precircte agrave servir qui puissent ecirctre utiliseacute durant les eacutelections et la troisiegraveme faccedilon est comme ressource sur agrave quoi srsquoattendre durant une campagne de porte-agrave-porte en se basant sur les reacutesultats du projet D3 des Verts de Kingston
Quoique cette phase de D3 soit encore dans le futur les choses bou-gent et un jour peu lointain avec un peu de chance tous les jeunes verts seront engageacutes dans un dialogue deacutemocratique avec la personne au fond de la rue qursquoils nrsquoont jamais rencontreacutee auparavant not
laquo IL A EacuteTEacute FRAPPEacute QUrsquoUNE CONVERSA-TION AVEC QUEL-QUrsquoUN SUR LEUR PERRON Agrave PROPOS DE POLITIQUE CONSTITUE DE LA DEacuteMOCRATIE raquo
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa
GWEN MAYGWENMAY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMMEMBRE DES QUEEN rsquo S GREENS Agrave Lrsquo U QUEEN rsquo S (BEN OUI ) REacuteDAC TRICE EN CHEF DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 10
SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES
UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert originaire de Lyon a 21 ans et eacutetudie actuellement le droit europeacuteen agrave Louvain en Belgique pour 1 an avant de retourner en France lrsquoan-neacutee prochaine poursuivre ses eacutetudes avec une speacutecialisation en droits de la personne Membre des verts depuis 4 ans il a eacuteteacute preacutesident des jeunes verts de Lyon pendant 1 an Il fait mainte-nant partie de la commission justice des verts et participe agrave lrsquoeacutelaboration du programme des verts en matiere de justice Jrsquoai eu la chance de correspon-dre avec lui eacutelectroniquement pour mieux connaicirctre la perspective verte franccedilaise
Comment concevez-vous du rocircle des jeunes au sein des verts
Les jeunes ont toujours eu un grand rocircle pour faire eacutevoluer la so-cieacuteteacute Crsquoest particuliegraverement vrai en France puisque par exemple mai 68 a eacuteteacute le moteur drsquoune contestation de lrsquoordre eacutetabli Les eacuteveacutenements de mai 68 ont permis de remettre en cause une socieacuteteacute ougrave les jeunes nrsquoavaient pas droit agrave la parole et ougrave seule une eacutelite monopolisait le pouvoir
Drsquoune part les jeunes doivent sensibiliser les Verts pour que le parti puisse porter nos revendications Ce premier rocircle est donc plutocirct celui drsquoun lobby jeune afin que les Verts pren-nent conscience des difficulteacutes ren-contreacutees par la jeunesse aujourdrsquohui
Les conditions de vie de la jeunesse en France sont en effet difficiles le chocircmage touche en particulier les jeunes il est difficile de trouver un logement et par conseacutequent drsquoecirctre autonome vis-agrave-vis de ses parents les eacutetudes coucirctent chegraveres et ne sont donc pas accessible agrave tous
Ce rocircle de la jeunesse nrsquoest pas speacutecifique aux Verts Tous les partis devraient entendre ce que leur disent les jeunes Mais il nrsquoy a que chez les
Verts (en France en tout cas) que le parti prend vraiment en consideacutera-tion ce que disent les jeunes
Drsquoautre part les jeunes ont eacutegale-ment un rocircle beaucoup plus direct agrave jouer Il srsquoagit drsquoexercer nous mecircme des responsabiliteacutes et pour se faire drsquoecirctre eacutelu que ce soit au niveau local ou national En effet il est intoleacuterable que 95 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais aient plus de 40 ans (de mecircme qursquoil est anormal que plus de 80 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais soient des hommes)
Comment peut-on preacutetendre repreacute-senter un pays en excluant du Par-lement ceux qui seront les premiers toucheacutes par les politiques meneacutees notamment en matiegravere environne-mentale Les deacuteputeacutes drsquoaujourdrsquohui ne seront plus lagrave lorsque le reacutechauffe-ment climatique aura des conseacutequen-ces directes sur notre mode de vie
Il ne srsquoagit pas de dire que tous les deacuteputeacutes devraient avoir moins de 30 ans Mais il me semble normal que dans un pays les jeunes occupent une place dans les institutions afin de pouvoir deacutefendre les inteacuterecircts de la jeunesse Or les Verts sont un des seuls partis en France qui permet cela Notre secreacutetaire nationale (preacutesidente des Verts France) Ceacutecile Duflot est une jeune femme de 31 ans
Les Verts ont toujours eu comme objectif de faire de la laquo politique autrement raquo Cela signifie que le pouvoir politique ne doit pas rester entre les mains des hommes de plus de 40 ans
Selon vous quels sont les princi-paux deacutefis faces aux jeunes verts agrave Lyon en France
Le principal deacutefi est donc de se faire entendre que ce soit au niveau local ou au niveau national Et ce nrsquoest pas chose facile La preuve dans les banlieues le seul moyen qursquoont
trouveacute les jeunes pour se faire enten-dre crsquoest de bruler des voitures
Nous jeunes verts nous devons nous faire les portes paroles de cette jeunesse afin drsquoexprimer de faccedilon construite ce que les jeunes des banlieues ont tenteacute de dire par des moyens spectaculaire mais ineffica-ces
Nous devons donc convaincre les Verts mais aussi et surtout toute la socieacuteteacute que nous aussi nous avons des ideacutees que sommes conscients de ne pas avoir reacuteponse agrave tout car nous manquons drsquoexpeacuterience mais que nous sommes jusqursquoagrave preuve du con-traire les mieux placeacutes pour parler des problegravemes auxquels la jeunesse doit faire face
Le principal deacutefi que nous devons releveacute est donc celui de la creacutedibiliteacute ce qui nous impose de nous inves-tir beaucoup en politique afin de pouvoir ecirctre non seulement entendu mais aussi eacutecouteacutes et eacutelus
Quelle est la perception des verts agrave Lyon en France Selon-vous le mouvement vert souffre-t-il drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute ou drsquoimage
En France les Verts ont lrsquoimage drsquoun parti sympathique qui dit des choses inteacuteressantes mais qui nrsquoest pas assez bien structureacute pour ecirctre creacutedible
En effet les franccedilais ont je crois bien compris que les enjeux eacutecolo-giques seront les enjeux majeurs du 21egraveme siegravecle Plus personnes en France agrave quelques exceptions pregraves ne conteste la responsabiliteacute des activiteacutes humaines dans le reacutechauf-fement climatique et la majoriteacute de la population commence agrave prendre conscience qursquoun changement des comportements individuels est neacutecessaire
Cependant il est encore difficile de faire comprendre aux citoyens que les
politiques publiques doivent changer elles aussi Il ne suffit pas drsquoacheter des ampoules agrave eacuteconomies drsquoeacutenergie pour reacutesoudre la crise eacutecologique agrave laquelle nous faisons face
Lrsquoeacutecologie politique ce nrsquoest pas seulement srsquooccuper des petits oiseaux et des fleurs
Crsquoest aussi repenser notre systegraveme eacuteconomique afin que deacuteveloppement ne rime pas avec destruction de notre environnement
Crsquoest pourquoi selon moi il srsquoagit plus drsquoune crise drsquoimage que drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute Nous savons qui nous sommes et ce que nous pensons mais nous nrsquoarrivons pas toujours agrave communiquer
Les eacutelecteurs attendent des Verts qursquoils ne srsquooccupent que drsquoenviron-nement et de rien drsquoautre en laissant aux grands partis le soin de srsquooccuper du reste Notre responsabiliteacute crsquoest drsquoexpli-quer et de convaincre que lrsquoeacutecologie politique agrave vocation agrave se saisir de tous les sujets
Sur le logement par exemple les Verts proposent que tous les nou-veaux logements construits soient isoleacutes correctement afin de ne pas gaspiller de lrsquoeacutenergie en chauffage mais eacutegalement afin de reacuteduire la fac-ture drsquoeacutelectriciteacute ou de gaz des gens qui vivent dans ces logements
Or en France il est tregraves difficile de se loger actuellement car les loyers sont eacuteleveacutes et les charges (chauffages eau) elles aussi
Par cet exemple donc on voit bien que les Verts ce nrsquoest pas simple-ment la nature et la forecirct mais aussi le logement lrsquoemploi (la mise en place drsquoeacutenergies renouvelables crsquoest 400 000 emplois non deacutelocalisables creacuteeacutes) etc qui sont traditionnelle-ment des sujets ougrave les eacutelecteurs VOIR LA PAGE SUIVANTE
ENTR E VUE AVEC LOIumlC ROBERTPAR ADAM SOMMER FELD DESIGNER GR APHIQUE MONTREacuteAL DIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DE THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD laquo Agrave raquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 11
SUITE DE LA PAGE PREacuteCEacuteDANTE nrsquoattendent pas que les Verts se prononcent
Le deacutefis des Verts en France mais je crois partout dans le monde crsquoest de montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie politique est un paradigme eacuteconomique et po-litique agrave part entiegravere comme le sont le communisme le capitalisme
Il nous faut donc trouver le moyen drsquoavoir une image plus conforme agrave ce que nous sommes ce qui nrsquoest pas facile En effet les meacutedias jouent un grand rocircle dans le deacutebat politique et nous nrsquoavons que tregraves rarement la pa-role car nous sommes un petit parti
Or lorsque nous avons la parole la plupart du temps les journalistes nous interrogent sur nos laquo bagarres internes raquo et pas sur nos propositions Il faut donc que nous arrivions agrave nous imposer drsquoune part de reacutegler nos problegravemes internes discregravetement et ne pas eacutetaler nos divergences sur la place publique et qursquoagrave chaque inter-view nous reacuteussissions agrave ne parler que de nos ideacutees pour convaincre les eacutelecteurs qursquoelles sont bonnes
De quelle maniegravere les verts se sont-ils pencheacutes sur la question de comment le message du parti est communiqueacute au grand public
Les verts en France ne sont pas tregraves agrave lrsquoaise avec les meacutedias En tant que petit parti nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de paroles et crsquoest pourquoi il est difficile de parler de nos ideacutees Alors bien sucircr nous avons deacutejagrave reacutefleacutechi au problegraveme mais les reacuteponses ne sont pas simples et ce pour plusieurs raisons
Comme je lrsquoai dit nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de parole Lrsquoac-tualiteacute en France est domineacutee par les eacutelections preacutesidentielles qui auront lieu au printemps
Or degraves que nous les Verts sommes
inviteacutes dans les meacutedias les journalis-tes ne nous questionnent que sur nos conflits internes sur les sondages actuels qui sont mauvais sur ce que lrsquoon pense des autres candidats etc Mais jamais les journalistes ne nous demandent ce que lrsquoon pense sur le logement sur les OGM sur le nucleacuteaire ou sur les immigreacutes clandestins
Ainsi notre message ne peut pas passer Lrsquoeacutecologie est une chose complexe qui neacutecessite du temps pour ecirctre expliqueacutee La tendance actuelle est agrave la simplification des problegravemes politiques afin drsquoecirctre com-pris des citoyens Malheureusement lrsquoeacutecologie ne peut ecirctre simplifieacutee et nous nrsquoavons pas le temps de faire ce travail de peacutedagogie pour expliquer et convaincre les Franccedilais que notre projet est ambitieux et actuellement le seul capable de faire face agrave lrsquoenjeu eacutecologiqueCrsquoest donc un double travail qursquoil nous faut effectuer
Tout drsquoabord ecirctre plus visible dans les meacutedias sur les questions de fond et pas seulement pour commenter lrsquoactualiteacute des autres candidats Cela neacutecessite que les militants verts se mobilisent drsquoavantage afin de mettre en avant lrsquooriginaliteacute de notre projet et susciteacute un inteacuterecirct meacutediatique Pour exister il faut que nous soyons creacuteateur de deacutebats par des positions trancheacutees et des actions de terrain Nous ne devons plus suivre les deacutebats mais les conduire pour enrichir le deacutebat public de la theacutematique envi-ronnementale qui doit ecirctre centrale et sur laquelle les verts partout dans le monde sont les meilleurs
Ensuite il nous faut ecirctre peacutedagogue et expliquer lrsquoeacutecologie avec des mots simples mais sans simplifier et donc deacutenaturer le contenu de notre projet Nous ne devons pas apparaicirctre
comme des ennemis du progregraves qui voudraient revenir agrave la bougie et ha-biter dans une caverne Nous devons au contraire montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie crsquoest le progregraves Le progregraves crsquoest de pouvoir assurer agrave nos enfants et petits enfants une vie descente dans un en-vironnement saint Et pour cela nous avons besoin de reacuteduire nos deacutepenses eacutenergeacutetiques de sortir drsquoune socieacuteteacute de consommation destructrice de lrsquoenvironnement pour rentrer dans une socieacuteteacute sobre ougrave le relationnel et les rapports humains valent plus que les biens mateacuteriels
Crsquoest ce discours la qursquoil faut parvenir agrave faire passer Mais ce nrsquoest pas simple car la caricature est facile Certains nous considegraverent comme des fous furieux drsquoautres comme des nostalgique de la preacutehistoire Il faut leur montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie ce nrsquoest pas revenir dans le passeacute mais se creacuteer un avenir
Alors oui nous avons reacutefleacutechis sur le sujet Nous sommes conscients des difficulteacutes et nous tentons de les sur-monter Mais les Verts en France sont un parti jeune (24 ans) et nous man-quons certainement drsquoexpeacuterience Mais nous devons faire lrsquoeffort drsquoac-queacuterir cette expeacuterience tregraves vite car les meacutedias repreacutesentent aujourdrsquohui un pouvoir tregraves important certaine-ment aussi important que le pouvoir exeacutecutif ou leacutegislatif
Existe-t-il une solidariteacute ou une collaboration entre les verts (le parti politique) et les groupes eacutecologistes
Je ne suis pas un expert donc je ne mrsquoattarderais pas trop sur le sujet Bien entendu il y a une collaboration entre les Verts et les associations et groupes eacutecologistes Crsquoest mecircme pour cela que les Verts ont eacuteteacute creacuteeacutes en
France en 1984Le mouvement vert est neacute du
constat de nombreux eacutecologistes qui militaient dans des associations de protection de lrsquoenvironnement que lrsquoon ne pouvait changer vraiment les choses qursquoen eacutetant preacutesent dans les deacutebats politique Les Verts franccedilais sont donc au deacutepart le porte parole des associations de deacutefense de lrsquoenvi-ronnement
Lrsquoexemple le plus reacuteveacutelateur est la faccedilon dont les verts exercent leurs responsabiliteacutes politiques au niveau local Les Verts deacutefendent la deacutemo-cratie participative qui integravegre les citoyens au deacutebat avant de prendre une deacutecision qui aura des conseacute-quences sur leur environnement Par conseacutequent pour chaque projet les Verts srsquoimposent de consulter drsquoabord les associations locales de deacutefenses de lrsquoenvironnement pour connaicirctre leur avis car elles sont souvent de bons conseils eacutetant donneacute leur connais-sance du terrain
Par conseacutequent je dirais que le milieu politique et le milieu associatif sont deux mondes bien diffeacuterents qui nrsquoont pas le mecircme objectif Les associations sont lagrave pour interpeler les politiques et les politiques sont lagrave pour reacutepondre aux interpellations des associations Crsquoest pourquoi il nous faut travailler ensemble tout en deacutelimitant bien la frontiegravere entre les deux En effet les associations doivent ecirctre influentes sur tous les partis politiques et pas seulement les Verts De ce fait et afin de rester creacutedible il ne faut donc pas meacutelanger les Verts et les associations pour que ces derniegrave-res puissent influer eacutegalement sur les eacutelus des autres partis not
laquo LE DEacuteFIS DES VERTS EN FRANCE MAIS JE CROIS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE CrsquoEST DE MONTRER QUE LrsquoEacuteCOLOGIE POLITIQUE EST UN PARADIGME EacuteCONOMIQUE ET POLITIQUE Agrave PART ENTIEgraveRE COMME LE SONT LE COMMUNISME LE CAPITALISME raquo
FR SUITE SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 3
RAPPORT DU CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS DU CANADA
PAR LYNNE CHAMP OUX-WILLIAMSLYNNECHAMPOUX-WILLIAMS laquo Agrave raquo MAILMCGILLC A Eacute TUDIANTE EN ENVIRONNEMENT E T LINGUISTIQUE U MCGILLCOMMUNIC ATION FR ANCOPHONE CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS
Nous avons tout drsquoabord formeacute divers comiteacutes site web (devenu communi-cation) promotion et leveacutees de fonds
clubs universitaires preacuteparation agrave lrsquoeacutelection Nous utilisons Face-book et le courriel pour commu-niquer entre nous et la section Document et Tableur de Google pour partager des documents (tels que le budget et le plan geacuteneacuteral drsquoeacutelection)Nous maintiendrons le contenu jeunesse seacutepareacute sur le site du Parti Vert du Canada (PVC) jusqursquoagrave ce que notre site web soit ameacutelioreacute Nous enverrons un courriel geacuteneacuteral agrave lrsquoeffectif par mois (un par semaine durant les eacutelections) qui sera reacuteviseacute par le conseil avant lrsquoenvoi La chrono-logie du CJVC inclura la preacutepara-tion pour les eacutelections internes
La page Web du PVC sera utili-seacutee jusqursquoagrave ce que nous puissions deacutevelopper la nocirctre et les change-ments apporteacutes au contenu du site Web jeunesse seront reacuteviseacutes par le conseil avant affi chage Les Jeunes Verts du Canada auront deux bases de donneacutees de membres (une pour toutes les personnes-ressources et une pour les membres principaux) agrave moins qursquoune base de donneacutees inteacutegrants les deux en une puisse ecirctre deacuteveloppeacutee Le premier cour-riel aux membres sera envoyeacute apregraves la premiegravere rencontre en personne nous avons maintenant un repreacute-sentant au conseil du PVC et le document chronologique et budgeacute-taire sera compleacuteteacute agrave la rencontre en personne not
IL Y A DE LrsquoACTION AU CONSEIL JEUNES VERTS (CJVC) VOICI UN BREF REacuteSUMEacute DE CE QUI SrsquoEST PASSEacute DURANT FEacuteVRIER DERNIER
+
JAMES BROOKSCOMMUNICATIONS INTERNES
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSCOMMUNICATIONS FR ANCOPHONES
TANNER WALDODIRECTEUR DE LrsquoADMINISTR ATION ET DES FINANCES
K ATIE GIBBSDIRECTRICE DE LrsquoORGANISATION
JARED GIESBRECHT DIRECTEUR DE LrsquoORGANISATION
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONDIRECTRICE DE LrsquoORGANISATION
JASON HAMMOND DIRECTEUR ADJOINT
MEGAN DIETRECH DIRECTRICE ADJOINTE
BEN R ANKIN COMMUNICATIONS EX TERNES
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 4
uand jrsquoai vu la liste de candidats pour la premiegravere eacutelection du Conseil des jeunes verts une question mrsquoa sauteacute agrave lrsquoesprit laquo Ougrave sont les femmes
raquo Je dois avouer que jrsquoeacutetais fort deacuteccedilu du faible taux de participa-tion des femmes ndash seulement 6 femmes se sont preacutesenteacutees pour un des 28 postes disponibles soit un pourcentage de 214 des candidats
Armeacute de cette statistique (avouons que mecircme Jim Harris aurait de la peine agrave travailler avec un tel chiffre) jrsquoai envoyeacute des courriels agrave quelques-unes des femmes plus actives au sein des jeunes verts qui malgreacute leur haut profi l nrsquoavaient pas poseacute leur candidature aux eacutelections Les reacuteponses agrave mes courriels furent tant mystifi antes que frustrantes laquo Je suis trop occupeacuteeraquo ou laquo Je nrsquoy avais pas songeacute raquo eacutetaient les deux reacuteponses les plus communes Tout ce temps je me disais laquo Pourtant les femmes se disent ecirctre geacuteneacuteralement en colegravere vis-agrave-vis leur marginalisation dans la socieacuteteacute Elles se plaignent qursquoelles nrsquoont pas une place agrave la table raquo
Avant drsquoaller plus loin jrsquoaimerais feacuteliciter les femmes qui ont poseacute leur candidature aux eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts Le sujet de
lrsquoineacutegaliteacute des sexes dans le domaine de la politique est souvent discuteacute Comment eacuteliminer les barriegraveres face agrave lrsquoaugmentation de la participation des femmes Le nouveau chef libeacuteral Steacutephane Dion parle drsquoun renouvelle-ment drsquoeffort sur ce front En fait il va mecircme jusqursquoagrave dire que dans certai-nes circonscriptions cleacutes seules les femmes seront eacuteligibles aux nomina-tions pour repreacutesenter le parti lors du prochain scrutin feacutedeacuteral Pour ma part je nrsquoai pas constateacute qursquoil y avait des barriegraveres qui empecircchaient les femmes agrave se preacutesenter lors des eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts Ce qui mrsquoamegravene agrave faire ce commen-taire Femmes agrave vous drsquoassumer votre place agrave la table Votre poste dans les couloirs du pouvoir ne vous sera pas apporteacute sur un plateau ou sous la guise de programmes ou subventions gouvernementales La socieacuteteacute peut seulement agir jusqursquoagrave un certain point pour ocircter les barriegrave-res obstruant lrsquoeacutegaliteacute politique des femmes Le reste est agrave vous agissez Je veux toutefois ecirctre clair sur un point je suis entiegraverement en faveur de programmes ou de subventions publiques qui ont comme but drsquoap-porter un soutien aux foyers mono-parentaux aux femmes victimes de violence conjugale ou aux femmes agrave bas revenus qui souhaitent obtenir une eacuteducation postsecondaire dans
le but drsquoameacuteliorer leur situation eacuteco-nomique Mais outre ces exceptions valables il est temps de reacuteeacutevaluer lrsquoutiliteacute de la plupart des programmes gouvernementaux pour les femmes Certains de ces programmes ont peut-ecirctre lrsquoeffet inverse de creacuteer une deacutependance ou une indiffeacuterence chez les femmes comme nous le voyons avec certains programmes pour les autochtones
Je lance un deacutefi aux lectrices de cet article Donnez-moi de bonnes raisons pour lesquelles il nrsquoy avait que 6 femmes qui ont soumis leur candidature aux eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts ndash et tenez compte du fait que certains des postes eacutetaient reacuteserveacutes uniquement aux femmes
Nous avons eacuteteacute teacutemoin de la colegravere des femmes face aux coupures du gouvernement Harper dans les programmes destineacutes aux femmes Pourquoi ne pas reacuteaffecter cette colegravere de faccedilon tangible en vous preacutesentant aux eacutelections Ce nrsquoest peut-ecirctre pas ma place de question-ner la validiteacute de ces programmes mais drsquoun autre cocircteacute je constate un manque de volonteacute chez les femmes quand il en vient agrave leur participation au processus politique Qursquoest-ce qui est plus important deacutebattre le principe de lrsquoeacutegaliteacute ou drsquoagir de faccedilon pratique pour en faire une reacutealiteacute Le faible taux de partici-
pation des femmes au cours des eacutelections inaugurales du Conseil des jeunes verts aurait causeacute une grande peine chez les heacuteroiumlnes du passeacute qui se sont battues chaire et acircme pour ameacuteliorer le sort des femmes dans la socieacuteteacute Je perccedilois une grande apathie et mecircme ndash ose-je le dire ndash un peu de vaniteacute chez certaines femmes drsquoaujourdrsquohui Je ne sais pas si crsquoest reacutealiste de dire qursquoun taux de participation de 50 serait la seule preuve drsquoune vraie et franche eacutegaliteacute entre les sexes dans le domaine de la politique Mais une chose est sucircre tant que les femmes ne saisissent pas lrsquoopportuniteacute de preacutesenter leur candidature aux eacutelections les choses ne changeront pas Je souhaite voir un plus grand nombre de candidates au cours des prochaines eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes vert et au cours de la prochaine eacutelection geacuteneacuterale Quant agrave lrsquoeacutegaliteacute des sexes lrsquoindif-feacuterence des femmes nuit beaucoup plus agrave la cause que des coupures budgeacutetaires Jeunes femmes je vous implore ne vous reposez pas sur vos lauriers Vos ancecirctres se sont battus pour vous rendez-leur honneur en vous preacutesentant comme candidates Quand jrsquoy pense les hommes sont peut-ecirctre un peu mieux sensibiliseacute aux pratiques de lrsquoeacutegaliteacute que les femmes Femmes prouvez-moi que jrsquoai tort je vous en prie not
laquo DONNEZ-MOI DE BONNES RAISONS POUR LESQUELLES IL NrsquoY AVAIT QUE 6 FEMMES QUI ONT SOUMIS LEUR CANDIDATURE AUX EacuteLECTIONS DU CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS raquo
PLUS DE FEMMESDOIVENT SE PREacuteSENTER
PAR BARTON CUT TENBARTON819 laquo Agrave raquo HOTMAILCOM NATIF DE BIBLE-HILL EN NOUVELLES EacuteCOSSE ANCIEN C ANDIDAT DU PARTI VERT DE L A N-Eacute EN 200 6ILLUSTR ATION PAR VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD laquo Agrave raquo HOTMAILCOM
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 5
DEacuteFAISONS LES ARGUMENTS ANTI-KYOTO
PAR SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN laquo Agrave raquo YAHOOCOMANCIEN C ANDIDAT VERT Agrave 18 ANS DANS CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER AC TUELLEMENT REacuteDAC TEUR EN CHEF ADJOINT DE THE UNDERSTORY
Quoique la Chine lrsquoInde et drsquoautres pays eacutemergents soient membres du Protocole de Kyoto ils nrsquoont aucune obligation de reacuteduire leurs gaz agrave effet de serre Donc tout effort est futile
bullCet argument contient un peu de veacuteriteacute mais heureusement nrsquoest pas sans faille Quand une personne senseacutee prend connaissance drsquoun problegraveme elle travaille drsquoabord agrave le reacutesoudre et puis essaie de convain-cre son entourage de faire de mecircme Par exemple si vous observez un environnement social malsain ducirc agrave un manque de respect geacuteneacuteraliseacute vous commencez par ecirctre respec-tueux et espeacuterez que votre exemple aura un impact La mecircme chose srsquoapplique au Protocole de Kyoto
Mecircme si le Canada atteignait les objectifs auquel il a souscrit ce se-rait un effort inutile puisque nos eacutemissions comptent pour seule-ment 3 des eacutemissions mondiales
bullUne fois de plus crsquoest plein de bon sens drsquoagir comme un modegravele
de la voie agrave suivre Eacutegalement si tout le monde utilisait des argu-ments similaires nous nrsquoarriverions jamais agrave rien que ce soit dans notre combat contre le reacutechauffement de la planegravete ou le travail des enfants
Et puisque le Japon et lrsquoEurope es-saient deacutejagrave drsquoacheter des creacutedits il nrsquoen resterait plus pour nous
bullCrsquoest une fausse supposition Rien ne nous empecircche de nous battre pour ces creacutedits et crsquoest preacute-somptueux de preacutetendre que lrsquooffre de creacutedit de carbone va demeurer aussi basse dans les anneacutees agrave venir
Consideacuterant que les eacutemissions de gaz agrave effet de serre aux Eacutetats-Unis et en Australie nrsquoont pas augmenteacute autant qursquoau Canada cela deacutemon-tre que les mesures volontaires sont plus effi caces que les cibles obligatoires du Protocole de Kyoto et que les cibles obligatoires en geacuteneacuteral ne fonctionnent pas
bullVoyons rien nrsquoempecircche une compagnie ou un pays de reacuteduire
volontairement ces eacutemissions agrave tout moment ils peuvent inventer ou mettre en œuvre toutes les mesures volontaires qursquoils souhaitent Par conseacutequent aucune mesure volon-taire ne marche forceacutement mieux qursquoune mesure coercitive La seule fois qursquoune mesure volontaire sem-ble ecirctre plus effi cace est lorsqursquoelle est mis en œuvre en parallegravele avec des incitatifs Mais une fois encore rien nrsquoa empecirccheacute les gouvernements passeacutes de donner des incitatifs Le Protocole de Kyoto ne nous a jamais empecirccheacutes de faire ccedila
Oui mais le Protocole de Kyoto ne nous a pas aideacute agrave reacuteduire nos eacutemis-sions de gaz agrave effet de serre
bullUne de mes amies vertes pacircles a une fois utiliseacute cet argument Ma reacuteponse a eacuteteacute que les reacutesultats pro-duits par le Protocole de Kyoto nrsquoont pas encore eacuteteacute compileacute et ils ne le seront pas jusqursquoen 2012 Eacutevaluer la performance du Protocole de Kyoto maintenant est lrsquoeacutequivalent de dire que Schumaker ne peut pas gagner
la course quand aucune auto For-mule Un nrsquoa franchi la ligne drsquoarri-veacutee De plus la plupart des meacutecanis-mes qui font lrsquoessence du Protocole de Kyoto comme le Meacutecanisme de Deacuteveloppement Propre nrsquoont mecircme pas encore eacuteteacute utiliseacute et les incitatifs au cœur de Kyoto ne sont pas encore reacuteel Et crsquoest pour cela que Harper souhaite sortir le Canada du Pro-tocole de Kyotomdashil a jusqursquoen 2008 pour le faire Autrement si nous ne remplissons pas nos obligations drsquoici 2012 nous aurons agrave payer une grosse peacutenaliteacute fi nanciegravere Crsquoest en cela que constitue lrsquoincitatif Donc quand quelqursquoun me dit que le Pro-tocole de Kyoto ne fonctionne pas je leur reacuteponds que la plupart des meacutecanismes qui se trouve dans le protocole ne sont mecircme pas utiliseacutes En drsquoautres mots il ne faut pas juger le reacutesultat drsquoune course qui nrsquoa pas commenceacutee Neacuteanmoins certains pays ont pris de lrsquoavance pendant que drsquoautres ont pris un important retard not
laquo EacuteVALUER LA PERFORMANCE DU PROTOCOLE DE KYOTO MAIN-TENANT EST LrsquoEacuteQUIVALENT DE DIRE QUE SCHUMAKER NE PEUT PAS GAGNER LA COURSE QUAND AUCUNE AUTO FORMULE UN NrsquoA FRANCHI LA LIGNE DrsquoARRIVEacuteE raquo
En tant que vert je suis certain que vous voyez le Protocole de Kyoto comme une eacutetape neacutecessaire mais vous connaissez peut-ecirctre des sceptiques qui se font facilement infl uenceacutes par les deacutemagogues Par conseacutequent je vais deacutefaire dans cet article quelques uns des arguments contre le Protocole de Kyoto Mon approche sera de reacutesumer chaque argument et puis de le deacutefaire
IDEacuteES VERTES (VOUS NrsquoEcircTES PAS SEULS)
PAROLES VERTES(EXPRIMEZ-VOUS DANS LE MAGAZINE THE UNDERSTORY)
(SOUMETTEZ VOS IDEacuteES ET VOTRE TRAVAIL Agrave DARCYHIGGINS laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)(SI VOUS DEacuteSIREZ PLUS DrsquoINFORMATION EacuteCRIVEZ Agrave LrsquoADRESSE SUIVANTE THEUNDERSTORY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory est un nouveau mensuel par lequel srsquoexprime la jeunesse verte du Canada Envoyez-nous vos articles vos photographies vos dessins ou tout autre travail qui meacuterite drsquoecirctre publieacute
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 7
LUTTER CONTRE LA MONOCULTURE
ensant deacutejagrave agrave lrsquoimpor-tance de la diver-siteacute au Canada jrsquoai assisteacute agrave un discours de David Suzuki dans lequel il mention-nait lrsquoimportance de
toutes les sortes de diversiteacute La vie srsquoembellit suite agrave la diversiteacute biologique et culturelle a-t-il dit laquo Ccedila a eacuteteacute la cleacute de notre succegraves raquo Une affirmation inspirante consi-deacuterant qursquoon entend continuelle-ment combien comme Canadiens nous vivons dans une socieacuteteacute diverse Si la diversiteacute nous a meneacute si loin il est certain que la diversiteacute nous poussera encore plus loin non
Mais ce qursquoa dit le Docteur Suzuki apregraves mrsquoa fait reacutefleacutechir encore plus laquo Nous sommes en train de creacuteer une mono-culture sur la terre avec notre conception du progregraves raquo Ce qui veut dire que comme socieacuteteacute nous tendons agrave nous conformer agrave la norme et nous tenir au milieu Nous avons adopteacute un principal plan drsquoaffaire et un modegravele de croissance Nous avons
pris ce qui marchait et lrsquoavons pousseacute jusqursquoagrave son extrecircme limite Trop peu freacutequemment cependant nous pre-nons la peine de consideacuterer les autres options disponiblesmdashles options plus durables
Avec la monteacutee du Parti Vert ces autres options sont suggeacutereacutees re-connues et lentement mais sucircrement incorporeacutees au sein de la culture Ca-nadienne et des politiques Canadien-nes Aussi inspirant que cela puisse ecirctre crsquoest important de se souvenir qursquoil y a beaucoup de travail en ter-mes de diversiteacute raciale ethnique et culturelle au sein du gouvernement et de la socieacuteteacute Trop souvent alors que nous vantons notre politique baseacute sur le multiculturalisme nous ne parvenons pas agrave inteacutegrer ce que cela veut vraiment dire
Le critique aux droits humains et agrave la reacuteforme de la fonction publique du Parti Vert Joe Foster mrsquoa dit que la diversiteacute affecte plus drsquoenjeux que lrsquoon pourrait initialement penser Bien que son portfolio portant sur les droits humains touche eacutevidemment les enjeux de diversiteacute agrave tout moment
la diversiteacute apparaicirct eacutegalement lors-qursquoil est question de la reacuteforme de la fonction publique laquo Un problegraveme ma-jeur dans la fonction publique est le manque de minoriteacutes visibles qui sont engageacutees raquo a-t-il dit Le problegraveme est aussi refleacuteteacute dans la composition des eacutelus partout au pays laquo Si lrsquoon a des po-liticiens qui repreacutesentent le Canada ils doivent provenir de diffeacuterents milieux raquo Quoique le Canada soit lrsquoun des meilleurs exemples deacutemontrant que le multiculturalisme fonctionne il dit que ce nrsquoest pas assez Pendant que la population est de plus en plus diverse le gouvernement nrsquoa pas fourni les ressources neacutecessaires pour assurer une socieacuteteacute diverse et sucircre Comme il dit laquo il y a un besoin eacutenorme de reconnaicirctre la diver-siteacute Ccedila devrait ecirctre vu comme un investissement qui a pour but de faire du Canada une nation harmonieuse raquo Eacutechouer dit-il ne fera pas du tort seulement aux minoriteacutes mais agrave la socieacuteteacute entiegravere laquo Peu importe quel point de vue on prend il y a diffeacuterents groupes qui forment un pays Si lrsquoon en exclue on va perdre la richesse
que ce groupe a agrave offrir raquo Le critique agrave la justice du Parti
Vert Rebecca Bromwich est drsquoac-cord qursquoen tant que parti politique nous avons besoin de nous adresser aux enjeux de diversiteacute afin drsquoecirctre preacutepareacute agrave gouverner le pays laquo Eacutevidemment il y a beaucoup de di-versiteacute dans notre pays raquo a-t-elle dit laquo Crsquoest tregraves important que tous soient traiteacutes eacutequitablement raquo Elle a dit que les jeunes en particulier devraient voir la diversiteacute comme un enjeu im-portant et universel laquo La population des jeunes est plus diverse que la geacuteneacuteration plus acircgeacutee raquo a-t-elle dit laquo La faccedilon dont les choses se deacutevelop-pent aujourdrsquohui aura un impact agrave long terme sur les jeunes raquo
Comme jeune politiseacute nous avons besoin drsquoecirctre continuellement cons-cient de la diversiteacute qui nous entoure Acceptant la suggestion de David Suzuki agrave lrsquoeffet que la diversiteacute a eacuteteacute la cleacute du deacuteveloppement humain si nous voulons que le Canada continue agrave srsquoeacutepanouir nous devons accepter et encourager la diversiteacute sous toutes ces formes not
PAR LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA EST EacuteTUDIANTE EN SCIENCE POLITIQUE Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute DE QUEENrsquo S ELLE TR AVAIL POUR LE JOURNAL EacuteTUDIANT DE QUEENrsquo S ILLUSTR ATION PAR VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 8
LA POLITIQUE AUTREMENT
LA DISCIPLINE DE PARTI ET LES ENTENTES SONT ANTIDEacuteMOCRATIQUES
e suis certain que nous sommes tous drsquoaccord pour dire qursquoil y a plu-sieurs problegravemes avec les partis politiques au Canada Mais selon moi deux des problegravemes les
plus nuisibles pour la deacutemocratie sont la discipline de parti et les ententes entre partis Les deux impliquent un controcircle de la direction du parti agrave lrsquoendroit de la base du parti et reacutesulte en la destruction de la diversiteacute poli-tique et ideacuteologique agrave lrsquointeacuterieur drsquoun parti politique Jrsquoespegravere que nous les jeunes verts pourront travailler agrave empecirccher les ententes et la discipline de parti de prendre racine agrave lrsquointeacuterieur du Parti Vert du Canada
La discipline de parti se produit lorsque la direction drsquoun parti dicte agrave leurs candidats comment preacutesenter certaines politiques durant une eacutelec-tion et et lorsqursquoon dit aux deacuteputeacutes comment voter agrave voter agrave la Chambre des communes Eacutevidemment le problegraveme avec cette pratique tregraves courante est que cela ne permet pas aux parlementaires de voter dans la Chambre des communes selon les aspirations de leurs eacutelecteurs Donc le deacuteputeacute ne repreacutesente plus les gens qui lrsquoont eacutelu
Les ententes se produisent lors-que la direction drsquoun parti se met drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un candidat sans panache un laquo poteau raquo dans le jargon politique dans certaines circonscriptions en eacutechange qursquoun autre parti fasse pareil dans un autre comteacute Par exemple la direction du NPD pourrait se mettre drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un laquo poteau raquo dans un comteacute ougrave les libeacuteraux ont de bonnes
chances de battre les conservateurs En eacutechange la direction du Parti Libeacuteral se mettrait drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un poteau dans un comteacute lagrave ougrave le NDP a de bonnes chance de battre les conservateurs
Ces pratiques sont tregraves couran-tes en politique canadienne parce qursquoelles facilitent un gain politique agrave court terme Cependant ces deux pratiques limitent eacutegalement les deacutebats sur les politiques gouverne-mentales et deacutecouragent la diversiteacute drsquoopinion Par conseacutequent ces deux pratiques nuisent de maniegravere signifi-cative agrave notre deacutemocratie
Notez que les ententes impliquent que la direction du parti deacutecide quels candidats repreacutesenteront le parti dans un comteacute speacutecifique Les enten-tes megravenent eacutegalement naturellement agrave une discipline de parti stricte Quand une entente est conclue entre les strategraveges de deux partis les citoyens du comteacute en question se font simplement dire qui va les laquo re-preacutesenter raquo Et par conseacutequent leur soit disant repreacutesentant (si eacutelu) est envoyeacute agrave Ottawa sans lrsquoappui concret de leurs membres locaux et devient donc tregraves faible dans sa capaciteacute de srsquoopposer agrave la discipline de parti Si un deacuteputeacute veut plus que simplement suivre la ligne de parti telle que dic-teacutee par la haute direction du parti il doit avoir eacuteteacute choisi localement pour repreacutesenter ces eacutelecteurs
Pour nous les Verts la deacutemocra-tie participative et la diversiteacute sont importantes et sont des principes fondateurs dans notre politique Une des meilleures faccedilons drsquoavoir une di-versiteacute politique est de srsquoassurer que tous les candidats soient librement choisis par les membres du Parti Vert dans leur comteacute plutocirct que choi-
sis par lrsquoexeacutecutif du parti Faire des ententes est une pratique qui con-centre le pouvoir au sein des partis et creacutee des structures hieacuterarchiques deacutevastatrices pour la deacutemocratie en eacuteliminant la diversiteacute
Au congregraves du Parti Vert en aoucirct 2006 une reacutesolution cherchant agrave permettre la direction du Parti agrave faire des ententes avec drsquoautres par-tis a eacuteteacute proposeacutee Cette reacutesolution suggeacuterait de donner agrave lrsquoexeacutecutif du Parti le pouvoir de retirer un can-didat sans consideacuterer lrsquoopinion des membres locaux Je suis heureux de vous dire que cette reacutesolution a eacuteteacute deacutefaite et que les membres du Parti Vert ont deacutemontreacute leur engagement envers la diversiteacute politique au sein drsquoune deacutemocratie repreacutesentative Cependant je suis triste de constater
que crsquoest toujours un deacutebat au sein du parti
Je suis confiant que le deacutebat concernant les ententes entre partis deviendra plus prononceacute tandis que notre parti continuera agrave croicirctre Jrsquoespegravere sincegraverement que les jeunes verts plus que quiconque dans le parti souviendront de lrsquoimportance de la repreacutesentation locale au deacuteve-loppement de la diversiteacute politique En effet jrsquoespegravere que nous nous impliquerons dans nos associations locales du Parti Vert et aiderons agrave nominer des candidats du Parti Vert pour nous repreacutesenter Dans cet es-prit si vous avez besoin drsquoaide pour contacter votre organisation locale du Parti Vert veuillez envoyer un courriel au Conseil des jeunes verts agrave jeunesse laquo agrave raquo partivertca not
laquo LA DIVERSITEacute POLI-TIQUE CrsquoEST LAISSER LES MEMBRES DE CHAQUE COMTEacute CHOI-SIR LEUR CANDIDATE PLUTOcircT QUE LrsquoEXEacute-CUTIF DU PARTI raquo
PAR JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBR ECHT laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMEacuteTUDIANT EN DROIT Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute QUEENrsquo S PREacuteSIDENT DES QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp REacuteDACTEUR EN CHEF FONDATEUR DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 9
CONSIDEacuteRONS LE POTENTIEL DU PORTE-Agrave-PORTE
n dimanche apregraves-midi de janvier je marche prudem-ment dans une salle de reacuteunion agrave Kingston Jrsquoy trouve environ une douzaine
de personnes et ils me semblent tous tregraves relaxe consideacuterant ce que lrsquoon srsquoapprecircte agrave faire ce qui est drsquoapprendre agrave faire du deacutemarchage ou du porte-agrave-porte En fait je ne serais pas en train drsquoeacutecrire srsquoil srsquoagissait simplement de porte-agrave-porte conventionnel quelque chose que jrsquoeacutevite autant que possible Cet atelier concerne le dialogue deacutemocratique via le porte-agrave-porte (D3 en anglais) un nouveau style de campagne unique au Parti Vert et jusqursquoici unique aux Verts de Kingston
Selon le guide de formation sur le D3 laquo Le Dialogue Deacutemocratique est plus qursquoune strateacutegie de campagne Cette meacutethode nous distinguera des vieux partis politiques en encour-ageant des relations authentiques et durables entre le Parti Vert et les citoyens verts raquo
D3 est lrsquoideacutee originale drsquoAndrew McCann un reacutesident de Kingston Le but de D3 est de prendre cette activiteacute campagne et de la trans-former en conversation qui permet aux participants drsquoapprendre lrsquoun de lrsquoautre plutocirct qursquoun discours agres-sif orienteacute sur la vente
McCann a commenceacute agrave penser agrave une nouvelle approche au deacutemar-chage lrsquoanneacutee derniegravere lorsqursquoil a accompagneacute son ami Eric Walton un candidat du Parti Vert feacutedeacuteral lors de son deacutemarchage durant
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa premiegravere expeacuterience de campagne politique et il a eacuteteacute frappeacute qursquoune conversation avec quelqursquoun sur leur perron agrave propos de politique constitue de la deacutemocratie
Ayant gagneacute une compreacutehension conventionnelle du deacutemarchage politique McCann a preacutesenteacute en deacutecembre sa nouvelle faccedilon de faire campagne aux supporteurs Verts de Kingston et a eu le feu vert
laquo Jrsquoai demandeacute agrave une association de comteacute de penser agrave faire cam-pagne avec cette perspective et ils ont deacutecideacute drsquoessayer raquo a dit McCann laquo Tu ne vends rien tu converses seulement et donc tu ne te sens pas comme un vendeur don-nant son discours raquo
Cette ideacutee a eacuteteacute reacutepeacuteteacutee tout au long de lrsquoatelier auquel jrsquoai participeacute Nous nrsquoessayons pas de changer les opinions des gens nous voulons simplement savoir ce que la per-sonne dans cette maison pense de la politique en geacuteneacuteral et du Parti Vert en particulier laquo Crsquoest quelque chose que je peux faire raquo je crois laquo Je nrsquoai jamais eacuteteacute tregraves bon agrave convaincre quiconque de quoique ce soit mais je peux probablement les eacutecouter raquo
En deacuteveloppant et en enseignant D3 McCann se retrouve agrave deacutepous-sieacuterer des outils politiques oublieacutes McCann nrsquoa deacutecouvert pratique-ment aucun mateacuteriel sur le porte-
agrave-porte Il y a certainement rien au Parti Vert et si les autres parties ont du mateacuteriel sur le porte-agrave-porte ils le gardent secret Il y a aussi aucun mateacuteriel acadeacutemique sur le porte-agrave-porte selon lui
McCann a lrsquoimpression que cela srsquoexplique par le fait que le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest pas consideacutereacute comme faisant partie de lrsquoarsenal typique de la politique du 21iegraveme siegravecle Lrsquoarsenal standard est lrsquoutilisation des meacutedias les pancartes etc en drsquoautres mots des outils de cam-pagne qursquoun quartier geacuteneacuteral peut facilement controcircler et propager Le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest ni lrsquoune de ces choses parce que crsquoest deacutecentraliseacute Crsquoest comme McCann dit laquo aussi citoyen que ccedila puisse ecirctre raquo
Donc McCann nrsquoa aucune bro-chure et peu de preacuteceacutedent Mais ce preacuteceacutedent existe
laquo Il y a deacutejagrave une roue et D3 nrsquoessaie pas de la reacuteinventer Ap-prenons simplement agrave comment lrsquoutiliser agrave nouveau agrave la deacutepoussieacuter-er et agrave lrsquohuiler Crsquoest une roue sans
manuel drsquoinstruction raquoMcCann espegravere que lrsquoapproche
D3 sera eacuteventuellement introduite agrave toutes les associations du Parti Vert Il pense que les organisations locales du parti seront capables drsquoutiliser la strateacutegie D3 de trois faccedilons la premiegravere faccedilon est comme programme de formation au porte-agrave-porte pour les nouveaux beacuteneacutev-oles la deuxiegraveme faccedilon est comme strateacutegie de campagne precircte agrave servir qui puissent ecirctre utiliseacute durant les eacutelections et la troisiegraveme faccedilon est comme ressource sur agrave quoi srsquoattendre durant une campagne de porte-agrave-porte en se basant sur les reacutesultats du projet D3 des Verts de Kingston
Quoique cette phase de D3 soit encore dans le futur les choses bou-gent et un jour peu lointain avec un peu de chance tous les jeunes verts seront engageacutes dans un dialogue deacutemocratique avec la personne au fond de la rue qursquoils nrsquoont jamais rencontreacutee auparavant not
laquo IL A EacuteTEacute FRAPPEacute QUrsquoUNE CONVERSA-TION AVEC QUEL-QUrsquoUN SUR LEUR PERRON Agrave PROPOS DE POLITIQUE CONSTITUE DE LA DEacuteMOCRATIE raquo
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa
GWEN MAYGWENMAY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMMEMBRE DES QUEEN rsquo S GREENS Agrave Lrsquo U QUEEN rsquo S (BEN OUI ) REacuteDAC TRICE EN CHEF DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 10
SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES
UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert originaire de Lyon a 21 ans et eacutetudie actuellement le droit europeacuteen agrave Louvain en Belgique pour 1 an avant de retourner en France lrsquoan-neacutee prochaine poursuivre ses eacutetudes avec une speacutecialisation en droits de la personne Membre des verts depuis 4 ans il a eacuteteacute preacutesident des jeunes verts de Lyon pendant 1 an Il fait mainte-nant partie de la commission justice des verts et participe agrave lrsquoeacutelaboration du programme des verts en matiere de justice Jrsquoai eu la chance de correspon-dre avec lui eacutelectroniquement pour mieux connaicirctre la perspective verte franccedilaise
Comment concevez-vous du rocircle des jeunes au sein des verts
Les jeunes ont toujours eu un grand rocircle pour faire eacutevoluer la so-cieacuteteacute Crsquoest particuliegraverement vrai en France puisque par exemple mai 68 a eacuteteacute le moteur drsquoune contestation de lrsquoordre eacutetabli Les eacuteveacutenements de mai 68 ont permis de remettre en cause une socieacuteteacute ougrave les jeunes nrsquoavaient pas droit agrave la parole et ougrave seule une eacutelite monopolisait le pouvoir
Drsquoune part les jeunes doivent sensibiliser les Verts pour que le parti puisse porter nos revendications Ce premier rocircle est donc plutocirct celui drsquoun lobby jeune afin que les Verts pren-nent conscience des difficulteacutes ren-contreacutees par la jeunesse aujourdrsquohui
Les conditions de vie de la jeunesse en France sont en effet difficiles le chocircmage touche en particulier les jeunes il est difficile de trouver un logement et par conseacutequent drsquoecirctre autonome vis-agrave-vis de ses parents les eacutetudes coucirctent chegraveres et ne sont donc pas accessible agrave tous
Ce rocircle de la jeunesse nrsquoest pas speacutecifique aux Verts Tous les partis devraient entendre ce que leur disent les jeunes Mais il nrsquoy a que chez les
Verts (en France en tout cas) que le parti prend vraiment en consideacutera-tion ce que disent les jeunes
Drsquoautre part les jeunes ont eacutegale-ment un rocircle beaucoup plus direct agrave jouer Il srsquoagit drsquoexercer nous mecircme des responsabiliteacutes et pour se faire drsquoecirctre eacutelu que ce soit au niveau local ou national En effet il est intoleacuterable que 95 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais aient plus de 40 ans (de mecircme qursquoil est anormal que plus de 80 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais soient des hommes)
Comment peut-on preacutetendre repreacute-senter un pays en excluant du Par-lement ceux qui seront les premiers toucheacutes par les politiques meneacutees notamment en matiegravere environne-mentale Les deacuteputeacutes drsquoaujourdrsquohui ne seront plus lagrave lorsque le reacutechauffe-ment climatique aura des conseacutequen-ces directes sur notre mode de vie
Il ne srsquoagit pas de dire que tous les deacuteputeacutes devraient avoir moins de 30 ans Mais il me semble normal que dans un pays les jeunes occupent une place dans les institutions afin de pouvoir deacutefendre les inteacuterecircts de la jeunesse Or les Verts sont un des seuls partis en France qui permet cela Notre secreacutetaire nationale (preacutesidente des Verts France) Ceacutecile Duflot est une jeune femme de 31 ans
Les Verts ont toujours eu comme objectif de faire de la laquo politique autrement raquo Cela signifie que le pouvoir politique ne doit pas rester entre les mains des hommes de plus de 40 ans
Selon vous quels sont les princi-paux deacutefis faces aux jeunes verts agrave Lyon en France
Le principal deacutefi est donc de se faire entendre que ce soit au niveau local ou au niveau national Et ce nrsquoest pas chose facile La preuve dans les banlieues le seul moyen qursquoont
trouveacute les jeunes pour se faire enten-dre crsquoest de bruler des voitures
Nous jeunes verts nous devons nous faire les portes paroles de cette jeunesse afin drsquoexprimer de faccedilon construite ce que les jeunes des banlieues ont tenteacute de dire par des moyens spectaculaire mais ineffica-ces
Nous devons donc convaincre les Verts mais aussi et surtout toute la socieacuteteacute que nous aussi nous avons des ideacutees que sommes conscients de ne pas avoir reacuteponse agrave tout car nous manquons drsquoexpeacuterience mais que nous sommes jusqursquoagrave preuve du con-traire les mieux placeacutes pour parler des problegravemes auxquels la jeunesse doit faire face
Le principal deacutefi que nous devons releveacute est donc celui de la creacutedibiliteacute ce qui nous impose de nous inves-tir beaucoup en politique afin de pouvoir ecirctre non seulement entendu mais aussi eacutecouteacutes et eacutelus
Quelle est la perception des verts agrave Lyon en France Selon-vous le mouvement vert souffre-t-il drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute ou drsquoimage
En France les Verts ont lrsquoimage drsquoun parti sympathique qui dit des choses inteacuteressantes mais qui nrsquoest pas assez bien structureacute pour ecirctre creacutedible
En effet les franccedilais ont je crois bien compris que les enjeux eacutecolo-giques seront les enjeux majeurs du 21egraveme siegravecle Plus personnes en France agrave quelques exceptions pregraves ne conteste la responsabiliteacute des activiteacutes humaines dans le reacutechauf-fement climatique et la majoriteacute de la population commence agrave prendre conscience qursquoun changement des comportements individuels est neacutecessaire
Cependant il est encore difficile de faire comprendre aux citoyens que les
politiques publiques doivent changer elles aussi Il ne suffit pas drsquoacheter des ampoules agrave eacuteconomies drsquoeacutenergie pour reacutesoudre la crise eacutecologique agrave laquelle nous faisons face
Lrsquoeacutecologie politique ce nrsquoest pas seulement srsquooccuper des petits oiseaux et des fleurs
Crsquoest aussi repenser notre systegraveme eacuteconomique afin que deacuteveloppement ne rime pas avec destruction de notre environnement
Crsquoest pourquoi selon moi il srsquoagit plus drsquoune crise drsquoimage que drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute Nous savons qui nous sommes et ce que nous pensons mais nous nrsquoarrivons pas toujours agrave communiquer
Les eacutelecteurs attendent des Verts qursquoils ne srsquooccupent que drsquoenviron-nement et de rien drsquoautre en laissant aux grands partis le soin de srsquooccuper du reste Notre responsabiliteacute crsquoest drsquoexpli-quer et de convaincre que lrsquoeacutecologie politique agrave vocation agrave se saisir de tous les sujets
Sur le logement par exemple les Verts proposent que tous les nou-veaux logements construits soient isoleacutes correctement afin de ne pas gaspiller de lrsquoeacutenergie en chauffage mais eacutegalement afin de reacuteduire la fac-ture drsquoeacutelectriciteacute ou de gaz des gens qui vivent dans ces logements
Or en France il est tregraves difficile de se loger actuellement car les loyers sont eacuteleveacutes et les charges (chauffages eau) elles aussi
Par cet exemple donc on voit bien que les Verts ce nrsquoest pas simple-ment la nature et la forecirct mais aussi le logement lrsquoemploi (la mise en place drsquoeacutenergies renouvelables crsquoest 400 000 emplois non deacutelocalisables creacuteeacutes) etc qui sont traditionnelle-ment des sujets ougrave les eacutelecteurs VOIR LA PAGE SUIVANTE
ENTR E VUE AVEC LOIumlC ROBERTPAR ADAM SOMMER FELD DESIGNER GR APHIQUE MONTREacuteAL DIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DE THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD laquo Agrave raquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 11
SUITE DE LA PAGE PREacuteCEacuteDANTE nrsquoattendent pas que les Verts se prononcent
Le deacutefis des Verts en France mais je crois partout dans le monde crsquoest de montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie politique est un paradigme eacuteconomique et po-litique agrave part entiegravere comme le sont le communisme le capitalisme
Il nous faut donc trouver le moyen drsquoavoir une image plus conforme agrave ce que nous sommes ce qui nrsquoest pas facile En effet les meacutedias jouent un grand rocircle dans le deacutebat politique et nous nrsquoavons que tregraves rarement la pa-role car nous sommes un petit parti
Or lorsque nous avons la parole la plupart du temps les journalistes nous interrogent sur nos laquo bagarres internes raquo et pas sur nos propositions Il faut donc que nous arrivions agrave nous imposer drsquoune part de reacutegler nos problegravemes internes discregravetement et ne pas eacutetaler nos divergences sur la place publique et qursquoagrave chaque inter-view nous reacuteussissions agrave ne parler que de nos ideacutees pour convaincre les eacutelecteurs qursquoelles sont bonnes
De quelle maniegravere les verts se sont-ils pencheacutes sur la question de comment le message du parti est communiqueacute au grand public
Les verts en France ne sont pas tregraves agrave lrsquoaise avec les meacutedias En tant que petit parti nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de paroles et crsquoest pourquoi il est difficile de parler de nos ideacutees Alors bien sucircr nous avons deacutejagrave reacutefleacutechi au problegraveme mais les reacuteponses ne sont pas simples et ce pour plusieurs raisons
Comme je lrsquoai dit nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de parole Lrsquoac-tualiteacute en France est domineacutee par les eacutelections preacutesidentielles qui auront lieu au printemps
Or degraves que nous les Verts sommes
inviteacutes dans les meacutedias les journalis-tes ne nous questionnent que sur nos conflits internes sur les sondages actuels qui sont mauvais sur ce que lrsquoon pense des autres candidats etc Mais jamais les journalistes ne nous demandent ce que lrsquoon pense sur le logement sur les OGM sur le nucleacuteaire ou sur les immigreacutes clandestins
Ainsi notre message ne peut pas passer Lrsquoeacutecologie est une chose complexe qui neacutecessite du temps pour ecirctre expliqueacutee La tendance actuelle est agrave la simplification des problegravemes politiques afin drsquoecirctre com-pris des citoyens Malheureusement lrsquoeacutecologie ne peut ecirctre simplifieacutee et nous nrsquoavons pas le temps de faire ce travail de peacutedagogie pour expliquer et convaincre les Franccedilais que notre projet est ambitieux et actuellement le seul capable de faire face agrave lrsquoenjeu eacutecologiqueCrsquoest donc un double travail qursquoil nous faut effectuer
Tout drsquoabord ecirctre plus visible dans les meacutedias sur les questions de fond et pas seulement pour commenter lrsquoactualiteacute des autres candidats Cela neacutecessite que les militants verts se mobilisent drsquoavantage afin de mettre en avant lrsquooriginaliteacute de notre projet et susciteacute un inteacuterecirct meacutediatique Pour exister il faut que nous soyons creacuteateur de deacutebats par des positions trancheacutees et des actions de terrain Nous ne devons plus suivre les deacutebats mais les conduire pour enrichir le deacutebat public de la theacutematique envi-ronnementale qui doit ecirctre centrale et sur laquelle les verts partout dans le monde sont les meilleurs
Ensuite il nous faut ecirctre peacutedagogue et expliquer lrsquoeacutecologie avec des mots simples mais sans simplifier et donc deacutenaturer le contenu de notre projet Nous ne devons pas apparaicirctre
comme des ennemis du progregraves qui voudraient revenir agrave la bougie et ha-biter dans une caverne Nous devons au contraire montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie crsquoest le progregraves Le progregraves crsquoest de pouvoir assurer agrave nos enfants et petits enfants une vie descente dans un en-vironnement saint Et pour cela nous avons besoin de reacuteduire nos deacutepenses eacutenergeacutetiques de sortir drsquoune socieacuteteacute de consommation destructrice de lrsquoenvironnement pour rentrer dans une socieacuteteacute sobre ougrave le relationnel et les rapports humains valent plus que les biens mateacuteriels
Crsquoest ce discours la qursquoil faut parvenir agrave faire passer Mais ce nrsquoest pas simple car la caricature est facile Certains nous considegraverent comme des fous furieux drsquoautres comme des nostalgique de la preacutehistoire Il faut leur montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie ce nrsquoest pas revenir dans le passeacute mais se creacuteer un avenir
Alors oui nous avons reacutefleacutechis sur le sujet Nous sommes conscients des difficulteacutes et nous tentons de les sur-monter Mais les Verts en France sont un parti jeune (24 ans) et nous man-quons certainement drsquoexpeacuterience Mais nous devons faire lrsquoeffort drsquoac-queacuterir cette expeacuterience tregraves vite car les meacutedias repreacutesentent aujourdrsquohui un pouvoir tregraves important certaine-ment aussi important que le pouvoir exeacutecutif ou leacutegislatif
Existe-t-il une solidariteacute ou une collaboration entre les verts (le parti politique) et les groupes eacutecologistes
Je ne suis pas un expert donc je ne mrsquoattarderais pas trop sur le sujet Bien entendu il y a une collaboration entre les Verts et les associations et groupes eacutecologistes Crsquoest mecircme pour cela que les Verts ont eacuteteacute creacuteeacutes en
France en 1984Le mouvement vert est neacute du
constat de nombreux eacutecologistes qui militaient dans des associations de protection de lrsquoenvironnement que lrsquoon ne pouvait changer vraiment les choses qursquoen eacutetant preacutesent dans les deacutebats politique Les Verts franccedilais sont donc au deacutepart le porte parole des associations de deacutefense de lrsquoenvi-ronnement
Lrsquoexemple le plus reacuteveacutelateur est la faccedilon dont les verts exercent leurs responsabiliteacutes politiques au niveau local Les Verts deacutefendent la deacutemo-cratie participative qui integravegre les citoyens au deacutebat avant de prendre une deacutecision qui aura des conseacute-quences sur leur environnement Par conseacutequent pour chaque projet les Verts srsquoimposent de consulter drsquoabord les associations locales de deacutefenses de lrsquoenvironnement pour connaicirctre leur avis car elles sont souvent de bons conseils eacutetant donneacute leur connais-sance du terrain
Par conseacutequent je dirais que le milieu politique et le milieu associatif sont deux mondes bien diffeacuterents qui nrsquoont pas le mecircme objectif Les associations sont lagrave pour interpeler les politiques et les politiques sont lagrave pour reacutepondre aux interpellations des associations Crsquoest pourquoi il nous faut travailler ensemble tout en deacutelimitant bien la frontiegravere entre les deux En effet les associations doivent ecirctre influentes sur tous les partis politiques et pas seulement les Verts De ce fait et afin de rester creacutedible il ne faut donc pas meacutelanger les Verts et les associations pour que ces derniegrave-res puissent influer eacutegalement sur les eacutelus des autres partis not
laquo LE DEacuteFIS DES VERTS EN FRANCE MAIS JE CROIS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE CrsquoEST DE MONTRER QUE LrsquoEacuteCOLOGIE POLITIQUE EST UN PARADIGME EacuteCONOMIQUE ET POLITIQUE Agrave PART ENTIEgraveRE COMME LE SONT LE COMMUNISME LE CAPITALISME raquo
FR SUITE SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 4
uand jrsquoai vu la liste de candidats pour la premiegravere eacutelection du Conseil des jeunes verts une question mrsquoa sauteacute agrave lrsquoesprit laquo Ougrave sont les femmes
raquo Je dois avouer que jrsquoeacutetais fort deacuteccedilu du faible taux de participa-tion des femmes ndash seulement 6 femmes se sont preacutesenteacutees pour un des 28 postes disponibles soit un pourcentage de 214 des candidats
Armeacute de cette statistique (avouons que mecircme Jim Harris aurait de la peine agrave travailler avec un tel chiffre) jrsquoai envoyeacute des courriels agrave quelques-unes des femmes plus actives au sein des jeunes verts qui malgreacute leur haut profi l nrsquoavaient pas poseacute leur candidature aux eacutelections Les reacuteponses agrave mes courriels furent tant mystifi antes que frustrantes laquo Je suis trop occupeacuteeraquo ou laquo Je nrsquoy avais pas songeacute raquo eacutetaient les deux reacuteponses les plus communes Tout ce temps je me disais laquo Pourtant les femmes se disent ecirctre geacuteneacuteralement en colegravere vis-agrave-vis leur marginalisation dans la socieacuteteacute Elles se plaignent qursquoelles nrsquoont pas une place agrave la table raquo
Avant drsquoaller plus loin jrsquoaimerais feacuteliciter les femmes qui ont poseacute leur candidature aux eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts Le sujet de
lrsquoineacutegaliteacute des sexes dans le domaine de la politique est souvent discuteacute Comment eacuteliminer les barriegraveres face agrave lrsquoaugmentation de la participation des femmes Le nouveau chef libeacuteral Steacutephane Dion parle drsquoun renouvelle-ment drsquoeffort sur ce front En fait il va mecircme jusqursquoagrave dire que dans certai-nes circonscriptions cleacutes seules les femmes seront eacuteligibles aux nomina-tions pour repreacutesenter le parti lors du prochain scrutin feacutedeacuteral Pour ma part je nrsquoai pas constateacute qursquoil y avait des barriegraveres qui empecircchaient les femmes agrave se preacutesenter lors des eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts Ce qui mrsquoamegravene agrave faire ce commen-taire Femmes agrave vous drsquoassumer votre place agrave la table Votre poste dans les couloirs du pouvoir ne vous sera pas apporteacute sur un plateau ou sous la guise de programmes ou subventions gouvernementales La socieacuteteacute peut seulement agir jusqursquoagrave un certain point pour ocircter les barriegrave-res obstruant lrsquoeacutegaliteacute politique des femmes Le reste est agrave vous agissez Je veux toutefois ecirctre clair sur un point je suis entiegraverement en faveur de programmes ou de subventions publiques qui ont comme but drsquoap-porter un soutien aux foyers mono-parentaux aux femmes victimes de violence conjugale ou aux femmes agrave bas revenus qui souhaitent obtenir une eacuteducation postsecondaire dans
le but drsquoameacuteliorer leur situation eacuteco-nomique Mais outre ces exceptions valables il est temps de reacuteeacutevaluer lrsquoutiliteacute de la plupart des programmes gouvernementaux pour les femmes Certains de ces programmes ont peut-ecirctre lrsquoeffet inverse de creacuteer une deacutependance ou une indiffeacuterence chez les femmes comme nous le voyons avec certains programmes pour les autochtones
Je lance un deacutefi aux lectrices de cet article Donnez-moi de bonnes raisons pour lesquelles il nrsquoy avait que 6 femmes qui ont soumis leur candidature aux eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes verts ndash et tenez compte du fait que certains des postes eacutetaient reacuteserveacutes uniquement aux femmes
Nous avons eacuteteacute teacutemoin de la colegravere des femmes face aux coupures du gouvernement Harper dans les programmes destineacutes aux femmes Pourquoi ne pas reacuteaffecter cette colegravere de faccedilon tangible en vous preacutesentant aux eacutelections Ce nrsquoest peut-ecirctre pas ma place de question-ner la validiteacute de ces programmes mais drsquoun autre cocircteacute je constate un manque de volonteacute chez les femmes quand il en vient agrave leur participation au processus politique Qursquoest-ce qui est plus important deacutebattre le principe de lrsquoeacutegaliteacute ou drsquoagir de faccedilon pratique pour en faire une reacutealiteacute Le faible taux de partici-
pation des femmes au cours des eacutelections inaugurales du Conseil des jeunes verts aurait causeacute une grande peine chez les heacuteroiumlnes du passeacute qui se sont battues chaire et acircme pour ameacuteliorer le sort des femmes dans la socieacuteteacute Je perccedilois une grande apathie et mecircme ndash ose-je le dire ndash un peu de vaniteacute chez certaines femmes drsquoaujourdrsquohui Je ne sais pas si crsquoest reacutealiste de dire qursquoun taux de participation de 50 serait la seule preuve drsquoune vraie et franche eacutegaliteacute entre les sexes dans le domaine de la politique Mais une chose est sucircre tant que les femmes ne saisissent pas lrsquoopportuniteacute de preacutesenter leur candidature aux eacutelections les choses ne changeront pas Je souhaite voir un plus grand nombre de candidates au cours des prochaines eacutelections du Conseil des jeunes vert et au cours de la prochaine eacutelection geacuteneacuterale Quant agrave lrsquoeacutegaliteacute des sexes lrsquoindif-feacuterence des femmes nuit beaucoup plus agrave la cause que des coupures budgeacutetaires Jeunes femmes je vous implore ne vous reposez pas sur vos lauriers Vos ancecirctres se sont battus pour vous rendez-leur honneur en vous preacutesentant comme candidates Quand jrsquoy pense les hommes sont peut-ecirctre un peu mieux sensibiliseacute aux pratiques de lrsquoeacutegaliteacute que les femmes Femmes prouvez-moi que jrsquoai tort je vous en prie not
laquo DONNEZ-MOI DE BONNES RAISONS POUR LESQUELLES IL NrsquoY AVAIT QUE 6 FEMMES QUI ONT SOUMIS LEUR CANDIDATURE AUX EacuteLECTIONS DU CONSEIL DES JEUNES VERTS raquo
PLUS DE FEMMESDOIVENT SE PREacuteSENTER
PAR BARTON CUT TENBARTON819 laquo Agrave raquo HOTMAILCOM NATIF DE BIBLE-HILL EN NOUVELLES EacuteCOSSE ANCIEN C ANDIDAT DU PARTI VERT DE L A N-Eacute EN 200 6ILLUSTR ATION PAR VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD laquo Agrave raquo HOTMAILCOM
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 5
DEacuteFAISONS LES ARGUMENTS ANTI-KYOTO
PAR SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN laquo Agrave raquo YAHOOCOMANCIEN C ANDIDAT VERT Agrave 18 ANS DANS CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER AC TUELLEMENT REacuteDAC TEUR EN CHEF ADJOINT DE THE UNDERSTORY
Quoique la Chine lrsquoInde et drsquoautres pays eacutemergents soient membres du Protocole de Kyoto ils nrsquoont aucune obligation de reacuteduire leurs gaz agrave effet de serre Donc tout effort est futile
bullCet argument contient un peu de veacuteriteacute mais heureusement nrsquoest pas sans faille Quand une personne senseacutee prend connaissance drsquoun problegraveme elle travaille drsquoabord agrave le reacutesoudre et puis essaie de convain-cre son entourage de faire de mecircme Par exemple si vous observez un environnement social malsain ducirc agrave un manque de respect geacuteneacuteraliseacute vous commencez par ecirctre respec-tueux et espeacuterez que votre exemple aura un impact La mecircme chose srsquoapplique au Protocole de Kyoto
Mecircme si le Canada atteignait les objectifs auquel il a souscrit ce se-rait un effort inutile puisque nos eacutemissions comptent pour seule-ment 3 des eacutemissions mondiales
bullUne fois de plus crsquoest plein de bon sens drsquoagir comme un modegravele
de la voie agrave suivre Eacutegalement si tout le monde utilisait des argu-ments similaires nous nrsquoarriverions jamais agrave rien que ce soit dans notre combat contre le reacutechauffement de la planegravete ou le travail des enfants
Et puisque le Japon et lrsquoEurope es-saient deacutejagrave drsquoacheter des creacutedits il nrsquoen resterait plus pour nous
bullCrsquoest une fausse supposition Rien ne nous empecircche de nous battre pour ces creacutedits et crsquoest preacute-somptueux de preacutetendre que lrsquooffre de creacutedit de carbone va demeurer aussi basse dans les anneacutees agrave venir
Consideacuterant que les eacutemissions de gaz agrave effet de serre aux Eacutetats-Unis et en Australie nrsquoont pas augmenteacute autant qursquoau Canada cela deacutemon-tre que les mesures volontaires sont plus effi caces que les cibles obligatoires du Protocole de Kyoto et que les cibles obligatoires en geacuteneacuteral ne fonctionnent pas
bullVoyons rien nrsquoempecircche une compagnie ou un pays de reacuteduire
volontairement ces eacutemissions agrave tout moment ils peuvent inventer ou mettre en œuvre toutes les mesures volontaires qursquoils souhaitent Par conseacutequent aucune mesure volon-taire ne marche forceacutement mieux qursquoune mesure coercitive La seule fois qursquoune mesure volontaire sem-ble ecirctre plus effi cace est lorsqursquoelle est mis en œuvre en parallegravele avec des incitatifs Mais une fois encore rien nrsquoa empecirccheacute les gouvernements passeacutes de donner des incitatifs Le Protocole de Kyoto ne nous a jamais empecirccheacutes de faire ccedila
Oui mais le Protocole de Kyoto ne nous a pas aideacute agrave reacuteduire nos eacutemis-sions de gaz agrave effet de serre
bullUne de mes amies vertes pacircles a une fois utiliseacute cet argument Ma reacuteponse a eacuteteacute que les reacutesultats pro-duits par le Protocole de Kyoto nrsquoont pas encore eacuteteacute compileacute et ils ne le seront pas jusqursquoen 2012 Eacutevaluer la performance du Protocole de Kyoto maintenant est lrsquoeacutequivalent de dire que Schumaker ne peut pas gagner
la course quand aucune auto For-mule Un nrsquoa franchi la ligne drsquoarri-veacutee De plus la plupart des meacutecanis-mes qui font lrsquoessence du Protocole de Kyoto comme le Meacutecanisme de Deacuteveloppement Propre nrsquoont mecircme pas encore eacuteteacute utiliseacute et les incitatifs au cœur de Kyoto ne sont pas encore reacuteel Et crsquoest pour cela que Harper souhaite sortir le Canada du Pro-tocole de Kyotomdashil a jusqursquoen 2008 pour le faire Autrement si nous ne remplissons pas nos obligations drsquoici 2012 nous aurons agrave payer une grosse peacutenaliteacute fi nanciegravere Crsquoest en cela que constitue lrsquoincitatif Donc quand quelqursquoun me dit que le Pro-tocole de Kyoto ne fonctionne pas je leur reacuteponds que la plupart des meacutecanismes qui se trouve dans le protocole ne sont mecircme pas utiliseacutes En drsquoautres mots il ne faut pas juger le reacutesultat drsquoune course qui nrsquoa pas commenceacutee Neacuteanmoins certains pays ont pris de lrsquoavance pendant que drsquoautres ont pris un important retard not
laquo EacuteVALUER LA PERFORMANCE DU PROTOCOLE DE KYOTO MAIN-TENANT EST LrsquoEacuteQUIVALENT DE DIRE QUE SCHUMAKER NE PEUT PAS GAGNER LA COURSE QUAND AUCUNE AUTO FORMULE UN NrsquoA FRANCHI LA LIGNE DrsquoARRIVEacuteE raquo
En tant que vert je suis certain que vous voyez le Protocole de Kyoto comme une eacutetape neacutecessaire mais vous connaissez peut-ecirctre des sceptiques qui se font facilement infl uenceacutes par les deacutemagogues Par conseacutequent je vais deacutefaire dans cet article quelques uns des arguments contre le Protocole de Kyoto Mon approche sera de reacutesumer chaque argument et puis de le deacutefaire
IDEacuteES VERTES (VOUS NrsquoEcircTES PAS SEULS)
PAROLES VERTES(EXPRIMEZ-VOUS DANS LE MAGAZINE THE UNDERSTORY)
(SOUMETTEZ VOS IDEacuteES ET VOTRE TRAVAIL Agrave DARCYHIGGINS laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)(SI VOUS DEacuteSIREZ PLUS DrsquoINFORMATION EacuteCRIVEZ Agrave LrsquoADRESSE SUIVANTE THEUNDERSTORY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory est un nouveau mensuel par lequel srsquoexprime la jeunesse verte du Canada Envoyez-nous vos articles vos photographies vos dessins ou tout autre travail qui meacuterite drsquoecirctre publieacute
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 7
LUTTER CONTRE LA MONOCULTURE
ensant deacutejagrave agrave lrsquoimpor-tance de la diver-siteacute au Canada jrsquoai assisteacute agrave un discours de David Suzuki dans lequel il mention-nait lrsquoimportance de
toutes les sortes de diversiteacute La vie srsquoembellit suite agrave la diversiteacute biologique et culturelle a-t-il dit laquo Ccedila a eacuteteacute la cleacute de notre succegraves raquo Une affirmation inspirante consi-deacuterant qursquoon entend continuelle-ment combien comme Canadiens nous vivons dans une socieacuteteacute diverse Si la diversiteacute nous a meneacute si loin il est certain que la diversiteacute nous poussera encore plus loin non
Mais ce qursquoa dit le Docteur Suzuki apregraves mrsquoa fait reacutefleacutechir encore plus laquo Nous sommes en train de creacuteer une mono-culture sur la terre avec notre conception du progregraves raquo Ce qui veut dire que comme socieacuteteacute nous tendons agrave nous conformer agrave la norme et nous tenir au milieu Nous avons adopteacute un principal plan drsquoaffaire et un modegravele de croissance Nous avons
pris ce qui marchait et lrsquoavons pousseacute jusqursquoagrave son extrecircme limite Trop peu freacutequemment cependant nous pre-nons la peine de consideacuterer les autres options disponiblesmdashles options plus durables
Avec la monteacutee du Parti Vert ces autres options sont suggeacutereacutees re-connues et lentement mais sucircrement incorporeacutees au sein de la culture Ca-nadienne et des politiques Canadien-nes Aussi inspirant que cela puisse ecirctre crsquoest important de se souvenir qursquoil y a beaucoup de travail en ter-mes de diversiteacute raciale ethnique et culturelle au sein du gouvernement et de la socieacuteteacute Trop souvent alors que nous vantons notre politique baseacute sur le multiculturalisme nous ne parvenons pas agrave inteacutegrer ce que cela veut vraiment dire
Le critique aux droits humains et agrave la reacuteforme de la fonction publique du Parti Vert Joe Foster mrsquoa dit que la diversiteacute affecte plus drsquoenjeux que lrsquoon pourrait initialement penser Bien que son portfolio portant sur les droits humains touche eacutevidemment les enjeux de diversiteacute agrave tout moment
la diversiteacute apparaicirct eacutegalement lors-qursquoil est question de la reacuteforme de la fonction publique laquo Un problegraveme ma-jeur dans la fonction publique est le manque de minoriteacutes visibles qui sont engageacutees raquo a-t-il dit Le problegraveme est aussi refleacuteteacute dans la composition des eacutelus partout au pays laquo Si lrsquoon a des po-liticiens qui repreacutesentent le Canada ils doivent provenir de diffeacuterents milieux raquo Quoique le Canada soit lrsquoun des meilleurs exemples deacutemontrant que le multiculturalisme fonctionne il dit que ce nrsquoest pas assez Pendant que la population est de plus en plus diverse le gouvernement nrsquoa pas fourni les ressources neacutecessaires pour assurer une socieacuteteacute diverse et sucircre Comme il dit laquo il y a un besoin eacutenorme de reconnaicirctre la diver-siteacute Ccedila devrait ecirctre vu comme un investissement qui a pour but de faire du Canada une nation harmonieuse raquo Eacutechouer dit-il ne fera pas du tort seulement aux minoriteacutes mais agrave la socieacuteteacute entiegravere laquo Peu importe quel point de vue on prend il y a diffeacuterents groupes qui forment un pays Si lrsquoon en exclue on va perdre la richesse
que ce groupe a agrave offrir raquo Le critique agrave la justice du Parti
Vert Rebecca Bromwich est drsquoac-cord qursquoen tant que parti politique nous avons besoin de nous adresser aux enjeux de diversiteacute afin drsquoecirctre preacutepareacute agrave gouverner le pays laquo Eacutevidemment il y a beaucoup de di-versiteacute dans notre pays raquo a-t-elle dit laquo Crsquoest tregraves important que tous soient traiteacutes eacutequitablement raquo Elle a dit que les jeunes en particulier devraient voir la diversiteacute comme un enjeu im-portant et universel laquo La population des jeunes est plus diverse que la geacuteneacuteration plus acircgeacutee raquo a-t-elle dit laquo La faccedilon dont les choses se deacutevelop-pent aujourdrsquohui aura un impact agrave long terme sur les jeunes raquo
Comme jeune politiseacute nous avons besoin drsquoecirctre continuellement cons-cient de la diversiteacute qui nous entoure Acceptant la suggestion de David Suzuki agrave lrsquoeffet que la diversiteacute a eacuteteacute la cleacute du deacuteveloppement humain si nous voulons que le Canada continue agrave srsquoeacutepanouir nous devons accepter et encourager la diversiteacute sous toutes ces formes not
PAR LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA EST EacuteTUDIANTE EN SCIENCE POLITIQUE Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute DE QUEENrsquo S ELLE TR AVAIL POUR LE JOURNAL EacuteTUDIANT DE QUEENrsquo S ILLUSTR ATION PAR VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 8
LA POLITIQUE AUTREMENT
LA DISCIPLINE DE PARTI ET LES ENTENTES SONT ANTIDEacuteMOCRATIQUES
e suis certain que nous sommes tous drsquoaccord pour dire qursquoil y a plu-sieurs problegravemes avec les partis politiques au Canada Mais selon moi deux des problegravemes les
plus nuisibles pour la deacutemocratie sont la discipline de parti et les ententes entre partis Les deux impliquent un controcircle de la direction du parti agrave lrsquoendroit de la base du parti et reacutesulte en la destruction de la diversiteacute poli-tique et ideacuteologique agrave lrsquointeacuterieur drsquoun parti politique Jrsquoespegravere que nous les jeunes verts pourront travailler agrave empecirccher les ententes et la discipline de parti de prendre racine agrave lrsquointeacuterieur du Parti Vert du Canada
La discipline de parti se produit lorsque la direction drsquoun parti dicte agrave leurs candidats comment preacutesenter certaines politiques durant une eacutelec-tion et et lorsqursquoon dit aux deacuteputeacutes comment voter agrave voter agrave la Chambre des communes Eacutevidemment le problegraveme avec cette pratique tregraves courante est que cela ne permet pas aux parlementaires de voter dans la Chambre des communes selon les aspirations de leurs eacutelecteurs Donc le deacuteputeacute ne repreacutesente plus les gens qui lrsquoont eacutelu
Les ententes se produisent lors-que la direction drsquoun parti se met drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un candidat sans panache un laquo poteau raquo dans le jargon politique dans certaines circonscriptions en eacutechange qursquoun autre parti fasse pareil dans un autre comteacute Par exemple la direction du NPD pourrait se mettre drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un laquo poteau raquo dans un comteacute ougrave les libeacuteraux ont de bonnes
chances de battre les conservateurs En eacutechange la direction du Parti Libeacuteral se mettrait drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un poteau dans un comteacute lagrave ougrave le NDP a de bonnes chance de battre les conservateurs
Ces pratiques sont tregraves couran-tes en politique canadienne parce qursquoelles facilitent un gain politique agrave court terme Cependant ces deux pratiques limitent eacutegalement les deacutebats sur les politiques gouverne-mentales et deacutecouragent la diversiteacute drsquoopinion Par conseacutequent ces deux pratiques nuisent de maniegravere signifi-cative agrave notre deacutemocratie
Notez que les ententes impliquent que la direction du parti deacutecide quels candidats repreacutesenteront le parti dans un comteacute speacutecifique Les enten-tes megravenent eacutegalement naturellement agrave une discipline de parti stricte Quand une entente est conclue entre les strategraveges de deux partis les citoyens du comteacute en question se font simplement dire qui va les laquo re-preacutesenter raquo Et par conseacutequent leur soit disant repreacutesentant (si eacutelu) est envoyeacute agrave Ottawa sans lrsquoappui concret de leurs membres locaux et devient donc tregraves faible dans sa capaciteacute de srsquoopposer agrave la discipline de parti Si un deacuteputeacute veut plus que simplement suivre la ligne de parti telle que dic-teacutee par la haute direction du parti il doit avoir eacuteteacute choisi localement pour repreacutesenter ces eacutelecteurs
Pour nous les Verts la deacutemocra-tie participative et la diversiteacute sont importantes et sont des principes fondateurs dans notre politique Une des meilleures faccedilons drsquoavoir une di-versiteacute politique est de srsquoassurer que tous les candidats soient librement choisis par les membres du Parti Vert dans leur comteacute plutocirct que choi-
sis par lrsquoexeacutecutif du parti Faire des ententes est une pratique qui con-centre le pouvoir au sein des partis et creacutee des structures hieacuterarchiques deacutevastatrices pour la deacutemocratie en eacuteliminant la diversiteacute
Au congregraves du Parti Vert en aoucirct 2006 une reacutesolution cherchant agrave permettre la direction du Parti agrave faire des ententes avec drsquoautres par-tis a eacuteteacute proposeacutee Cette reacutesolution suggeacuterait de donner agrave lrsquoexeacutecutif du Parti le pouvoir de retirer un can-didat sans consideacuterer lrsquoopinion des membres locaux Je suis heureux de vous dire que cette reacutesolution a eacuteteacute deacutefaite et que les membres du Parti Vert ont deacutemontreacute leur engagement envers la diversiteacute politique au sein drsquoune deacutemocratie repreacutesentative Cependant je suis triste de constater
que crsquoest toujours un deacutebat au sein du parti
Je suis confiant que le deacutebat concernant les ententes entre partis deviendra plus prononceacute tandis que notre parti continuera agrave croicirctre Jrsquoespegravere sincegraverement que les jeunes verts plus que quiconque dans le parti souviendront de lrsquoimportance de la repreacutesentation locale au deacuteve-loppement de la diversiteacute politique En effet jrsquoespegravere que nous nous impliquerons dans nos associations locales du Parti Vert et aiderons agrave nominer des candidats du Parti Vert pour nous repreacutesenter Dans cet es-prit si vous avez besoin drsquoaide pour contacter votre organisation locale du Parti Vert veuillez envoyer un courriel au Conseil des jeunes verts agrave jeunesse laquo agrave raquo partivertca not
laquo LA DIVERSITEacute POLI-TIQUE CrsquoEST LAISSER LES MEMBRES DE CHAQUE COMTEacute CHOI-SIR LEUR CANDIDATE PLUTOcircT QUE LrsquoEXEacute-CUTIF DU PARTI raquo
PAR JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBR ECHT laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMEacuteTUDIANT EN DROIT Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute QUEENrsquo S PREacuteSIDENT DES QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp REacuteDACTEUR EN CHEF FONDATEUR DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 9
CONSIDEacuteRONS LE POTENTIEL DU PORTE-Agrave-PORTE
n dimanche apregraves-midi de janvier je marche prudem-ment dans une salle de reacuteunion agrave Kingston Jrsquoy trouve environ une douzaine
de personnes et ils me semblent tous tregraves relaxe consideacuterant ce que lrsquoon srsquoapprecircte agrave faire ce qui est drsquoapprendre agrave faire du deacutemarchage ou du porte-agrave-porte En fait je ne serais pas en train drsquoeacutecrire srsquoil srsquoagissait simplement de porte-agrave-porte conventionnel quelque chose que jrsquoeacutevite autant que possible Cet atelier concerne le dialogue deacutemocratique via le porte-agrave-porte (D3 en anglais) un nouveau style de campagne unique au Parti Vert et jusqursquoici unique aux Verts de Kingston
Selon le guide de formation sur le D3 laquo Le Dialogue Deacutemocratique est plus qursquoune strateacutegie de campagne Cette meacutethode nous distinguera des vieux partis politiques en encour-ageant des relations authentiques et durables entre le Parti Vert et les citoyens verts raquo
D3 est lrsquoideacutee originale drsquoAndrew McCann un reacutesident de Kingston Le but de D3 est de prendre cette activiteacute campagne et de la trans-former en conversation qui permet aux participants drsquoapprendre lrsquoun de lrsquoautre plutocirct qursquoun discours agres-sif orienteacute sur la vente
McCann a commenceacute agrave penser agrave une nouvelle approche au deacutemar-chage lrsquoanneacutee derniegravere lorsqursquoil a accompagneacute son ami Eric Walton un candidat du Parti Vert feacutedeacuteral lors de son deacutemarchage durant
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa premiegravere expeacuterience de campagne politique et il a eacuteteacute frappeacute qursquoune conversation avec quelqursquoun sur leur perron agrave propos de politique constitue de la deacutemocratie
Ayant gagneacute une compreacutehension conventionnelle du deacutemarchage politique McCann a preacutesenteacute en deacutecembre sa nouvelle faccedilon de faire campagne aux supporteurs Verts de Kingston et a eu le feu vert
laquo Jrsquoai demandeacute agrave une association de comteacute de penser agrave faire cam-pagne avec cette perspective et ils ont deacutecideacute drsquoessayer raquo a dit McCann laquo Tu ne vends rien tu converses seulement et donc tu ne te sens pas comme un vendeur don-nant son discours raquo
Cette ideacutee a eacuteteacute reacutepeacuteteacutee tout au long de lrsquoatelier auquel jrsquoai participeacute Nous nrsquoessayons pas de changer les opinions des gens nous voulons simplement savoir ce que la per-sonne dans cette maison pense de la politique en geacuteneacuteral et du Parti Vert en particulier laquo Crsquoest quelque chose que je peux faire raquo je crois laquo Je nrsquoai jamais eacuteteacute tregraves bon agrave convaincre quiconque de quoique ce soit mais je peux probablement les eacutecouter raquo
En deacuteveloppant et en enseignant D3 McCann se retrouve agrave deacutepous-sieacuterer des outils politiques oublieacutes McCann nrsquoa deacutecouvert pratique-ment aucun mateacuteriel sur le porte-
agrave-porte Il y a certainement rien au Parti Vert et si les autres parties ont du mateacuteriel sur le porte-agrave-porte ils le gardent secret Il y a aussi aucun mateacuteriel acadeacutemique sur le porte-agrave-porte selon lui
McCann a lrsquoimpression que cela srsquoexplique par le fait que le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest pas consideacutereacute comme faisant partie de lrsquoarsenal typique de la politique du 21iegraveme siegravecle Lrsquoarsenal standard est lrsquoutilisation des meacutedias les pancartes etc en drsquoautres mots des outils de cam-pagne qursquoun quartier geacuteneacuteral peut facilement controcircler et propager Le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest ni lrsquoune de ces choses parce que crsquoest deacutecentraliseacute Crsquoest comme McCann dit laquo aussi citoyen que ccedila puisse ecirctre raquo
Donc McCann nrsquoa aucune bro-chure et peu de preacuteceacutedent Mais ce preacuteceacutedent existe
laquo Il y a deacutejagrave une roue et D3 nrsquoessaie pas de la reacuteinventer Ap-prenons simplement agrave comment lrsquoutiliser agrave nouveau agrave la deacutepoussieacuter-er et agrave lrsquohuiler Crsquoest une roue sans
manuel drsquoinstruction raquoMcCann espegravere que lrsquoapproche
D3 sera eacuteventuellement introduite agrave toutes les associations du Parti Vert Il pense que les organisations locales du parti seront capables drsquoutiliser la strateacutegie D3 de trois faccedilons la premiegravere faccedilon est comme programme de formation au porte-agrave-porte pour les nouveaux beacuteneacutev-oles la deuxiegraveme faccedilon est comme strateacutegie de campagne precircte agrave servir qui puissent ecirctre utiliseacute durant les eacutelections et la troisiegraveme faccedilon est comme ressource sur agrave quoi srsquoattendre durant une campagne de porte-agrave-porte en se basant sur les reacutesultats du projet D3 des Verts de Kingston
Quoique cette phase de D3 soit encore dans le futur les choses bou-gent et un jour peu lointain avec un peu de chance tous les jeunes verts seront engageacutes dans un dialogue deacutemocratique avec la personne au fond de la rue qursquoils nrsquoont jamais rencontreacutee auparavant not
laquo IL A EacuteTEacute FRAPPEacute QUrsquoUNE CONVERSA-TION AVEC QUEL-QUrsquoUN SUR LEUR PERRON Agrave PROPOS DE POLITIQUE CONSTITUE DE LA DEacuteMOCRATIE raquo
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa
GWEN MAYGWENMAY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMMEMBRE DES QUEEN rsquo S GREENS Agrave Lrsquo U QUEEN rsquo S (BEN OUI ) REacuteDAC TRICE EN CHEF DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 10
SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES
UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert originaire de Lyon a 21 ans et eacutetudie actuellement le droit europeacuteen agrave Louvain en Belgique pour 1 an avant de retourner en France lrsquoan-neacutee prochaine poursuivre ses eacutetudes avec une speacutecialisation en droits de la personne Membre des verts depuis 4 ans il a eacuteteacute preacutesident des jeunes verts de Lyon pendant 1 an Il fait mainte-nant partie de la commission justice des verts et participe agrave lrsquoeacutelaboration du programme des verts en matiere de justice Jrsquoai eu la chance de correspon-dre avec lui eacutelectroniquement pour mieux connaicirctre la perspective verte franccedilaise
Comment concevez-vous du rocircle des jeunes au sein des verts
Les jeunes ont toujours eu un grand rocircle pour faire eacutevoluer la so-cieacuteteacute Crsquoest particuliegraverement vrai en France puisque par exemple mai 68 a eacuteteacute le moteur drsquoune contestation de lrsquoordre eacutetabli Les eacuteveacutenements de mai 68 ont permis de remettre en cause une socieacuteteacute ougrave les jeunes nrsquoavaient pas droit agrave la parole et ougrave seule une eacutelite monopolisait le pouvoir
Drsquoune part les jeunes doivent sensibiliser les Verts pour que le parti puisse porter nos revendications Ce premier rocircle est donc plutocirct celui drsquoun lobby jeune afin que les Verts pren-nent conscience des difficulteacutes ren-contreacutees par la jeunesse aujourdrsquohui
Les conditions de vie de la jeunesse en France sont en effet difficiles le chocircmage touche en particulier les jeunes il est difficile de trouver un logement et par conseacutequent drsquoecirctre autonome vis-agrave-vis de ses parents les eacutetudes coucirctent chegraveres et ne sont donc pas accessible agrave tous
Ce rocircle de la jeunesse nrsquoest pas speacutecifique aux Verts Tous les partis devraient entendre ce que leur disent les jeunes Mais il nrsquoy a que chez les
Verts (en France en tout cas) que le parti prend vraiment en consideacutera-tion ce que disent les jeunes
Drsquoautre part les jeunes ont eacutegale-ment un rocircle beaucoup plus direct agrave jouer Il srsquoagit drsquoexercer nous mecircme des responsabiliteacutes et pour se faire drsquoecirctre eacutelu que ce soit au niveau local ou national En effet il est intoleacuterable que 95 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais aient plus de 40 ans (de mecircme qursquoil est anormal que plus de 80 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais soient des hommes)
Comment peut-on preacutetendre repreacute-senter un pays en excluant du Par-lement ceux qui seront les premiers toucheacutes par les politiques meneacutees notamment en matiegravere environne-mentale Les deacuteputeacutes drsquoaujourdrsquohui ne seront plus lagrave lorsque le reacutechauffe-ment climatique aura des conseacutequen-ces directes sur notre mode de vie
Il ne srsquoagit pas de dire que tous les deacuteputeacutes devraient avoir moins de 30 ans Mais il me semble normal que dans un pays les jeunes occupent une place dans les institutions afin de pouvoir deacutefendre les inteacuterecircts de la jeunesse Or les Verts sont un des seuls partis en France qui permet cela Notre secreacutetaire nationale (preacutesidente des Verts France) Ceacutecile Duflot est une jeune femme de 31 ans
Les Verts ont toujours eu comme objectif de faire de la laquo politique autrement raquo Cela signifie que le pouvoir politique ne doit pas rester entre les mains des hommes de plus de 40 ans
Selon vous quels sont les princi-paux deacutefis faces aux jeunes verts agrave Lyon en France
Le principal deacutefi est donc de se faire entendre que ce soit au niveau local ou au niveau national Et ce nrsquoest pas chose facile La preuve dans les banlieues le seul moyen qursquoont
trouveacute les jeunes pour se faire enten-dre crsquoest de bruler des voitures
Nous jeunes verts nous devons nous faire les portes paroles de cette jeunesse afin drsquoexprimer de faccedilon construite ce que les jeunes des banlieues ont tenteacute de dire par des moyens spectaculaire mais ineffica-ces
Nous devons donc convaincre les Verts mais aussi et surtout toute la socieacuteteacute que nous aussi nous avons des ideacutees que sommes conscients de ne pas avoir reacuteponse agrave tout car nous manquons drsquoexpeacuterience mais que nous sommes jusqursquoagrave preuve du con-traire les mieux placeacutes pour parler des problegravemes auxquels la jeunesse doit faire face
Le principal deacutefi que nous devons releveacute est donc celui de la creacutedibiliteacute ce qui nous impose de nous inves-tir beaucoup en politique afin de pouvoir ecirctre non seulement entendu mais aussi eacutecouteacutes et eacutelus
Quelle est la perception des verts agrave Lyon en France Selon-vous le mouvement vert souffre-t-il drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute ou drsquoimage
En France les Verts ont lrsquoimage drsquoun parti sympathique qui dit des choses inteacuteressantes mais qui nrsquoest pas assez bien structureacute pour ecirctre creacutedible
En effet les franccedilais ont je crois bien compris que les enjeux eacutecolo-giques seront les enjeux majeurs du 21egraveme siegravecle Plus personnes en France agrave quelques exceptions pregraves ne conteste la responsabiliteacute des activiteacutes humaines dans le reacutechauf-fement climatique et la majoriteacute de la population commence agrave prendre conscience qursquoun changement des comportements individuels est neacutecessaire
Cependant il est encore difficile de faire comprendre aux citoyens que les
politiques publiques doivent changer elles aussi Il ne suffit pas drsquoacheter des ampoules agrave eacuteconomies drsquoeacutenergie pour reacutesoudre la crise eacutecologique agrave laquelle nous faisons face
Lrsquoeacutecologie politique ce nrsquoest pas seulement srsquooccuper des petits oiseaux et des fleurs
Crsquoest aussi repenser notre systegraveme eacuteconomique afin que deacuteveloppement ne rime pas avec destruction de notre environnement
Crsquoest pourquoi selon moi il srsquoagit plus drsquoune crise drsquoimage que drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute Nous savons qui nous sommes et ce que nous pensons mais nous nrsquoarrivons pas toujours agrave communiquer
Les eacutelecteurs attendent des Verts qursquoils ne srsquooccupent que drsquoenviron-nement et de rien drsquoautre en laissant aux grands partis le soin de srsquooccuper du reste Notre responsabiliteacute crsquoest drsquoexpli-quer et de convaincre que lrsquoeacutecologie politique agrave vocation agrave se saisir de tous les sujets
Sur le logement par exemple les Verts proposent que tous les nou-veaux logements construits soient isoleacutes correctement afin de ne pas gaspiller de lrsquoeacutenergie en chauffage mais eacutegalement afin de reacuteduire la fac-ture drsquoeacutelectriciteacute ou de gaz des gens qui vivent dans ces logements
Or en France il est tregraves difficile de se loger actuellement car les loyers sont eacuteleveacutes et les charges (chauffages eau) elles aussi
Par cet exemple donc on voit bien que les Verts ce nrsquoest pas simple-ment la nature et la forecirct mais aussi le logement lrsquoemploi (la mise en place drsquoeacutenergies renouvelables crsquoest 400 000 emplois non deacutelocalisables creacuteeacutes) etc qui sont traditionnelle-ment des sujets ougrave les eacutelecteurs VOIR LA PAGE SUIVANTE
ENTR E VUE AVEC LOIumlC ROBERTPAR ADAM SOMMER FELD DESIGNER GR APHIQUE MONTREacuteAL DIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DE THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD laquo Agrave raquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 11
SUITE DE LA PAGE PREacuteCEacuteDANTE nrsquoattendent pas que les Verts se prononcent
Le deacutefis des Verts en France mais je crois partout dans le monde crsquoest de montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie politique est un paradigme eacuteconomique et po-litique agrave part entiegravere comme le sont le communisme le capitalisme
Il nous faut donc trouver le moyen drsquoavoir une image plus conforme agrave ce que nous sommes ce qui nrsquoest pas facile En effet les meacutedias jouent un grand rocircle dans le deacutebat politique et nous nrsquoavons que tregraves rarement la pa-role car nous sommes un petit parti
Or lorsque nous avons la parole la plupart du temps les journalistes nous interrogent sur nos laquo bagarres internes raquo et pas sur nos propositions Il faut donc que nous arrivions agrave nous imposer drsquoune part de reacutegler nos problegravemes internes discregravetement et ne pas eacutetaler nos divergences sur la place publique et qursquoagrave chaque inter-view nous reacuteussissions agrave ne parler que de nos ideacutees pour convaincre les eacutelecteurs qursquoelles sont bonnes
De quelle maniegravere les verts se sont-ils pencheacutes sur la question de comment le message du parti est communiqueacute au grand public
Les verts en France ne sont pas tregraves agrave lrsquoaise avec les meacutedias En tant que petit parti nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de paroles et crsquoest pourquoi il est difficile de parler de nos ideacutees Alors bien sucircr nous avons deacutejagrave reacutefleacutechi au problegraveme mais les reacuteponses ne sont pas simples et ce pour plusieurs raisons
Comme je lrsquoai dit nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de parole Lrsquoac-tualiteacute en France est domineacutee par les eacutelections preacutesidentielles qui auront lieu au printemps
Or degraves que nous les Verts sommes
inviteacutes dans les meacutedias les journalis-tes ne nous questionnent que sur nos conflits internes sur les sondages actuels qui sont mauvais sur ce que lrsquoon pense des autres candidats etc Mais jamais les journalistes ne nous demandent ce que lrsquoon pense sur le logement sur les OGM sur le nucleacuteaire ou sur les immigreacutes clandestins
Ainsi notre message ne peut pas passer Lrsquoeacutecologie est une chose complexe qui neacutecessite du temps pour ecirctre expliqueacutee La tendance actuelle est agrave la simplification des problegravemes politiques afin drsquoecirctre com-pris des citoyens Malheureusement lrsquoeacutecologie ne peut ecirctre simplifieacutee et nous nrsquoavons pas le temps de faire ce travail de peacutedagogie pour expliquer et convaincre les Franccedilais que notre projet est ambitieux et actuellement le seul capable de faire face agrave lrsquoenjeu eacutecologiqueCrsquoest donc un double travail qursquoil nous faut effectuer
Tout drsquoabord ecirctre plus visible dans les meacutedias sur les questions de fond et pas seulement pour commenter lrsquoactualiteacute des autres candidats Cela neacutecessite que les militants verts se mobilisent drsquoavantage afin de mettre en avant lrsquooriginaliteacute de notre projet et susciteacute un inteacuterecirct meacutediatique Pour exister il faut que nous soyons creacuteateur de deacutebats par des positions trancheacutees et des actions de terrain Nous ne devons plus suivre les deacutebats mais les conduire pour enrichir le deacutebat public de la theacutematique envi-ronnementale qui doit ecirctre centrale et sur laquelle les verts partout dans le monde sont les meilleurs
Ensuite il nous faut ecirctre peacutedagogue et expliquer lrsquoeacutecologie avec des mots simples mais sans simplifier et donc deacutenaturer le contenu de notre projet Nous ne devons pas apparaicirctre
comme des ennemis du progregraves qui voudraient revenir agrave la bougie et ha-biter dans une caverne Nous devons au contraire montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie crsquoest le progregraves Le progregraves crsquoest de pouvoir assurer agrave nos enfants et petits enfants une vie descente dans un en-vironnement saint Et pour cela nous avons besoin de reacuteduire nos deacutepenses eacutenergeacutetiques de sortir drsquoune socieacuteteacute de consommation destructrice de lrsquoenvironnement pour rentrer dans une socieacuteteacute sobre ougrave le relationnel et les rapports humains valent plus que les biens mateacuteriels
Crsquoest ce discours la qursquoil faut parvenir agrave faire passer Mais ce nrsquoest pas simple car la caricature est facile Certains nous considegraverent comme des fous furieux drsquoautres comme des nostalgique de la preacutehistoire Il faut leur montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie ce nrsquoest pas revenir dans le passeacute mais se creacuteer un avenir
Alors oui nous avons reacutefleacutechis sur le sujet Nous sommes conscients des difficulteacutes et nous tentons de les sur-monter Mais les Verts en France sont un parti jeune (24 ans) et nous man-quons certainement drsquoexpeacuterience Mais nous devons faire lrsquoeffort drsquoac-queacuterir cette expeacuterience tregraves vite car les meacutedias repreacutesentent aujourdrsquohui un pouvoir tregraves important certaine-ment aussi important que le pouvoir exeacutecutif ou leacutegislatif
Existe-t-il une solidariteacute ou une collaboration entre les verts (le parti politique) et les groupes eacutecologistes
Je ne suis pas un expert donc je ne mrsquoattarderais pas trop sur le sujet Bien entendu il y a une collaboration entre les Verts et les associations et groupes eacutecologistes Crsquoest mecircme pour cela que les Verts ont eacuteteacute creacuteeacutes en
France en 1984Le mouvement vert est neacute du
constat de nombreux eacutecologistes qui militaient dans des associations de protection de lrsquoenvironnement que lrsquoon ne pouvait changer vraiment les choses qursquoen eacutetant preacutesent dans les deacutebats politique Les Verts franccedilais sont donc au deacutepart le porte parole des associations de deacutefense de lrsquoenvi-ronnement
Lrsquoexemple le plus reacuteveacutelateur est la faccedilon dont les verts exercent leurs responsabiliteacutes politiques au niveau local Les Verts deacutefendent la deacutemo-cratie participative qui integravegre les citoyens au deacutebat avant de prendre une deacutecision qui aura des conseacute-quences sur leur environnement Par conseacutequent pour chaque projet les Verts srsquoimposent de consulter drsquoabord les associations locales de deacutefenses de lrsquoenvironnement pour connaicirctre leur avis car elles sont souvent de bons conseils eacutetant donneacute leur connais-sance du terrain
Par conseacutequent je dirais que le milieu politique et le milieu associatif sont deux mondes bien diffeacuterents qui nrsquoont pas le mecircme objectif Les associations sont lagrave pour interpeler les politiques et les politiques sont lagrave pour reacutepondre aux interpellations des associations Crsquoest pourquoi il nous faut travailler ensemble tout en deacutelimitant bien la frontiegravere entre les deux En effet les associations doivent ecirctre influentes sur tous les partis politiques et pas seulement les Verts De ce fait et afin de rester creacutedible il ne faut donc pas meacutelanger les Verts et les associations pour que ces derniegrave-res puissent influer eacutegalement sur les eacutelus des autres partis not
laquo LE DEacuteFIS DES VERTS EN FRANCE MAIS JE CROIS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE CrsquoEST DE MONTRER QUE LrsquoEacuteCOLOGIE POLITIQUE EST UN PARADIGME EacuteCONOMIQUE ET POLITIQUE Agrave PART ENTIEgraveRE COMME LE SONT LE COMMUNISME LE CAPITALISME raquo
FR SUITE SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 5
DEacuteFAISONS LES ARGUMENTS ANTI-KYOTO
PAR SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN laquo Agrave raquo YAHOOCOMANCIEN C ANDIDAT VERT Agrave 18 ANS DANS CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER AC TUELLEMENT REacuteDAC TEUR EN CHEF ADJOINT DE THE UNDERSTORY
Quoique la Chine lrsquoInde et drsquoautres pays eacutemergents soient membres du Protocole de Kyoto ils nrsquoont aucune obligation de reacuteduire leurs gaz agrave effet de serre Donc tout effort est futile
bullCet argument contient un peu de veacuteriteacute mais heureusement nrsquoest pas sans faille Quand une personne senseacutee prend connaissance drsquoun problegraveme elle travaille drsquoabord agrave le reacutesoudre et puis essaie de convain-cre son entourage de faire de mecircme Par exemple si vous observez un environnement social malsain ducirc agrave un manque de respect geacuteneacuteraliseacute vous commencez par ecirctre respec-tueux et espeacuterez que votre exemple aura un impact La mecircme chose srsquoapplique au Protocole de Kyoto
Mecircme si le Canada atteignait les objectifs auquel il a souscrit ce se-rait un effort inutile puisque nos eacutemissions comptent pour seule-ment 3 des eacutemissions mondiales
bullUne fois de plus crsquoest plein de bon sens drsquoagir comme un modegravele
de la voie agrave suivre Eacutegalement si tout le monde utilisait des argu-ments similaires nous nrsquoarriverions jamais agrave rien que ce soit dans notre combat contre le reacutechauffement de la planegravete ou le travail des enfants
Et puisque le Japon et lrsquoEurope es-saient deacutejagrave drsquoacheter des creacutedits il nrsquoen resterait plus pour nous
bullCrsquoest une fausse supposition Rien ne nous empecircche de nous battre pour ces creacutedits et crsquoest preacute-somptueux de preacutetendre que lrsquooffre de creacutedit de carbone va demeurer aussi basse dans les anneacutees agrave venir
Consideacuterant que les eacutemissions de gaz agrave effet de serre aux Eacutetats-Unis et en Australie nrsquoont pas augmenteacute autant qursquoau Canada cela deacutemon-tre que les mesures volontaires sont plus effi caces que les cibles obligatoires du Protocole de Kyoto et que les cibles obligatoires en geacuteneacuteral ne fonctionnent pas
bullVoyons rien nrsquoempecircche une compagnie ou un pays de reacuteduire
volontairement ces eacutemissions agrave tout moment ils peuvent inventer ou mettre en œuvre toutes les mesures volontaires qursquoils souhaitent Par conseacutequent aucune mesure volon-taire ne marche forceacutement mieux qursquoune mesure coercitive La seule fois qursquoune mesure volontaire sem-ble ecirctre plus effi cace est lorsqursquoelle est mis en œuvre en parallegravele avec des incitatifs Mais une fois encore rien nrsquoa empecirccheacute les gouvernements passeacutes de donner des incitatifs Le Protocole de Kyoto ne nous a jamais empecirccheacutes de faire ccedila
Oui mais le Protocole de Kyoto ne nous a pas aideacute agrave reacuteduire nos eacutemis-sions de gaz agrave effet de serre
bullUne de mes amies vertes pacircles a une fois utiliseacute cet argument Ma reacuteponse a eacuteteacute que les reacutesultats pro-duits par le Protocole de Kyoto nrsquoont pas encore eacuteteacute compileacute et ils ne le seront pas jusqursquoen 2012 Eacutevaluer la performance du Protocole de Kyoto maintenant est lrsquoeacutequivalent de dire que Schumaker ne peut pas gagner
la course quand aucune auto For-mule Un nrsquoa franchi la ligne drsquoarri-veacutee De plus la plupart des meacutecanis-mes qui font lrsquoessence du Protocole de Kyoto comme le Meacutecanisme de Deacuteveloppement Propre nrsquoont mecircme pas encore eacuteteacute utiliseacute et les incitatifs au cœur de Kyoto ne sont pas encore reacuteel Et crsquoest pour cela que Harper souhaite sortir le Canada du Pro-tocole de Kyotomdashil a jusqursquoen 2008 pour le faire Autrement si nous ne remplissons pas nos obligations drsquoici 2012 nous aurons agrave payer une grosse peacutenaliteacute fi nanciegravere Crsquoest en cela que constitue lrsquoincitatif Donc quand quelqursquoun me dit que le Pro-tocole de Kyoto ne fonctionne pas je leur reacuteponds que la plupart des meacutecanismes qui se trouve dans le protocole ne sont mecircme pas utiliseacutes En drsquoautres mots il ne faut pas juger le reacutesultat drsquoune course qui nrsquoa pas commenceacutee Neacuteanmoins certains pays ont pris de lrsquoavance pendant que drsquoautres ont pris un important retard not
laquo EacuteVALUER LA PERFORMANCE DU PROTOCOLE DE KYOTO MAIN-TENANT EST LrsquoEacuteQUIVALENT DE DIRE QUE SCHUMAKER NE PEUT PAS GAGNER LA COURSE QUAND AUCUNE AUTO FORMULE UN NrsquoA FRANCHI LA LIGNE DrsquoARRIVEacuteE raquo
En tant que vert je suis certain que vous voyez le Protocole de Kyoto comme une eacutetape neacutecessaire mais vous connaissez peut-ecirctre des sceptiques qui se font facilement infl uenceacutes par les deacutemagogues Par conseacutequent je vais deacutefaire dans cet article quelques uns des arguments contre le Protocole de Kyoto Mon approche sera de reacutesumer chaque argument et puis de le deacutefaire
IDEacuteES VERTES (VOUS NrsquoEcircTES PAS SEULS)
PAROLES VERTES(EXPRIMEZ-VOUS DANS LE MAGAZINE THE UNDERSTORY)
(SOUMETTEZ VOS IDEacuteES ET VOTRE TRAVAIL Agrave DARCYHIGGINS laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)(SI VOUS DEacuteSIREZ PLUS DrsquoINFORMATION EacuteCRIVEZ Agrave LrsquoADRESSE SUIVANTE THEUNDERSTORY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory est un nouveau mensuel par lequel srsquoexprime la jeunesse verte du Canada Envoyez-nous vos articles vos photographies vos dessins ou tout autre travail qui meacuterite drsquoecirctre publieacute
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 7
LUTTER CONTRE LA MONOCULTURE
ensant deacutejagrave agrave lrsquoimpor-tance de la diver-siteacute au Canada jrsquoai assisteacute agrave un discours de David Suzuki dans lequel il mention-nait lrsquoimportance de
toutes les sortes de diversiteacute La vie srsquoembellit suite agrave la diversiteacute biologique et culturelle a-t-il dit laquo Ccedila a eacuteteacute la cleacute de notre succegraves raquo Une affirmation inspirante consi-deacuterant qursquoon entend continuelle-ment combien comme Canadiens nous vivons dans une socieacuteteacute diverse Si la diversiteacute nous a meneacute si loin il est certain que la diversiteacute nous poussera encore plus loin non
Mais ce qursquoa dit le Docteur Suzuki apregraves mrsquoa fait reacutefleacutechir encore plus laquo Nous sommes en train de creacuteer une mono-culture sur la terre avec notre conception du progregraves raquo Ce qui veut dire que comme socieacuteteacute nous tendons agrave nous conformer agrave la norme et nous tenir au milieu Nous avons adopteacute un principal plan drsquoaffaire et un modegravele de croissance Nous avons
pris ce qui marchait et lrsquoavons pousseacute jusqursquoagrave son extrecircme limite Trop peu freacutequemment cependant nous pre-nons la peine de consideacuterer les autres options disponiblesmdashles options plus durables
Avec la monteacutee du Parti Vert ces autres options sont suggeacutereacutees re-connues et lentement mais sucircrement incorporeacutees au sein de la culture Ca-nadienne et des politiques Canadien-nes Aussi inspirant que cela puisse ecirctre crsquoest important de se souvenir qursquoil y a beaucoup de travail en ter-mes de diversiteacute raciale ethnique et culturelle au sein du gouvernement et de la socieacuteteacute Trop souvent alors que nous vantons notre politique baseacute sur le multiculturalisme nous ne parvenons pas agrave inteacutegrer ce que cela veut vraiment dire
Le critique aux droits humains et agrave la reacuteforme de la fonction publique du Parti Vert Joe Foster mrsquoa dit que la diversiteacute affecte plus drsquoenjeux que lrsquoon pourrait initialement penser Bien que son portfolio portant sur les droits humains touche eacutevidemment les enjeux de diversiteacute agrave tout moment
la diversiteacute apparaicirct eacutegalement lors-qursquoil est question de la reacuteforme de la fonction publique laquo Un problegraveme ma-jeur dans la fonction publique est le manque de minoriteacutes visibles qui sont engageacutees raquo a-t-il dit Le problegraveme est aussi refleacuteteacute dans la composition des eacutelus partout au pays laquo Si lrsquoon a des po-liticiens qui repreacutesentent le Canada ils doivent provenir de diffeacuterents milieux raquo Quoique le Canada soit lrsquoun des meilleurs exemples deacutemontrant que le multiculturalisme fonctionne il dit que ce nrsquoest pas assez Pendant que la population est de plus en plus diverse le gouvernement nrsquoa pas fourni les ressources neacutecessaires pour assurer une socieacuteteacute diverse et sucircre Comme il dit laquo il y a un besoin eacutenorme de reconnaicirctre la diver-siteacute Ccedila devrait ecirctre vu comme un investissement qui a pour but de faire du Canada une nation harmonieuse raquo Eacutechouer dit-il ne fera pas du tort seulement aux minoriteacutes mais agrave la socieacuteteacute entiegravere laquo Peu importe quel point de vue on prend il y a diffeacuterents groupes qui forment un pays Si lrsquoon en exclue on va perdre la richesse
que ce groupe a agrave offrir raquo Le critique agrave la justice du Parti
Vert Rebecca Bromwich est drsquoac-cord qursquoen tant que parti politique nous avons besoin de nous adresser aux enjeux de diversiteacute afin drsquoecirctre preacutepareacute agrave gouverner le pays laquo Eacutevidemment il y a beaucoup de di-versiteacute dans notre pays raquo a-t-elle dit laquo Crsquoest tregraves important que tous soient traiteacutes eacutequitablement raquo Elle a dit que les jeunes en particulier devraient voir la diversiteacute comme un enjeu im-portant et universel laquo La population des jeunes est plus diverse que la geacuteneacuteration plus acircgeacutee raquo a-t-elle dit laquo La faccedilon dont les choses se deacutevelop-pent aujourdrsquohui aura un impact agrave long terme sur les jeunes raquo
Comme jeune politiseacute nous avons besoin drsquoecirctre continuellement cons-cient de la diversiteacute qui nous entoure Acceptant la suggestion de David Suzuki agrave lrsquoeffet que la diversiteacute a eacuteteacute la cleacute du deacuteveloppement humain si nous voulons que le Canada continue agrave srsquoeacutepanouir nous devons accepter et encourager la diversiteacute sous toutes ces formes not
PAR LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA EST EacuteTUDIANTE EN SCIENCE POLITIQUE Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute DE QUEENrsquo S ELLE TR AVAIL POUR LE JOURNAL EacuteTUDIANT DE QUEENrsquo S ILLUSTR ATION PAR VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 8
LA POLITIQUE AUTREMENT
LA DISCIPLINE DE PARTI ET LES ENTENTES SONT ANTIDEacuteMOCRATIQUES
e suis certain que nous sommes tous drsquoaccord pour dire qursquoil y a plu-sieurs problegravemes avec les partis politiques au Canada Mais selon moi deux des problegravemes les
plus nuisibles pour la deacutemocratie sont la discipline de parti et les ententes entre partis Les deux impliquent un controcircle de la direction du parti agrave lrsquoendroit de la base du parti et reacutesulte en la destruction de la diversiteacute poli-tique et ideacuteologique agrave lrsquointeacuterieur drsquoun parti politique Jrsquoespegravere que nous les jeunes verts pourront travailler agrave empecirccher les ententes et la discipline de parti de prendre racine agrave lrsquointeacuterieur du Parti Vert du Canada
La discipline de parti se produit lorsque la direction drsquoun parti dicte agrave leurs candidats comment preacutesenter certaines politiques durant une eacutelec-tion et et lorsqursquoon dit aux deacuteputeacutes comment voter agrave voter agrave la Chambre des communes Eacutevidemment le problegraveme avec cette pratique tregraves courante est que cela ne permet pas aux parlementaires de voter dans la Chambre des communes selon les aspirations de leurs eacutelecteurs Donc le deacuteputeacute ne repreacutesente plus les gens qui lrsquoont eacutelu
Les ententes se produisent lors-que la direction drsquoun parti se met drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un candidat sans panache un laquo poteau raquo dans le jargon politique dans certaines circonscriptions en eacutechange qursquoun autre parti fasse pareil dans un autre comteacute Par exemple la direction du NPD pourrait se mettre drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un laquo poteau raquo dans un comteacute ougrave les libeacuteraux ont de bonnes
chances de battre les conservateurs En eacutechange la direction du Parti Libeacuteral se mettrait drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un poteau dans un comteacute lagrave ougrave le NDP a de bonnes chance de battre les conservateurs
Ces pratiques sont tregraves couran-tes en politique canadienne parce qursquoelles facilitent un gain politique agrave court terme Cependant ces deux pratiques limitent eacutegalement les deacutebats sur les politiques gouverne-mentales et deacutecouragent la diversiteacute drsquoopinion Par conseacutequent ces deux pratiques nuisent de maniegravere signifi-cative agrave notre deacutemocratie
Notez que les ententes impliquent que la direction du parti deacutecide quels candidats repreacutesenteront le parti dans un comteacute speacutecifique Les enten-tes megravenent eacutegalement naturellement agrave une discipline de parti stricte Quand une entente est conclue entre les strategraveges de deux partis les citoyens du comteacute en question se font simplement dire qui va les laquo re-preacutesenter raquo Et par conseacutequent leur soit disant repreacutesentant (si eacutelu) est envoyeacute agrave Ottawa sans lrsquoappui concret de leurs membres locaux et devient donc tregraves faible dans sa capaciteacute de srsquoopposer agrave la discipline de parti Si un deacuteputeacute veut plus que simplement suivre la ligne de parti telle que dic-teacutee par la haute direction du parti il doit avoir eacuteteacute choisi localement pour repreacutesenter ces eacutelecteurs
Pour nous les Verts la deacutemocra-tie participative et la diversiteacute sont importantes et sont des principes fondateurs dans notre politique Une des meilleures faccedilons drsquoavoir une di-versiteacute politique est de srsquoassurer que tous les candidats soient librement choisis par les membres du Parti Vert dans leur comteacute plutocirct que choi-
sis par lrsquoexeacutecutif du parti Faire des ententes est une pratique qui con-centre le pouvoir au sein des partis et creacutee des structures hieacuterarchiques deacutevastatrices pour la deacutemocratie en eacuteliminant la diversiteacute
Au congregraves du Parti Vert en aoucirct 2006 une reacutesolution cherchant agrave permettre la direction du Parti agrave faire des ententes avec drsquoautres par-tis a eacuteteacute proposeacutee Cette reacutesolution suggeacuterait de donner agrave lrsquoexeacutecutif du Parti le pouvoir de retirer un can-didat sans consideacuterer lrsquoopinion des membres locaux Je suis heureux de vous dire que cette reacutesolution a eacuteteacute deacutefaite et que les membres du Parti Vert ont deacutemontreacute leur engagement envers la diversiteacute politique au sein drsquoune deacutemocratie repreacutesentative Cependant je suis triste de constater
que crsquoest toujours un deacutebat au sein du parti
Je suis confiant que le deacutebat concernant les ententes entre partis deviendra plus prononceacute tandis que notre parti continuera agrave croicirctre Jrsquoespegravere sincegraverement que les jeunes verts plus que quiconque dans le parti souviendront de lrsquoimportance de la repreacutesentation locale au deacuteve-loppement de la diversiteacute politique En effet jrsquoespegravere que nous nous impliquerons dans nos associations locales du Parti Vert et aiderons agrave nominer des candidats du Parti Vert pour nous repreacutesenter Dans cet es-prit si vous avez besoin drsquoaide pour contacter votre organisation locale du Parti Vert veuillez envoyer un courriel au Conseil des jeunes verts agrave jeunesse laquo agrave raquo partivertca not
laquo LA DIVERSITEacute POLI-TIQUE CrsquoEST LAISSER LES MEMBRES DE CHAQUE COMTEacute CHOI-SIR LEUR CANDIDATE PLUTOcircT QUE LrsquoEXEacute-CUTIF DU PARTI raquo
PAR JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBR ECHT laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMEacuteTUDIANT EN DROIT Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute QUEENrsquo S PREacuteSIDENT DES QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp REacuteDACTEUR EN CHEF FONDATEUR DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 9
CONSIDEacuteRONS LE POTENTIEL DU PORTE-Agrave-PORTE
n dimanche apregraves-midi de janvier je marche prudem-ment dans une salle de reacuteunion agrave Kingston Jrsquoy trouve environ une douzaine
de personnes et ils me semblent tous tregraves relaxe consideacuterant ce que lrsquoon srsquoapprecircte agrave faire ce qui est drsquoapprendre agrave faire du deacutemarchage ou du porte-agrave-porte En fait je ne serais pas en train drsquoeacutecrire srsquoil srsquoagissait simplement de porte-agrave-porte conventionnel quelque chose que jrsquoeacutevite autant que possible Cet atelier concerne le dialogue deacutemocratique via le porte-agrave-porte (D3 en anglais) un nouveau style de campagne unique au Parti Vert et jusqursquoici unique aux Verts de Kingston
Selon le guide de formation sur le D3 laquo Le Dialogue Deacutemocratique est plus qursquoune strateacutegie de campagne Cette meacutethode nous distinguera des vieux partis politiques en encour-ageant des relations authentiques et durables entre le Parti Vert et les citoyens verts raquo
D3 est lrsquoideacutee originale drsquoAndrew McCann un reacutesident de Kingston Le but de D3 est de prendre cette activiteacute campagne et de la trans-former en conversation qui permet aux participants drsquoapprendre lrsquoun de lrsquoautre plutocirct qursquoun discours agres-sif orienteacute sur la vente
McCann a commenceacute agrave penser agrave une nouvelle approche au deacutemar-chage lrsquoanneacutee derniegravere lorsqursquoil a accompagneacute son ami Eric Walton un candidat du Parti Vert feacutedeacuteral lors de son deacutemarchage durant
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa premiegravere expeacuterience de campagne politique et il a eacuteteacute frappeacute qursquoune conversation avec quelqursquoun sur leur perron agrave propos de politique constitue de la deacutemocratie
Ayant gagneacute une compreacutehension conventionnelle du deacutemarchage politique McCann a preacutesenteacute en deacutecembre sa nouvelle faccedilon de faire campagne aux supporteurs Verts de Kingston et a eu le feu vert
laquo Jrsquoai demandeacute agrave une association de comteacute de penser agrave faire cam-pagne avec cette perspective et ils ont deacutecideacute drsquoessayer raquo a dit McCann laquo Tu ne vends rien tu converses seulement et donc tu ne te sens pas comme un vendeur don-nant son discours raquo
Cette ideacutee a eacuteteacute reacutepeacuteteacutee tout au long de lrsquoatelier auquel jrsquoai participeacute Nous nrsquoessayons pas de changer les opinions des gens nous voulons simplement savoir ce que la per-sonne dans cette maison pense de la politique en geacuteneacuteral et du Parti Vert en particulier laquo Crsquoest quelque chose que je peux faire raquo je crois laquo Je nrsquoai jamais eacuteteacute tregraves bon agrave convaincre quiconque de quoique ce soit mais je peux probablement les eacutecouter raquo
En deacuteveloppant et en enseignant D3 McCann se retrouve agrave deacutepous-sieacuterer des outils politiques oublieacutes McCann nrsquoa deacutecouvert pratique-ment aucun mateacuteriel sur le porte-
agrave-porte Il y a certainement rien au Parti Vert et si les autres parties ont du mateacuteriel sur le porte-agrave-porte ils le gardent secret Il y a aussi aucun mateacuteriel acadeacutemique sur le porte-agrave-porte selon lui
McCann a lrsquoimpression que cela srsquoexplique par le fait que le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest pas consideacutereacute comme faisant partie de lrsquoarsenal typique de la politique du 21iegraveme siegravecle Lrsquoarsenal standard est lrsquoutilisation des meacutedias les pancartes etc en drsquoautres mots des outils de cam-pagne qursquoun quartier geacuteneacuteral peut facilement controcircler et propager Le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest ni lrsquoune de ces choses parce que crsquoest deacutecentraliseacute Crsquoest comme McCann dit laquo aussi citoyen que ccedila puisse ecirctre raquo
Donc McCann nrsquoa aucune bro-chure et peu de preacuteceacutedent Mais ce preacuteceacutedent existe
laquo Il y a deacutejagrave une roue et D3 nrsquoessaie pas de la reacuteinventer Ap-prenons simplement agrave comment lrsquoutiliser agrave nouveau agrave la deacutepoussieacuter-er et agrave lrsquohuiler Crsquoest une roue sans
manuel drsquoinstruction raquoMcCann espegravere que lrsquoapproche
D3 sera eacuteventuellement introduite agrave toutes les associations du Parti Vert Il pense que les organisations locales du parti seront capables drsquoutiliser la strateacutegie D3 de trois faccedilons la premiegravere faccedilon est comme programme de formation au porte-agrave-porte pour les nouveaux beacuteneacutev-oles la deuxiegraveme faccedilon est comme strateacutegie de campagne precircte agrave servir qui puissent ecirctre utiliseacute durant les eacutelections et la troisiegraveme faccedilon est comme ressource sur agrave quoi srsquoattendre durant une campagne de porte-agrave-porte en se basant sur les reacutesultats du projet D3 des Verts de Kingston
Quoique cette phase de D3 soit encore dans le futur les choses bou-gent et un jour peu lointain avec un peu de chance tous les jeunes verts seront engageacutes dans un dialogue deacutemocratique avec la personne au fond de la rue qursquoils nrsquoont jamais rencontreacutee auparavant not
laquo IL A EacuteTEacute FRAPPEacute QUrsquoUNE CONVERSA-TION AVEC QUEL-QUrsquoUN SUR LEUR PERRON Agrave PROPOS DE POLITIQUE CONSTITUE DE LA DEacuteMOCRATIE raquo
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa
GWEN MAYGWENMAY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMMEMBRE DES QUEEN rsquo S GREENS Agrave Lrsquo U QUEEN rsquo S (BEN OUI ) REacuteDAC TRICE EN CHEF DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 10
SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES
UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert originaire de Lyon a 21 ans et eacutetudie actuellement le droit europeacuteen agrave Louvain en Belgique pour 1 an avant de retourner en France lrsquoan-neacutee prochaine poursuivre ses eacutetudes avec une speacutecialisation en droits de la personne Membre des verts depuis 4 ans il a eacuteteacute preacutesident des jeunes verts de Lyon pendant 1 an Il fait mainte-nant partie de la commission justice des verts et participe agrave lrsquoeacutelaboration du programme des verts en matiere de justice Jrsquoai eu la chance de correspon-dre avec lui eacutelectroniquement pour mieux connaicirctre la perspective verte franccedilaise
Comment concevez-vous du rocircle des jeunes au sein des verts
Les jeunes ont toujours eu un grand rocircle pour faire eacutevoluer la so-cieacuteteacute Crsquoest particuliegraverement vrai en France puisque par exemple mai 68 a eacuteteacute le moteur drsquoune contestation de lrsquoordre eacutetabli Les eacuteveacutenements de mai 68 ont permis de remettre en cause une socieacuteteacute ougrave les jeunes nrsquoavaient pas droit agrave la parole et ougrave seule une eacutelite monopolisait le pouvoir
Drsquoune part les jeunes doivent sensibiliser les Verts pour que le parti puisse porter nos revendications Ce premier rocircle est donc plutocirct celui drsquoun lobby jeune afin que les Verts pren-nent conscience des difficulteacutes ren-contreacutees par la jeunesse aujourdrsquohui
Les conditions de vie de la jeunesse en France sont en effet difficiles le chocircmage touche en particulier les jeunes il est difficile de trouver un logement et par conseacutequent drsquoecirctre autonome vis-agrave-vis de ses parents les eacutetudes coucirctent chegraveres et ne sont donc pas accessible agrave tous
Ce rocircle de la jeunesse nrsquoest pas speacutecifique aux Verts Tous les partis devraient entendre ce que leur disent les jeunes Mais il nrsquoy a que chez les
Verts (en France en tout cas) que le parti prend vraiment en consideacutera-tion ce que disent les jeunes
Drsquoautre part les jeunes ont eacutegale-ment un rocircle beaucoup plus direct agrave jouer Il srsquoagit drsquoexercer nous mecircme des responsabiliteacutes et pour se faire drsquoecirctre eacutelu que ce soit au niveau local ou national En effet il est intoleacuterable que 95 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais aient plus de 40 ans (de mecircme qursquoil est anormal que plus de 80 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais soient des hommes)
Comment peut-on preacutetendre repreacute-senter un pays en excluant du Par-lement ceux qui seront les premiers toucheacutes par les politiques meneacutees notamment en matiegravere environne-mentale Les deacuteputeacutes drsquoaujourdrsquohui ne seront plus lagrave lorsque le reacutechauffe-ment climatique aura des conseacutequen-ces directes sur notre mode de vie
Il ne srsquoagit pas de dire que tous les deacuteputeacutes devraient avoir moins de 30 ans Mais il me semble normal que dans un pays les jeunes occupent une place dans les institutions afin de pouvoir deacutefendre les inteacuterecircts de la jeunesse Or les Verts sont un des seuls partis en France qui permet cela Notre secreacutetaire nationale (preacutesidente des Verts France) Ceacutecile Duflot est une jeune femme de 31 ans
Les Verts ont toujours eu comme objectif de faire de la laquo politique autrement raquo Cela signifie que le pouvoir politique ne doit pas rester entre les mains des hommes de plus de 40 ans
Selon vous quels sont les princi-paux deacutefis faces aux jeunes verts agrave Lyon en France
Le principal deacutefi est donc de se faire entendre que ce soit au niveau local ou au niveau national Et ce nrsquoest pas chose facile La preuve dans les banlieues le seul moyen qursquoont
trouveacute les jeunes pour se faire enten-dre crsquoest de bruler des voitures
Nous jeunes verts nous devons nous faire les portes paroles de cette jeunesse afin drsquoexprimer de faccedilon construite ce que les jeunes des banlieues ont tenteacute de dire par des moyens spectaculaire mais ineffica-ces
Nous devons donc convaincre les Verts mais aussi et surtout toute la socieacuteteacute que nous aussi nous avons des ideacutees que sommes conscients de ne pas avoir reacuteponse agrave tout car nous manquons drsquoexpeacuterience mais que nous sommes jusqursquoagrave preuve du con-traire les mieux placeacutes pour parler des problegravemes auxquels la jeunesse doit faire face
Le principal deacutefi que nous devons releveacute est donc celui de la creacutedibiliteacute ce qui nous impose de nous inves-tir beaucoup en politique afin de pouvoir ecirctre non seulement entendu mais aussi eacutecouteacutes et eacutelus
Quelle est la perception des verts agrave Lyon en France Selon-vous le mouvement vert souffre-t-il drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute ou drsquoimage
En France les Verts ont lrsquoimage drsquoun parti sympathique qui dit des choses inteacuteressantes mais qui nrsquoest pas assez bien structureacute pour ecirctre creacutedible
En effet les franccedilais ont je crois bien compris que les enjeux eacutecolo-giques seront les enjeux majeurs du 21egraveme siegravecle Plus personnes en France agrave quelques exceptions pregraves ne conteste la responsabiliteacute des activiteacutes humaines dans le reacutechauf-fement climatique et la majoriteacute de la population commence agrave prendre conscience qursquoun changement des comportements individuels est neacutecessaire
Cependant il est encore difficile de faire comprendre aux citoyens que les
politiques publiques doivent changer elles aussi Il ne suffit pas drsquoacheter des ampoules agrave eacuteconomies drsquoeacutenergie pour reacutesoudre la crise eacutecologique agrave laquelle nous faisons face
Lrsquoeacutecologie politique ce nrsquoest pas seulement srsquooccuper des petits oiseaux et des fleurs
Crsquoest aussi repenser notre systegraveme eacuteconomique afin que deacuteveloppement ne rime pas avec destruction de notre environnement
Crsquoest pourquoi selon moi il srsquoagit plus drsquoune crise drsquoimage que drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute Nous savons qui nous sommes et ce que nous pensons mais nous nrsquoarrivons pas toujours agrave communiquer
Les eacutelecteurs attendent des Verts qursquoils ne srsquooccupent que drsquoenviron-nement et de rien drsquoautre en laissant aux grands partis le soin de srsquooccuper du reste Notre responsabiliteacute crsquoest drsquoexpli-quer et de convaincre que lrsquoeacutecologie politique agrave vocation agrave se saisir de tous les sujets
Sur le logement par exemple les Verts proposent que tous les nou-veaux logements construits soient isoleacutes correctement afin de ne pas gaspiller de lrsquoeacutenergie en chauffage mais eacutegalement afin de reacuteduire la fac-ture drsquoeacutelectriciteacute ou de gaz des gens qui vivent dans ces logements
Or en France il est tregraves difficile de se loger actuellement car les loyers sont eacuteleveacutes et les charges (chauffages eau) elles aussi
Par cet exemple donc on voit bien que les Verts ce nrsquoest pas simple-ment la nature et la forecirct mais aussi le logement lrsquoemploi (la mise en place drsquoeacutenergies renouvelables crsquoest 400 000 emplois non deacutelocalisables creacuteeacutes) etc qui sont traditionnelle-ment des sujets ougrave les eacutelecteurs VOIR LA PAGE SUIVANTE
ENTR E VUE AVEC LOIumlC ROBERTPAR ADAM SOMMER FELD DESIGNER GR APHIQUE MONTREacuteAL DIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DE THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD laquo Agrave raquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 11
SUITE DE LA PAGE PREacuteCEacuteDANTE nrsquoattendent pas que les Verts se prononcent
Le deacutefis des Verts en France mais je crois partout dans le monde crsquoest de montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie politique est un paradigme eacuteconomique et po-litique agrave part entiegravere comme le sont le communisme le capitalisme
Il nous faut donc trouver le moyen drsquoavoir une image plus conforme agrave ce que nous sommes ce qui nrsquoest pas facile En effet les meacutedias jouent un grand rocircle dans le deacutebat politique et nous nrsquoavons que tregraves rarement la pa-role car nous sommes un petit parti
Or lorsque nous avons la parole la plupart du temps les journalistes nous interrogent sur nos laquo bagarres internes raquo et pas sur nos propositions Il faut donc que nous arrivions agrave nous imposer drsquoune part de reacutegler nos problegravemes internes discregravetement et ne pas eacutetaler nos divergences sur la place publique et qursquoagrave chaque inter-view nous reacuteussissions agrave ne parler que de nos ideacutees pour convaincre les eacutelecteurs qursquoelles sont bonnes
De quelle maniegravere les verts se sont-ils pencheacutes sur la question de comment le message du parti est communiqueacute au grand public
Les verts en France ne sont pas tregraves agrave lrsquoaise avec les meacutedias En tant que petit parti nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de paroles et crsquoest pourquoi il est difficile de parler de nos ideacutees Alors bien sucircr nous avons deacutejagrave reacutefleacutechi au problegraveme mais les reacuteponses ne sont pas simples et ce pour plusieurs raisons
Comme je lrsquoai dit nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de parole Lrsquoac-tualiteacute en France est domineacutee par les eacutelections preacutesidentielles qui auront lieu au printemps
Or degraves que nous les Verts sommes
inviteacutes dans les meacutedias les journalis-tes ne nous questionnent que sur nos conflits internes sur les sondages actuels qui sont mauvais sur ce que lrsquoon pense des autres candidats etc Mais jamais les journalistes ne nous demandent ce que lrsquoon pense sur le logement sur les OGM sur le nucleacuteaire ou sur les immigreacutes clandestins
Ainsi notre message ne peut pas passer Lrsquoeacutecologie est une chose complexe qui neacutecessite du temps pour ecirctre expliqueacutee La tendance actuelle est agrave la simplification des problegravemes politiques afin drsquoecirctre com-pris des citoyens Malheureusement lrsquoeacutecologie ne peut ecirctre simplifieacutee et nous nrsquoavons pas le temps de faire ce travail de peacutedagogie pour expliquer et convaincre les Franccedilais que notre projet est ambitieux et actuellement le seul capable de faire face agrave lrsquoenjeu eacutecologiqueCrsquoest donc un double travail qursquoil nous faut effectuer
Tout drsquoabord ecirctre plus visible dans les meacutedias sur les questions de fond et pas seulement pour commenter lrsquoactualiteacute des autres candidats Cela neacutecessite que les militants verts se mobilisent drsquoavantage afin de mettre en avant lrsquooriginaliteacute de notre projet et susciteacute un inteacuterecirct meacutediatique Pour exister il faut que nous soyons creacuteateur de deacutebats par des positions trancheacutees et des actions de terrain Nous ne devons plus suivre les deacutebats mais les conduire pour enrichir le deacutebat public de la theacutematique envi-ronnementale qui doit ecirctre centrale et sur laquelle les verts partout dans le monde sont les meilleurs
Ensuite il nous faut ecirctre peacutedagogue et expliquer lrsquoeacutecologie avec des mots simples mais sans simplifier et donc deacutenaturer le contenu de notre projet Nous ne devons pas apparaicirctre
comme des ennemis du progregraves qui voudraient revenir agrave la bougie et ha-biter dans une caverne Nous devons au contraire montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie crsquoest le progregraves Le progregraves crsquoest de pouvoir assurer agrave nos enfants et petits enfants une vie descente dans un en-vironnement saint Et pour cela nous avons besoin de reacuteduire nos deacutepenses eacutenergeacutetiques de sortir drsquoune socieacuteteacute de consommation destructrice de lrsquoenvironnement pour rentrer dans une socieacuteteacute sobre ougrave le relationnel et les rapports humains valent plus que les biens mateacuteriels
Crsquoest ce discours la qursquoil faut parvenir agrave faire passer Mais ce nrsquoest pas simple car la caricature est facile Certains nous considegraverent comme des fous furieux drsquoautres comme des nostalgique de la preacutehistoire Il faut leur montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie ce nrsquoest pas revenir dans le passeacute mais se creacuteer un avenir
Alors oui nous avons reacutefleacutechis sur le sujet Nous sommes conscients des difficulteacutes et nous tentons de les sur-monter Mais les Verts en France sont un parti jeune (24 ans) et nous man-quons certainement drsquoexpeacuterience Mais nous devons faire lrsquoeffort drsquoac-queacuterir cette expeacuterience tregraves vite car les meacutedias repreacutesentent aujourdrsquohui un pouvoir tregraves important certaine-ment aussi important que le pouvoir exeacutecutif ou leacutegislatif
Existe-t-il une solidariteacute ou une collaboration entre les verts (le parti politique) et les groupes eacutecologistes
Je ne suis pas un expert donc je ne mrsquoattarderais pas trop sur le sujet Bien entendu il y a une collaboration entre les Verts et les associations et groupes eacutecologistes Crsquoest mecircme pour cela que les Verts ont eacuteteacute creacuteeacutes en
France en 1984Le mouvement vert est neacute du
constat de nombreux eacutecologistes qui militaient dans des associations de protection de lrsquoenvironnement que lrsquoon ne pouvait changer vraiment les choses qursquoen eacutetant preacutesent dans les deacutebats politique Les Verts franccedilais sont donc au deacutepart le porte parole des associations de deacutefense de lrsquoenvi-ronnement
Lrsquoexemple le plus reacuteveacutelateur est la faccedilon dont les verts exercent leurs responsabiliteacutes politiques au niveau local Les Verts deacutefendent la deacutemo-cratie participative qui integravegre les citoyens au deacutebat avant de prendre une deacutecision qui aura des conseacute-quences sur leur environnement Par conseacutequent pour chaque projet les Verts srsquoimposent de consulter drsquoabord les associations locales de deacutefenses de lrsquoenvironnement pour connaicirctre leur avis car elles sont souvent de bons conseils eacutetant donneacute leur connais-sance du terrain
Par conseacutequent je dirais que le milieu politique et le milieu associatif sont deux mondes bien diffeacuterents qui nrsquoont pas le mecircme objectif Les associations sont lagrave pour interpeler les politiques et les politiques sont lagrave pour reacutepondre aux interpellations des associations Crsquoest pourquoi il nous faut travailler ensemble tout en deacutelimitant bien la frontiegravere entre les deux En effet les associations doivent ecirctre influentes sur tous les partis politiques et pas seulement les Verts De ce fait et afin de rester creacutedible il ne faut donc pas meacutelanger les Verts et les associations pour que ces derniegrave-res puissent influer eacutegalement sur les eacutelus des autres partis not
laquo LE DEacuteFIS DES VERTS EN FRANCE MAIS JE CROIS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE CrsquoEST DE MONTRER QUE LrsquoEacuteCOLOGIE POLITIQUE EST UN PARADIGME EacuteCONOMIQUE ET POLITIQUE Agrave PART ENTIEgraveRE COMME LE SONT LE COMMUNISME LE CAPITALISME raquo
FR SUITE SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
IDEacuteES VERTES (VOUS NrsquoEcircTES PAS SEULS)
PAROLES VERTES(EXPRIMEZ-VOUS DANS LE MAGAZINE THE UNDERSTORY)
(SOUMETTEZ VOS IDEacuteES ET VOTRE TRAVAIL Agrave DARCYHIGGINS laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)(SI VOUS DEacuteSIREZ PLUS DrsquoINFORMATION EacuteCRIVEZ Agrave LrsquoADRESSE SUIVANTE THEUNDERSTORY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory est un nouveau mensuel par lequel srsquoexprime la jeunesse verte du Canada Envoyez-nous vos articles vos photographies vos dessins ou tout autre travail qui meacuterite drsquoecirctre publieacute
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 7
LUTTER CONTRE LA MONOCULTURE
ensant deacutejagrave agrave lrsquoimpor-tance de la diver-siteacute au Canada jrsquoai assisteacute agrave un discours de David Suzuki dans lequel il mention-nait lrsquoimportance de
toutes les sortes de diversiteacute La vie srsquoembellit suite agrave la diversiteacute biologique et culturelle a-t-il dit laquo Ccedila a eacuteteacute la cleacute de notre succegraves raquo Une affirmation inspirante consi-deacuterant qursquoon entend continuelle-ment combien comme Canadiens nous vivons dans une socieacuteteacute diverse Si la diversiteacute nous a meneacute si loin il est certain que la diversiteacute nous poussera encore plus loin non
Mais ce qursquoa dit le Docteur Suzuki apregraves mrsquoa fait reacutefleacutechir encore plus laquo Nous sommes en train de creacuteer une mono-culture sur la terre avec notre conception du progregraves raquo Ce qui veut dire que comme socieacuteteacute nous tendons agrave nous conformer agrave la norme et nous tenir au milieu Nous avons adopteacute un principal plan drsquoaffaire et un modegravele de croissance Nous avons
pris ce qui marchait et lrsquoavons pousseacute jusqursquoagrave son extrecircme limite Trop peu freacutequemment cependant nous pre-nons la peine de consideacuterer les autres options disponiblesmdashles options plus durables
Avec la monteacutee du Parti Vert ces autres options sont suggeacutereacutees re-connues et lentement mais sucircrement incorporeacutees au sein de la culture Ca-nadienne et des politiques Canadien-nes Aussi inspirant que cela puisse ecirctre crsquoest important de se souvenir qursquoil y a beaucoup de travail en ter-mes de diversiteacute raciale ethnique et culturelle au sein du gouvernement et de la socieacuteteacute Trop souvent alors que nous vantons notre politique baseacute sur le multiculturalisme nous ne parvenons pas agrave inteacutegrer ce que cela veut vraiment dire
Le critique aux droits humains et agrave la reacuteforme de la fonction publique du Parti Vert Joe Foster mrsquoa dit que la diversiteacute affecte plus drsquoenjeux que lrsquoon pourrait initialement penser Bien que son portfolio portant sur les droits humains touche eacutevidemment les enjeux de diversiteacute agrave tout moment
la diversiteacute apparaicirct eacutegalement lors-qursquoil est question de la reacuteforme de la fonction publique laquo Un problegraveme ma-jeur dans la fonction publique est le manque de minoriteacutes visibles qui sont engageacutees raquo a-t-il dit Le problegraveme est aussi refleacuteteacute dans la composition des eacutelus partout au pays laquo Si lrsquoon a des po-liticiens qui repreacutesentent le Canada ils doivent provenir de diffeacuterents milieux raquo Quoique le Canada soit lrsquoun des meilleurs exemples deacutemontrant que le multiculturalisme fonctionne il dit que ce nrsquoest pas assez Pendant que la population est de plus en plus diverse le gouvernement nrsquoa pas fourni les ressources neacutecessaires pour assurer une socieacuteteacute diverse et sucircre Comme il dit laquo il y a un besoin eacutenorme de reconnaicirctre la diver-siteacute Ccedila devrait ecirctre vu comme un investissement qui a pour but de faire du Canada une nation harmonieuse raquo Eacutechouer dit-il ne fera pas du tort seulement aux minoriteacutes mais agrave la socieacuteteacute entiegravere laquo Peu importe quel point de vue on prend il y a diffeacuterents groupes qui forment un pays Si lrsquoon en exclue on va perdre la richesse
que ce groupe a agrave offrir raquo Le critique agrave la justice du Parti
Vert Rebecca Bromwich est drsquoac-cord qursquoen tant que parti politique nous avons besoin de nous adresser aux enjeux de diversiteacute afin drsquoecirctre preacutepareacute agrave gouverner le pays laquo Eacutevidemment il y a beaucoup de di-versiteacute dans notre pays raquo a-t-elle dit laquo Crsquoest tregraves important que tous soient traiteacutes eacutequitablement raquo Elle a dit que les jeunes en particulier devraient voir la diversiteacute comme un enjeu im-portant et universel laquo La population des jeunes est plus diverse que la geacuteneacuteration plus acircgeacutee raquo a-t-elle dit laquo La faccedilon dont les choses se deacutevelop-pent aujourdrsquohui aura un impact agrave long terme sur les jeunes raquo
Comme jeune politiseacute nous avons besoin drsquoecirctre continuellement cons-cient de la diversiteacute qui nous entoure Acceptant la suggestion de David Suzuki agrave lrsquoeffet que la diversiteacute a eacuteteacute la cleacute du deacuteveloppement humain si nous voulons que le Canada continue agrave srsquoeacutepanouir nous devons accepter et encourager la diversiteacute sous toutes ces formes not
PAR LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA EST EacuteTUDIANTE EN SCIENCE POLITIQUE Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute DE QUEENrsquo S ELLE TR AVAIL POUR LE JOURNAL EacuteTUDIANT DE QUEENrsquo S ILLUSTR ATION PAR VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 8
LA POLITIQUE AUTREMENT
LA DISCIPLINE DE PARTI ET LES ENTENTES SONT ANTIDEacuteMOCRATIQUES
e suis certain que nous sommes tous drsquoaccord pour dire qursquoil y a plu-sieurs problegravemes avec les partis politiques au Canada Mais selon moi deux des problegravemes les
plus nuisibles pour la deacutemocratie sont la discipline de parti et les ententes entre partis Les deux impliquent un controcircle de la direction du parti agrave lrsquoendroit de la base du parti et reacutesulte en la destruction de la diversiteacute poli-tique et ideacuteologique agrave lrsquointeacuterieur drsquoun parti politique Jrsquoespegravere que nous les jeunes verts pourront travailler agrave empecirccher les ententes et la discipline de parti de prendre racine agrave lrsquointeacuterieur du Parti Vert du Canada
La discipline de parti se produit lorsque la direction drsquoun parti dicte agrave leurs candidats comment preacutesenter certaines politiques durant une eacutelec-tion et et lorsqursquoon dit aux deacuteputeacutes comment voter agrave voter agrave la Chambre des communes Eacutevidemment le problegraveme avec cette pratique tregraves courante est que cela ne permet pas aux parlementaires de voter dans la Chambre des communes selon les aspirations de leurs eacutelecteurs Donc le deacuteputeacute ne repreacutesente plus les gens qui lrsquoont eacutelu
Les ententes se produisent lors-que la direction drsquoun parti se met drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un candidat sans panache un laquo poteau raquo dans le jargon politique dans certaines circonscriptions en eacutechange qursquoun autre parti fasse pareil dans un autre comteacute Par exemple la direction du NPD pourrait se mettre drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un laquo poteau raquo dans un comteacute ougrave les libeacuteraux ont de bonnes
chances de battre les conservateurs En eacutechange la direction du Parti Libeacuteral se mettrait drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un poteau dans un comteacute lagrave ougrave le NDP a de bonnes chance de battre les conservateurs
Ces pratiques sont tregraves couran-tes en politique canadienne parce qursquoelles facilitent un gain politique agrave court terme Cependant ces deux pratiques limitent eacutegalement les deacutebats sur les politiques gouverne-mentales et deacutecouragent la diversiteacute drsquoopinion Par conseacutequent ces deux pratiques nuisent de maniegravere signifi-cative agrave notre deacutemocratie
Notez que les ententes impliquent que la direction du parti deacutecide quels candidats repreacutesenteront le parti dans un comteacute speacutecifique Les enten-tes megravenent eacutegalement naturellement agrave une discipline de parti stricte Quand une entente est conclue entre les strategraveges de deux partis les citoyens du comteacute en question se font simplement dire qui va les laquo re-preacutesenter raquo Et par conseacutequent leur soit disant repreacutesentant (si eacutelu) est envoyeacute agrave Ottawa sans lrsquoappui concret de leurs membres locaux et devient donc tregraves faible dans sa capaciteacute de srsquoopposer agrave la discipline de parti Si un deacuteputeacute veut plus que simplement suivre la ligne de parti telle que dic-teacutee par la haute direction du parti il doit avoir eacuteteacute choisi localement pour repreacutesenter ces eacutelecteurs
Pour nous les Verts la deacutemocra-tie participative et la diversiteacute sont importantes et sont des principes fondateurs dans notre politique Une des meilleures faccedilons drsquoavoir une di-versiteacute politique est de srsquoassurer que tous les candidats soient librement choisis par les membres du Parti Vert dans leur comteacute plutocirct que choi-
sis par lrsquoexeacutecutif du parti Faire des ententes est une pratique qui con-centre le pouvoir au sein des partis et creacutee des structures hieacuterarchiques deacutevastatrices pour la deacutemocratie en eacuteliminant la diversiteacute
Au congregraves du Parti Vert en aoucirct 2006 une reacutesolution cherchant agrave permettre la direction du Parti agrave faire des ententes avec drsquoautres par-tis a eacuteteacute proposeacutee Cette reacutesolution suggeacuterait de donner agrave lrsquoexeacutecutif du Parti le pouvoir de retirer un can-didat sans consideacuterer lrsquoopinion des membres locaux Je suis heureux de vous dire que cette reacutesolution a eacuteteacute deacutefaite et que les membres du Parti Vert ont deacutemontreacute leur engagement envers la diversiteacute politique au sein drsquoune deacutemocratie repreacutesentative Cependant je suis triste de constater
que crsquoest toujours un deacutebat au sein du parti
Je suis confiant que le deacutebat concernant les ententes entre partis deviendra plus prononceacute tandis que notre parti continuera agrave croicirctre Jrsquoespegravere sincegraverement que les jeunes verts plus que quiconque dans le parti souviendront de lrsquoimportance de la repreacutesentation locale au deacuteve-loppement de la diversiteacute politique En effet jrsquoespegravere que nous nous impliquerons dans nos associations locales du Parti Vert et aiderons agrave nominer des candidats du Parti Vert pour nous repreacutesenter Dans cet es-prit si vous avez besoin drsquoaide pour contacter votre organisation locale du Parti Vert veuillez envoyer un courriel au Conseil des jeunes verts agrave jeunesse laquo agrave raquo partivertca not
laquo LA DIVERSITEacute POLI-TIQUE CrsquoEST LAISSER LES MEMBRES DE CHAQUE COMTEacute CHOI-SIR LEUR CANDIDATE PLUTOcircT QUE LrsquoEXEacute-CUTIF DU PARTI raquo
PAR JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBR ECHT laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMEacuteTUDIANT EN DROIT Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute QUEENrsquo S PREacuteSIDENT DES QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp REacuteDACTEUR EN CHEF FONDATEUR DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 9
CONSIDEacuteRONS LE POTENTIEL DU PORTE-Agrave-PORTE
n dimanche apregraves-midi de janvier je marche prudem-ment dans une salle de reacuteunion agrave Kingston Jrsquoy trouve environ une douzaine
de personnes et ils me semblent tous tregraves relaxe consideacuterant ce que lrsquoon srsquoapprecircte agrave faire ce qui est drsquoapprendre agrave faire du deacutemarchage ou du porte-agrave-porte En fait je ne serais pas en train drsquoeacutecrire srsquoil srsquoagissait simplement de porte-agrave-porte conventionnel quelque chose que jrsquoeacutevite autant que possible Cet atelier concerne le dialogue deacutemocratique via le porte-agrave-porte (D3 en anglais) un nouveau style de campagne unique au Parti Vert et jusqursquoici unique aux Verts de Kingston
Selon le guide de formation sur le D3 laquo Le Dialogue Deacutemocratique est plus qursquoune strateacutegie de campagne Cette meacutethode nous distinguera des vieux partis politiques en encour-ageant des relations authentiques et durables entre le Parti Vert et les citoyens verts raquo
D3 est lrsquoideacutee originale drsquoAndrew McCann un reacutesident de Kingston Le but de D3 est de prendre cette activiteacute campagne et de la trans-former en conversation qui permet aux participants drsquoapprendre lrsquoun de lrsquoautre plutocirct qursquoun discours agres-sif orienteacute sur la vente
McCann a commenceacute agrave penser agrave une nouvelle approche au deacutemar-chage lrsquoanneacutee derniegravere lorsqursquoil a accompagneacute son ami Eric Walton un candidat du Parti Vert feacutedeacuteral lors de son deacutemarchage durant
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa premiegravere expeacuterience de campagne politique et il a eacuteteacute frappeacute qursquoune conversation avec quelqursquoun sur leur perron agrave propos de politique constitue de la deacutemocratie
Ayant gagneacute une compreacutehension conventionnelle du deacutemarchage politique McCann a preacutesenteacute en deacutecembre sa nouvelle faccedilon de faire campagne aux supporteurs Verts de Kingston et a eu le feu vert
laquo Jrsquoai demandeacute agrave une association de comteacute de penser agrave faire cam-pagne avec cette perspective et ils ont deacutecideacute drsquoessayer raquo a dit McCann laquo Tu ne vends rien tu converses seulement et donc tu ne te sens pas comme un vendeur don-nant son discours raquo
Cette ideacutee a eacuteteacute reacutepeacuteteacutee tout au long de lrsquoatelier auquel jrsquoai participeacute Nous nrsquoessayons pas de changer les opinions des gens nous voulons simplement savoir ce que la per-sonne dans cette maison pense de la politique en geacuteneacuteral et du Parti Vert en particulier laquo Crsquoest quelque chose que je peux faire raquo je crois laquo Je nrsquoai jamais eacuteteacute tregraves bon agrave convaincre quiconque de quoique ce soit mais je peux probablement les eacutecouter raquo
En deacuteveloppant et en enseignant D3 McCann se retrouve agrave deacutepous-sieacuterer des outils politiques oublieacutes McCann nrsquoa deacutecouvert pratique-ment aucun mateacuteriel sur le porte-
agrave-porte Il y a certainement rien au Parti Vert et si les autres parties ont du mateacuteriel sur le porte-agrave-porte ils le gardent secret Il y a aussi aucun mateacuteriel acadeacutemique sur le porte-agrave-porte selon lui
McCann a lrsquoimpression que cela srsquoexplique par le fait que le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest pas consideacutereacute comme faisant partie de lrsquoarsenal typique de la politique du 21iegraveme siegravecle Lrsquoarsenal standard est lrsquoutilisation des meacutedias les pancartes etc en drsquoautres mots des outils de cam-pagne qursquoun quartier geacuteneacuteral peut facilement controcircler et propager Le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest ni lrsquoune de ces choses parce que crsquoest deacutecentraliseacute Crsquoest comme McCann dit laquo aussi citoyen que ccedila puisse ecirctre raquo
Donc McCann nrsquoa aucune bro-chure et peu de preacuteceacutedent Mais ce preacuteceacutedent existe
laquo Il y a deacutejagrave une roue et D3 nrsquoessaie pas de la reacuteinventer Ap-prenons simplement agrave comment lrsquoutiliser agrave nouveau agrave la deacutepoussieacuter-er et agrave lrsquohuiler Crsquoest une roue sans
manuel drsquoinstruction raquoMcCann espegravere que lrsquoapproche
D3 sera eacuteventuellement introduite agrave toutes les associations du Parti Vert Il pense que les organisations locales du parti seront capables drsquoutiliser la strateacutegie D3 de trois faccedilons la premiegravere faccedilon est comme programme de formation au porte-agrave-porte pour les nouveaux beacuteneacutev-oles la deuxiegraveme faccedilon est comme strateacutegie de campagne precircte agrave servir qui puissent ecirctre utiliseacute durant les eacutelections et la troisiegraveme faccedilon est comme ressource sur agrave quoi srsquoattendre durant une campagne de porte-agrave-porte en se basant sur les reacutesultats du projet D3 des Verts de Kingston
Quoique cette phase de D3 soit encore dans le futur les choses bou-gent et un jour peu lointain avec un peu de chance tous les jeunes verts seront engageacutes dans un dialogue deacutemocratique avec la personne au fond de la rue qursquoils nrsquoont jamais rencontreacutee auparavant not
laquo IL A EacuteTEacute FRAPPEacute QUrsquoUNE CONVERSA-TION AVEC QUEL-QUrsquoUN SUR LEUR PERRON Agrave PROPOS DE POLITIQUE CONSTITUE DE LA DEacuteMOCRATIE raquo
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa
GWEN MAYGWENMAY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMMEMBRE DES QUEEN rsquo S GREENS Agrave Lrsquo U QUEEN rsquo S (BEN OUI ) REacuteDAC TRICE EN CHEF DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 10
SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES
UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert originaire de Lyon a 21 ans et eacutetudie actuellement le droit europeacuteen agrave Louvain en Belgique pour 1 an avant de retourner en France lrsquoan-neacutee prochaine poursuivre ses eacutetudes avec une speacutecialisation en droits de la personne Membre des verts depuis 4 ans il a eacuteteacute preacutesident des jeunes verts de Lyon pendant 1 an Il fait mainte-nant partie de la commission justice des verts et participe agrave lrsquoeacutelaboration du programme des verts en matiere de justice Jrsquoai eu la chance de correspon-dre avec lui eacutelectroniquement pour mieux connaicirctre la perspective verte franccedilaise
Comment concevez-vous du rocircle des jeunes au sein des verts
Les jeunes ont toujours eu un grand rocircle pour faire eacutevoluer la so-cieacuteteacute Crsquoest particuliegraverement vrai en France puisque par exemple mai 68 a eacuteteacute le moteur drsquoune contestation de lrsquoordre eacutetabli Les eacuteveacutenements de mai 68 ont permis de remettre en cause une socieacuteteacute ougrave les jeunes nrsquoavaient pas droit agrave la parole et ougrave seule une eacutelite monopolisait le pouvoir
Drsquoune part les jeunes doivent sensibiliser les Verts pour que le parti puisse porter nos revendications Ce premier rocircle est donc plutocirct celui drsquoun lobby jeune afin que les Verts pren-nent conscience des difficulteacutes ren-contreacutees par la jeunesse aujourdrsquohui
Les conditions de vie de la jeunesse en France sont en effet difficiles le chocircmage touche en particulier les jeunes il est difficile de trouver un logement et par conseacutequent drsquoecirctre autonome vis-agrave-vis de ses parents les eacutetudes coucirctent chegraveres et ne sont donc pas accessible agrave tous
Ce rocircle de la jeunesse nrsquoest pas speacutecifique aux Verts Tous les partis devraient entendre ce que leur disent les jeunes Mais il nrsquoy a que chez les
Verts (en France en tout cas) que le parti prend vraiment en consideacutera-tion ce que disent les jeunes
Drsquoautre part les jeunes ont eacutegale-ment un rocircle beaucoup plus direct agrave jouer Il srsquoagit drsquoexercer nous mecircme des responsabiliteacutes et pour se faire drsquoecirctre eacutelu que ce soit au niveau local ou national En effet il est intoleacuterable que 95 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais aient plus de 40 ans (de mecircme qursquoil est anormal que plus de 80 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais soient des hommes)
Comment peut-on preacutetendre repreacute-senter un pays en excluant du Par-lement ceux qui seront les premiers toucheacutes par les politiques meneacutees notamment en matiegravere environne-mentale Les deacuteputeacutes drsquoaujourdrsquohui ne seront plus lagrave lorsque le reacutechauffe-ment climatique aura des conseacutequen-ces directes sur notre mode de vie
Il ne srsquoagit pas de dire que tous les deacuteputeacutes devraient avoir moins de 30 ans Mais il me semble normal que dans un pays les jeunes occupent une place dans les institutions afin de pouvoir deacutefendre les inteacuterecircts de la jeunesse Or les Verts sont un des seuls partis en France qui permet cela Notre secreacutetaire nationale (preacutesidente des Verts France) Ceacutecile Duflot est une jeune femme de 31 ans
Les Verts ont toujours eu comme objectif de faire de la laquo politique autrement raquo Cela signifie que le pouvoir politique ne doit pas rester entre les mains des hommes de plus de 40 ans
Selon vous quels sont les princi-paux deacutefis faces aux jeunes verts agrave Lyon en France
Le principal deacutefi est donc de se faire entendre que ce soit au niveau local ou au niveau national Et ce nrsquoest pas chose facile La preuve dans les banlieues le seul moyen qursquoont
trouveacute les jeunes pour se faire enten-dre crsquoest de bruler des voitures
Nous jeunes verts nous devons nous faire les portes paroles de cette jeunesse afin drsquoexprimer de faccedilon construite ce que les jeunes des banlieues ont tenteacute de dire par des moyens spectaculaire mais ineffica-ces
Nous devons donc convaincre les Verts mais aussi et surtout toute la socieacuteteacute que nous aussi nous avons des ideacutees que sommes conscients de ne pas avoir reacuteponse agrave tout car nous manquons drsquoexpeacuterience mais que nous sommes jusqursquoagrave preuve du con-traire les mieux placeacutes pour parler des problegravemes auxquels la jeunesse doit faire face
Le principal deacutefi que nous devons releveacute est donc celui de la creacutedibiliteacute ce qui nous impose de nous inves-tir beaucoup en politique afin de pouvoir ecirctre non seulement entendu mais aussi eacutecouteacutes et eacutelus
Quelle est la perception des verts agrave Lyon en France Selon-vous le mouvement vert souffre-t-il drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute ou drsquoimage
En France les Verts ont lrsquoimage drsquoun parti sympathique qui dit des choses inteacuteressantes mais qui nrsquoest pas assez bien structureacute pour ecirctre creacutedible
En effet les franccedilais ont je crois bien compris que les enjeux eacutecolo-giques seront les enjeux majeurs du 21egraveme siegravecle Plus personnes en France agrave quelques exceptions pregraves ne conteste la responsabiliteacute des activiteacutes humaines dans le reacutechauf-fement climatique et la majoriteacute de la population commence agrave prendre conscience qursquoun changement des comportements individuels est neacutecessaire
Cependant il est encore difficile de faire comprendre aux citoyens que les
politiques publiques doivent changer elles aussi Il ne suffit pas drsquoacheter des ampoules agrave eacuteconomies drsquoeacutenergie pour reacutesoudre la crise eacutecologique agrave laquelle nous faisons face
Lrsquoeacutecologie politique ce nrsquoest pas seulement srsquooccuper des petits oiseaux et des fleurs
Crsquoest aussi repenser notre systegraveme eacuteconomique afin que deacuteveloppement ne rime pas avec destruction de notre environnement
Crsquoest pourquoi selon moi il srsquoagit plus drsquoune crise drsquoimage que drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute Nous savons qui nous sommes et ce que nous pensons mais nous nrsquoarrivons pas toujours agrave communiquer
Les eacutelecteurs attendent des Verts qursquoils ne srsquooccupent que drsquoenviron-nement et de rien drsquoautre en laissant aux grands partis le soin de srsquooccuper du reste Notre responsabiliteacute crsquoest drsquoexpli-quer et de convaincre que lrsquoeacutecologie politique agrave vocation agrave se saisir de tous les sujets
Sur le logement par exemple les Verts proposent que tous les nou-veaux logements construits soient isoleacutes correctement afin de ne pas gaspiller de lrsquoeacutenergie en chauffage mais eacutegalement afin de reacuteduire la fac-ture drsquoeacutelectriciteacute ou de gaz des gens qui vivent dans ces logements
Or en France il est tregraves difficile de se loger actuellement car les loyers sont eacuteleveacutes et les charges (chauffages eau) elles aussi
Par cet exemple donc on voit bien que les Verts ce nrsquoest pas simple-ment la nature et la forecirct mais aussi le logement lrsquoemploi (la mise en place drsquoeacutenergies renouvelables crsquoest 400 000 emplois non deacutelocalisables creacuteeacutes) etc qui sont traditionnelle-ment des sujets ougrave les eacutelecteurs VOIR LA PAGE SUIVANTE
ENTR E VUE AVEC LOIumlC ROBERTPAR ADAM SOMMER FELD DESIGNER GR APHIQUE MONTREacuteAL DIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DE THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD laquo Agrave raquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 11
SUITE DE LA PAGE PREacuteCEacuteDANTE nrsquoattendent pas que les Verts se prononcent
Le deacutefis des Verts en France mais je crois partout dans le monde crsquoest de montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie politique est un paradigme eacuteconomique et po-litique agrave part entiegravere comme le sont le communisme le capitalisme
Il nous faut donc trouver le moyen drsquoavoir une image plus conforme agrave ce que nous sommes ce qui nrsquoest pas facile En effet les meacutedias jouent un grand rocircle dans le deacutebat politique et nous nrsquoavons que tregraves rarement la pa-role car nous sommes un petit parti
Or lorsque nous avons la parole la plupart du temps les journalistes nous interrogent sur nos laquo bagarres internes raquo et pas sur nos propositions Il faut donc que nous arrivions agrave nous imposer drsquoune part de reacutegler nos problegravemes internes discregravetement et ne pas eacutetaler nos divergences sur la place publique et qursquoagrave chaque inter-view nous reacuteussissions agrave ne parler que de nos ideacutees pour convaincre les eacutelecteurs qursquoelles sont bonnes
De quelle maniegravere les verts se sont-ils pencheacutes sur la question de comment le message du parti est communiqueacute au grand public
Les verts en France ne sont pas tregraves agrave lrsquoaise avec les meacutedias En tant que petit parti nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de paroles et crsquoest pourquoi il est difficile de parler de nos ideacutees Alors bien sucircr nous avons deacutejagrave reacutefleacutechi au problegraveme mais les reacuteponses ne sont pas simples et ce pour plusieurs raisons
Comme je lrsquoai dit nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de parole Lrsquoac-tualiteacute en France est domineacutee par les eacutelections preacutesidentielles qui auront lieu au printemps
Or degraves que nous les Verts sommes
inviteacutes dans les meacutedias les journalis-tes ne nous questionnent que sur nos conflits internes sur les sondages actuels qui sont mauvais sur ce que lrsquoon pense des autres candidats etc Mais jamais les journalistes ne nous demandent ce que lrsquoon pense sur le logement sur les OGM sur le nucleacuteaire ou sur les immigreacutes clandestins
Ainsi notre message ne peut pas passer Lrsquoeacutecologie est une chose complexe qui neacutecessite du temps pour ecirctre expliqueacutee La tendance actuelle est agrave la simplification des problegravemes politiques afin drsquoecirctre com-pris des citoyens Malheureusement lrsquoeacutecologie ne peut ecirctre simplifieacutee et nous nrsquoavons pas le temps de faire ce travail de peacutedagogie pour expliquer et convaincre les Franccedilais que notre projet est ambitieux et actuellement le seul capable de faire face agrave lrsquoenjeu eacutecologiqueCrsquoest donc un double travail qursquoil nous faut effectuer
Tout drsquoabord ecirctre plus visible dans les meacutedias sur les questions de fond et pas seulement pour commenter lrsquoactualiteacute des autres candidats Cela neacutecessite que les militants verts se mobilisent drsquoavantage afin de mettre en avant lrsquooriginaliteacute de notre projet et susciteacute un inteacuterecirct meacutediatique Pour exister il faut que nous soyons creacuteateur de deacutebats par des positions trancheacutees et des actions de terrain Nous ne devons plus suivre les deacutebats mais les conduire pour enrichir le deacutebat public de la theacutematique envi-ronnementale qui doit ecirctre centrale et sur laquelle les verts partout dans le monde sont les meilleurs
Ensuite il nous faut ecirctre peacutedagogue et expliquer lrsquoeacutecologie avec des mots simples mais sans simplifier et donc deacutenaturer le contenu de notre projet Nous ne devons pas apparaicirctre
comme des ennemis du progregraves qui voudraient revenir agrave la bougie et ha-biter dans une caverne Nous devons au contraire montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie crsquoest le progregraves Le progregraves crsquoest de pouvoir assurer agrave nos enfants et petits enfants une vie descente dans un en-vironnement saint Et pour cela nous avons besoin de reacuteduire nos deacutepenses eacutenergeacutetiques de sortir drsquoune socieacuteteacute de consommation destructrice de lrsquoenvironnement pour rentrer dans une socieacuteteacute sobre ougrave le relationnel et les rapports humains valent plus que les biens mateacuteriels
Crsquoest ce discours la qursquoil faut parvenir agrave faire passer Mais ce nrsquoest pas simple car la caricature est facile Certains nous considegraverent comme des fous furieux drsquoautres comme des nostalgique de la preacutehistoire Il faut leur montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie ce nrsquoest pas revenir dans le passeacute mais se creacuteer un avenir
Alors oui nous avons reacutefleacutechis sur le sujet Nous sommes conscients des difficulteacutes et nous tentons de les sur-monter Mais les Verts en France sont un parti jeune (24 ans) et nous man-quons certainement drsquoexpeacuterience Mais nous devons faire lrsquoeffort drsquoac-queacuterir cette expeacuterience tregraves vite car les meacutedias repreacutesentent aujourdrsquohui un pouvoir tregraves important certaine-ment aussi important que le pouvoir exeacutecutif ou leacutegislatif
Existe-t-il une solidariteacute ou une collaboration entre les verts (le parti politique) et les groupes eacutecologistes
Je ne suis pas un expert donc je ne mrsquoattarderais pas trop sur le sujet Bien entendu il y a une collaboration entre les Verts et les associations et groupes eacutecologistes Crsquoest mecircme pour cela que les Verts ont eacuteteacute creacuteeacutes en
France en 1984Le mouvement vert est neacute du
constat de nombreux eacutecologistes qui militaient dans des associations de protection de lrsquoenvironnement que lrsquoon ne pouvait changer vraiment les choses qursquoen eacutetant preacutesent dans les deacutebats politique Les Verts franccedilais sont donc au deacutepart le porte parole des associations de deacutefense de lrsquoenvi-ronnement
Lrsquoexemple le plus reacuteveacutelateur est la faccedilon dont les verts exercent leurs responsabiliteacutes politiques au niveau local Les Verts deacutefendent la deacutemo-cratie participative qui integravegre les citoyens au deacutebat avant de prendre une deacutecision qui aura des conseacute-quences sur leur environnement Par conseacutequent pour chaque projet les Verts srsquoimposent de consulter drsquoabord les associations locales de deacutefenses de lrsquoenvironnement pour connaicirctre leur avis car elles sont souvent de bons conseils eacutetant donneacute leur connais-sance du terrain
Par conseacutequent je dirais que le milieu politique et le milieu associatif sont deux mondes bien diffeacuterents qui nrsquoont pas le mecircme objectif Les associations sont lagrave pour interpeler les politiques et les politiques sont lagrave pour reacutepondre aux interpellations des associations Crsquoest pourquoi il nous faut travailler ensemble tout en deacutelimitant bien la frontiegravere entre les deux En effet les associations doivent ecirctre influentes sur tous les partis politiques et pas seulement les Verts De ce fait et afin de rester creacutedible il ne faut donc pas meacutelanger les Verts et les associations pour que ces derniegrave-res puissent influer eacutegalement sur les eacutelus des autres partis not
laquo LE DEacuteFIS DES VERTS EN FRANCE MAIS JE CROIS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE CrsquoEST DE MONTRER QUE LrsquoEacuteCOLOGIE POLITIQUE EST UN PARADIGME EacuteCONOMIQUE ET POLITIQUE Agrave PART ENTIEgraveRE COMME LE SONT LE COMMUNISME LE CAPITALISME raquo
FR SUITE SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 7
LUTTER CONTRE LA MONOCULTURE
ensant deacutejagrave agrave lrsquoimpor-tance de la diver-siteacute au Canada jrsquoai assisteacute agrave un discours de David Suzuki dans lequel il mention-nait lrsquoimportance de
toutes les sortes de diversiteacute La vie srsquoembellit suite agrave la diversiteacute biologique et culturelle a-t-il dit laquo Ccedila a eacuteteacute la cleacute de notre succegraves raquo Une affirmation inspirante consi-deacuterant qursquoon entend continuelle-ment combien comme Canadiens nous vivons dans une socieacuteteacute diverse Si la diversiteacute nous a meneacute si loin il est certain que la diversiteacute nous poussera encore plus loin non
Mais ce qursquoa dit le Docteur Suzuki apregraves mrsquoa fait reacutefleacutechir encore plus laquo Nous sommes en train de creacuteer une mono-culture sur la terre avec notre conception du progregraves raquo Ce qui veut dire que comme socieacuteteacute nous tendons agrave nous conformer agrave la norme et nous tenir au milieu Nous avons adopteacute un principal plan drsquoaffaire et un modegravele de croissance Nous avons
pris ce qui marchait et lrsquoavons pousseacute jusqursquoagrave son extrecircme limite Trop peu freacutequemment cependant nous pre-nons la peine de consideacuterer les autres options disponiblesmdashles options plus durables
Avec la monteacutee du Parti Vert ces autres options sont suggeacutereacutees re-connues et lentement mais sucircrement incorporeacutees au sein de la culture Ca-nadienne et des politiques Canadien-nes Aussi inspirant que cela puisse ecirctre crsquoest important de se souvenir qursquoil y a beaucoup de travail en ter-mes de diversiteacute raciale ethnique et culturelle au sein du gouvernement et de la socieacuteteacute Trop souvent alors que nous vantons notre politique baseacute sur le multiculturalisme nous ne parvenons pas agrave inteacutegrer ce que cela veut vraiment dire
Le critique aux droits humains et agrave la reacuteforme de la fonction publique du Parti Vert Joe Foster mrsquoa dit que la diversiteacute affecte plus drsquoenjeux que lrsquoon pourrait initialement penser Bien que son portfolio portant sur les droits humains touche eacutevidemment les enjeux de diversiteacute agrave tout moment
la diversiteacute apparaicirct eacutegalement lors-qursquoil est question de la reacuteforme de la fonction publique laquo Un problegraveme ma-jeur dans la fonction publique est le manque de minoriteacutes visibles qui sont engageacutees raquo a-t-il dit Le problegraveme est aussi refleacuteteacute dans la composition des eacutelus partout au pays laquo Si lrsquoon a des po-liticiens qui repreacutesentent le Canada ils doivent provenir de diffeacuterents milieux raquo Quoique le Canada soit lrsquoun des meilleurs exemples deacutemontrant que le multiculturalisme fonctionne il dit que ce nrsquoest pas assez Pendant que la population est de plus en plus diverse le gouvernement nrsquoa pas fourni les ressources neacutecessaires pour assurer une socieacuteteacute diverse et sucircre Comme il dit laquo il y a un besoin eacutenorme de reconnaicirctre la diver-siteacute Ccedila devrait ecirctre vu comme un investissement qui a pour but de faire du Canada une nation harmonieuse raquo Eacutechouer dit-il ne fera pas du tort seulement aux minoriteacutes mais agrave la socieacuteteacute entiegravere laquo Peu importe quel point de vue on prend il y a diffeacuterents groupes qui forment un pays Si lrsquoon en exclue on va perdre la richesse
que ce groupe a agrave offrir raquo Le critique agrave la justice du Parti
Vert Rebecca Bromwich est drsquoac-cord qursquoen tant que parti politique nous avons besoin de nous adresser aux enjeux de diversiteacute afin drsquoecirctre preacutepareacute agrave gouverner le pays laquo Eacutevidemment il y a beaucoup de di-versiteacute dans notre pays raquo a-t-elle dit laquo Crsquoest tregraves important que tous soient traiteacutes eacutequitablement raquo Elle a dit que les jeunes en particulier devraient voir la diversiteacute comme un enjeu im-portant et universel laquo La population des jeunes est plus diverse que la geacuteneacuteration plus acircgeacutee raquo a-t-elle dit laquo La faccedilon dont les choses se deacutevelop-pent aujourdrsquohui aura un impact agrave long terme sur les jeunes raquo
Comme jeune politiseacute nous avons besoin drsquoecirctre continuellement cons-cient de la diversiteacute qui nous entoure Acceptant la suggestion de David Suzuki agrave lrsquoeffet que la diversiteacute a eacuteteacute la cleacute du deacuteveloppement humain si nous voulons que le Canada continue agrave srsquoeacutepanouir nous devons accepter et encourager la diversiteacute sous toutes ces formes not
PAR LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA EST EacuteTUDIANTE EN SCIENCE POLITIQUE Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute DE QUEENrsquo S ELLE TR AVAIL POUR LE JOURNAL EacuteTUDIANT DE QUEENrsquo S ILLUSTR ATION PAR VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 8
LA POLITIQUE AUTREMENT
LA DISCIPLINE DE PARTI ET LES ENTENTES SONT ANTIDEacuteMOCRATIQUES
e suis certain que nous sommes tous drsquoaccord pour dire qursquoil y a plu-sieurs problegravemes avec les partis politiques au Canada Mais selon moi deux des problegravemes les
plus nuisibles pour la deacutemocratie sont la discipline de parti et les ententes entre partis Les deux impliquent un controcircle de la direction du parti agrave lrsquoendroit de la base du parti et reacutesulte en la destruction de la diversiteacute poli-tique et ideacuteologique agrave lrsquointeacuterieur drsquoun parti politique Jrsquoespegravere que nous les jeunes verts pourront travailler agrave empecirccher les ententes et la discipline de parti de prendre racine agrave lrsquointeacuterieur du Parti Vert du Canada
La discipline de parti se produit lorsque la direction drsquoun parti dicte agrave leurs candidats comment preacutesenter certaines politiques durant une eacutelec-tion et et lorsqursquoon dit aux deacuteputeacutes comment voter agrave voter agrave la Chambre des communes Eacutevidemment le problegraveme avec cette pratique tregraves courante est que cela ne permet pas aux parlementaires de voter dans la Chambre des communes selon les aspirations de leurs eacutelecteurs Donc le deacuteputeacute ne repreacutesente plus les gens qui lrsquoont eacutelu
Les ententes se produisent lors-que la direction drsquoun parti se met drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un candidat sans panache un laquo poteau raquo dans le jargon politique dans certaines circonscriptions en eacutechange qursquoun autre parti fasse pareil dans un autre comteacute Par exemple la direction du NPD pourrait se mettre drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un laquo poteau raquo dans un comteacute ougrave les libeacuteraux ont de bonnes
chances de battre les conservateurs En eacutechange la direction du Parti Libeacuteral se mettrait drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un poteau dans un comteacute lagrave ougrave le NDP a de bonnes chance de battre les conservateurs
Ces pratiques sont tregraves couran-tes en politique canadienne parce qursquoelles facilitent un gain politique agrave court terme Cependant ces deux pratiques limitent eacutegalement les deacutebats sur les politiques gouverne-mentales et deacutecouragent la diversiteacute drsquoopinion Par conseacutequent ces deux pratiques nuisent de maniegravere signifi-cative agrave notre deacutemocratie
Notez que les ententes impliquent que la direction du parti deacutecide quels candidats repreacutesenteront le parti dans un comteacute speacutecifique Les enten-tes megravenent eacutegalement naturellement agrave une discipline de parti stricte Quand une entente est conclue entre les strategraveges de deux partis les citoyens du comteacute en question se font simplement dire qui va les laquo re-preacutesenter raquo Et par conseacutequent leur soit disant repreacutesentant (si eacutelu) est envoyeacute agrave Ottawa sans lrsquoappui concret de leurs membres locaux et devient donc tregraves faible dans sa capaciteacute de srsquoopposer agrave la discipline de parti Si un deacuteputeacute veut plus que simplement suivre la ligne de parti telle que dic-teacutee par la haute direction du parti il doit avoir eacuteteacute choisi localement pour repreacutesenter ces eacutelecteurs
Pour nous les Verts la deacutemocra-tie participative et la diversiteacute sont importantes et sont des principes fondateurs dans notre politique Une des meilleures faccedilons drsquoavoir une di-versiteacute politique est de srsquoassurer que tous les candidats soient librement choisis par les membres du Parti Vert dans leur comteacute plutocirct que choi-
sis par lrsquoexeacutecutif du parti Faire des ententes est une pratique qui con-centre le pouvoir au sein des partis et creacutee des structures hieacuterarchiques deacutevastatrices pour la deacutemocratie en eacuteliminant la diversiteacute
Au congregraves du Parti Vert en aoucirct 2006 une reacutesolution cherchant agrave permettre la direction du Parti agrave faire des ententes avec drsquoautres par-tis a eacuteteacute proposeacutee Cette reacutesolution suggeacuterait de donner agrave lrsquoexeacutecutif du Parti le pouvoir de retirer un can-didat sans consideacuterer lrsquoopinion des membres locaux Je suis heureux de vous dire que cette reacutesolution a eacuteteacute deacutefaite et que les membres du Parti Vert ont deacutemontreacute leur engagement envers la diversiteacute politique au sein drsquoune deacutemocratie repreacutesentative Cependant je suis triste de constater
que crsquoest toujours un deacutebat au sein du parti
Je suis confiant que le deacutebat concernant les ententes entre partis deviendra plus prononceacute tandis que notre parti continuera agrave croicirctre Jrsquoespegravere sincegraverement que les jeunes verts plus que quiconque dans le parti souviendront de lrsquoimportance de la repreacutesentation locale au deacuteve-loppement de la diversiteacute politique En effet jrsquoespegravere que nous nous impliquerons dans nos associations locales du Parti Vert et aiderons agrave nominer des candidats du Parti Vert pour nous repreacutesenter Dans cet es-prit si vous avez besoin drsquoaide pour contacter votre organisation locale du Parti Vert veuillez envoyer un courriel au Conseil des jeunes verts agrave jeunesse laquo agrave raquo partivertca not
laquo LA DIVERSITEacute POLI-TIQUE CrsquoEST LAISSER LES MEMBRES DE CHAQUE COMTEacute CHOI-SIR LEUR CANDIDATE PLUTOcircT QUE LrsquoEXEacute-CUTIF DU PARTI raquo
PAR JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBR ECHT laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMEacuteTUDIANT EN DROIT Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute QUEENrsquo S PREacuteSIDENT DES QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp REacuteDACTEUR EN CHEF FONDATEUR DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 9
CONSIDEacuteRONS LE POTENTIEL DU PORTE-Agrave-PORTE
n dimanche apregraves-midi de janvier je marche prudem-ment dans une salle de reacuteunion agrave Kingston Jrsquoy trouve environ une douzaine
de personnes et ils me semblent tous tregraves relaxe consideacuterant ce que lrsquoon srsquoapprecircte agrave faire ce qui est drsquoapprendre agrave faire du deacutemarchage ou du porte-agrave-porte En fait je ne serais pas en train drsquoeacutecrire srsquoil srsquoagissait simplement de porte-agrave-porte conventionnel quelque chose que jrsquoeacutevite autant que possible Cet atelier concerne le dialogue deacutemocratique via le porte-agrave-porte (D3 en anglais) un nouveau style de campagne unique au Parti Vert et jusqursquoici unique aux Verts de Kingston
Selon le guide de formation sur le D3 laquo Le Dialogue Deacutemocratique est plus qursquoune strateacutegie de campagne Cette meacutethode nous distinguera des vieux partis politiques en encour-ageant des relations authentiques et durables entre le Parti Vert et les citoyens verts raquo
D3 est lrsquoideacutee originale drsquoAndrew McCann un reacutesident de Kingston Le but de D3 est de prendre cette activiteacute campagne et de la trans-former en conversation qui permet aux participants drsquoapprendre lrsquoun de lrsquoautre plutocirct qursquoun discours agres-sif orienteacute sur la vente
McCann a commenceacute agrave penser agrave une nouvelle approche au deacutemar-chage lrsquoanneacutee derniegravere lorsqursquoil a accompagneacute son ami Eric Walton un candidat du Parti Vert feacutedeacuteral lors de son deacutemarchage durant
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa premiegravere expeacuterience de campagne politique et il a eacuteteacute frappeacute qursquoune conversation avec quelqursquoun sur leur perron agrave propos de politique constitue de la deacutemocratie
Ayant gagneacute une compreacutehension conventionnelle du deacutemarchage politique McCann a preacutesenteacute en deacutecembre sa nouvelle faccedilon de faire campagne aux supporteurs Verts de Kingston et a eu le feu vert
laquo Jrsquoai demandeacute agrave une association de comteacute de penser agrave faire cam-pagne avec cette perspective et ils ont deacutecideacute drsquoessayer raquo a dit McCann laquo Tu ne vends rien tu converses seulement et donc tu ne te sens pas comme un vendeur don-nant son discours raquo
Cette ideacutee a eacuteteacute reacutepeacuteteacutee tout au long de lrsquoatelier auquel jrsquoai participeacute Nous nrsquoessayons pas de changer les opinions des gens nous voulons simplement savoir ce que la per-sonne dans cette maison pense de la politique en geacuteneacuteral et du Parti Vert en particulier laquo Crsquoest quelque chose que je peux faire raquo je crois laquo Je nrsquoai jamais eacuteteacute tregraves bon agrave convaincre quiconque de quoique ce soit mais je peux probablement les eacutecouter raquo
En deacuteveloppant et en enseignant D3 McCann se retrouve agrave deacutepous-sieacuterer des outils politiques oublieacutes McCann nrsquoa deacutecouvert pratique-ment aucun mateacuteriel sur le porte-
agrave-porte Il y a certainement rien au Parti Vert et si les autres parties ont du mateacuteriel sur le porte-agrave-porte ils le gardent secret Il y a aussi aucun mateacuteriel acadeacutemique sur le porte-agrave-porte selon lui
McCann a lrsquoimpression que cela srsquoexplique par le fait que le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest pas consideacutereacute comme faisant partie de lrsquoarsenal typique de la politique du 21iegraveme siegravecle Lrsquoarsenal standard est lrsquoutilisation des meacutedias les pancartes etc en drsquoautres mots des outils de cam-pagne qursquoun quartier geacuteneacuteral peut facilement controcircler et propager Le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest ni lrsquoune de ces choses parce que crsquoest deacutecentraliseacute Crsquoest comme McCann dit laquo aussi citoyen que ccedila puisse ecirctre raquo
Donc McCann nrsquoa aucune bro-chure et peu de preacuteceacutedent Mais ce preacuteceacutedent existe
laquo Il y a deacutejagrave une roue et D3 nrsquoessaie pas de la reacuteinventer Ap-prenons simplement agrave comment lrsquoutiliser agrave nouveau agrave la deacutepoussieacuter-er et agrave lrsquohuiler Crsquoest une roue sans
manuel drsquoinstruction raquoMcCann espegravere que lrsquoapproche
D3 sera eacuteventuellement introduite agrave toutes les associations du Parti Vert Il pense que les organisations locales du parti seront capables drsquoutiliser la strateacutegie D3 de trois faccedilons la premiegravere faccedilon est comme programme de formation au porte-agrave-porte pour les nouveaux beacuteneacutev-oles la deuxiegraveme faccedilon est comme strateacutegie de campagne precircte agrave servir qui puissent ecirctre utiliseacute durant les eacutelections et la troisiegraveme faccedilon est comme ressource sur agrave quoi srsquoattendre durant une campagne de porte-agrave-porte en se basant sur les reacutesultats du projet D3 des Verts de Kingston
Quoique cette phase de D3 soit encore dans le futur les choses bou-gent et un jour peu lointain avec un peu de chance tous les jeunes verts seront engageacutes dans un dialogue deacutemocratique avec la personne au fond de la rue qursquoils nrsquoont jamais rencontreacutee auparavant not
laquo IL A EacuteTEacute FRAPPEacute QUrsquoUNE CONVERSA-TION AVEC QUEL-QUrsquoUN SUR LEUR PERRON Agrave PROPOS DE POLITIQUE CONSTITUE DE LA DEacuteMOCRATIE raquo
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa
GWEN MAYGWENMAY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMMEMBRE DES QUEEN rsquo S GREENS Agrave Lrsquo U QUEEN rsquo S (BEN OUI ) REacuteDAC TRICE EN CHEF DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 10
SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES
UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert originaire de Lyon a 21 ans et eacutetudie actuellement le droit europeacuteen agrave Louvain en Belgique pour 1 an avant de retourner en France lrsquoan-neacutee prochaine poursuivre ses eacutetudes avec une speacutecialisation en droits de la personne Membre des verts depuis 4 ans il a eacuteteacute preacutesident des jeunes verts de Lyon pendant 1 an Il fait mainte-nant partie de la commission justice des verts et participe agrave lrsquoeacutelaboration du programme des verts en matiere de justice Jrsquoai eu la chance de correspon-dre avec lui eacutelectroniquement pour mieux connaicirctre la perspective verte franccedilaise
Comment concevez-vous du rocircle des jeunes au sein des verts
Les jeunes ont toujours eu un grand rocircle pour faire eacutevoluer la so-cieacuteteacute Crsquoest particuliegraverement vrai en France puisque par exemple mai 68 a eacuteteacute le moteur drsquoune contestation de lrsquoordre eacutetabli Les eacuteveacutenements de mai 68 ont permis de remettre en cause une socieacuteteacute ougrave les jeunes nrsquoavaient pas droit agrave la parole et ougrave seule une eacutelite monopolisait le pouvoir
Drsquoune part les jeunes doivent sensibiliser les Verts pour que le parti puisse porter nos revendications Ce premier rocircle est donc plutocirct celui drsquoun lobby jeune afin que les Verts pren-nent conscience des difficulteacutes ren-contreacutees par la jeunesse aujourdrsquohui
Les conditions de vie de la jeunesse en France sont en effet difficiles le chocircmage touche en particulier les jeunes il est difficile de trouver un logement et par conseacutequent drsquoecirctre autonome vis-agrave-vis de ses parents les eacutetudes coucirctent chegraveres et ne sont donc pas accessible agrave tous
Ce rocircle de la jeunesse nrsquoest pas speacutecifique aux Verts Tous les partis devraient entendre ce que leur disent les jeunes Mais il nrsquoy a que chez les
Verts (en France en tout cas) que le parti prend vraiment en consideacutera-tion ce que disent les jeunes
Drsquoautre part les jeunes ont eacutegale-ment un rocircle beaucoup plus direct agrave jouer Il srsquoagit drsquoexercer nous mecircme des responsabiliteacutes et pour se faire drsquoecirctre eacutelu que ce soit au niveau local ou national En effet il est intoleacuterable que 95 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais aient plus de 40 ans (de mecircme qursquoil est anormal que plus de 80 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais soient des hommes)
Comment peut-on preacutetendre repreacute-senter un pays en excluant du Par-lement ceux qui seront les premiers toucheacutes par les politiques meneacutees notamment en matiegravere environne-mentale Les deacuteputeacutes drsquoaujourdrsquohui ne seront plus lagrave lorsque le reacutechauffe-ment climatique aura des conseacutequen-ces directes sur notre mode de vie
Il ne srsquoagit pas de dire que tous les deacuteputeacutes devraient avoir moins de 30 ans Mais il me semble normal que dans un pays les jeunes occupent une place dans les institutions afin de pouvoir deacutefendre les inteacuterecircts de la jeunesse Or les Verts sont un des seuls partis en France qui permet cela Notre secreacutetaire nationale (preacutesidente des Verts France) Ceacutecile Duflot est une jeune femme de 31 ans
Les Verts ont toujours eu comme objectif de faire de la laquo politique autrement raquo Cela signifie que le pouvoir politique ne doit pas rester entre les mains des hommes de plus de 40 ans
Selon vous quels sont les princi-paux deacutefis faces aux jeunes verts agrave Lyon en France
Le principal deacutefi est donc de se faire entendre que ce soit au niveau local ou au niveau national Et ce nrsquoest pas chose facile La preuve dans les banlieues le seul moyen qursquoont
trouveacute les jeunes pour se faire enten-dre crsquoest de bruler des voitures
Nous jeunes verts nous devons nous faire les portes paroles de cette jeunesse afin drsquoexprimer de faccedilon construite ce que les jeunes des banlieues ont tenteacute de dire par des moyens spectaculaire mais ineffica-ces
Nous devons donc convaincre les Verts mais aussi et surtout toute la socieacuteteacute que nous aussi nous avons des ideacutees que sommes conscients de ne pas avoir reacuteponse agrave tout car nous manquons drsquoexpeacuterience mais que nous sommes jusqursquoagrave preuve du con-traire les mieux placeacutes pour parler des problegravemes auxquels la jeunesse doit faire face
Le principal deacutefi que nous devons releveacute est donc celui de la creacutedibiliteacute ce qui nous impose de nous inves-tir beaucoup en politique afin de pouvoir ecirctre non seulement entendu mais aussi eacutecouteacutes et eacutelus
Quelle est la perception des verts agrave Lyon en France Selon-vous le mouvement vert souffre-t-il drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute ou drsquoimage
En France les Verts ont lrsquoimage drsquoun parti sympathique qui dit des choses inteacuteressantes mais qui nrsquoest pas assez bien structureacute pour ecirctre creacutedible
En effet les franccedilais ont je crois bien compris que les enjeux eacutecolo-giques seront les enjeux majeurs du 21egraveme siegravecle Plus personnes en France agrave quelques exceptions pregraves ne conteste la responsabiliteacute des activiteacutes humaines dans le reacutechauf-fement climatique et la majoriteacute de la population commence agrave prendre conscience qursquoun changement des comportements individuels est neacutecessaire
Cependant il est encore difficile de faire comprendre aux citoyens que les
politiques publiques doivent changer elles aussi Il ne suffit pas drsquoacheter des ampoules agrave eacuteconomies drsquoeacutenergie pour reacutesoudre la crise eacutecologique agrave laquelle nous faisons face
Lrsquoeacutecologie politique ce nrsquoest pas seulement srsquooccuper des petits oiseaux et des fleurs
Crsquoest aussi repenser notre systegraveme eacuteconomique afin que deacuteveloppement ne rime pas avec destruction de notre environnement
Crsquoest pourquoi selon moi il srsquoagit plus drsquoune crise drsquoimage que drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute Nous savons qui nous sommes et ce que nous pensons mais nous nrsquoarrivons pas toujours agrave communiquer
Les eacutelecteurs attendent des Verts qursquoils ne srsquooccupent que drsquoenviron-nement et de rien drsquoautre en laissant aux grands partis le soin de srsquooccuper du reste Notre responsabiliteacute crsquoest drsquoexpli-quer et de convaincre que lrsquoeacutecologie politique agrave vocation agrave se saisir de tous les sujets
Sur le logement par exemple les Verts proposent que tous les nou-veaux logements construits soient isoleacutes correctement afin de ne pas gaspiller de lrsquoeacutenergie en chauffage mais eacutegalement afin de reacuteduire la fac-ture drsquoeacutelectriciteacute ou de gaz des gens qui vivent dans ces logements
Or en France il est tregraves difficile de se loger actuellement car les loyers sont eacuteleveacutes et les charges (chauffages eau) elles aussi
Par cet exemple donc on voit bien que les Verts ce nrsquoest pas simple-ment la nature et la forecirct mais aussi le logement lrsquoemploi (la mise en place drsquoeacutenergies renouvelables crsquoest 400 000 emplois non deacutelocalisables creacuteeacutes) etc qui sont traditionnelle-ment des sujets ougrave les eacutelecteurs VOIR LA PAGE SUIVANTE
ENTR E VUE AVEC LOIumlC ROBERTPAR ADAM SOMMER FELD DESIGNER GR APHIQUE MONTREacuteAL DIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DE THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD laquo Agrave raquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 11
SUITE DE LA PAGE PREacuteCEacuteDANTE nrsquoattendent pas que les Verts se prononcent
Le deacutefis des Verts en France mais je crois partout dans le monde crsquoest de montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie politique est un paradigme eacuteconomique et po-litique agrave part entiegravere comme le sont le communisme le capitalisme
Il nous faut donc trouver le moyen drsquoavoir une image plus conforme agrave ce que nous sommes ce qui nrsquoest pas facile En effet les meacutedias jouent un grand rocircle dans le deacutebat politique et nous nrsquoavons que tregraves rarement la pa-role car nous sommes un petit parti
Or lorsque nous avons la parole la plupart du temps les journalistes nous interrogent sur nos laquo bagarres internes raquo et pas sur nos propositions Il faut donc que nous arrivions agrave nous imposer drsquoune part de reacutegler nos problegravemes internes discregravetement et ne pas eacutetaler nos divergences sur la place publique et qursquoagrave chaque inter-view nous reacuteussissions agrave ne parler que de nos ideacutees pour convaincre les eacutelecteurs qursquoelles sont bonnes
De quelle maniegravere les verts se sont-ils pencheacutes sur la question de comment le message du parti est communiqueacute au grand public
Les verts en France ne sont pas tregraves agrave lrsquoaise avec les meacutedias En tant que petit parti nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de paroles et crsquoest pourquoi il est difficile de parler de nos ideacutees Alors bien sucircr nous avons deacutejagrave reacutefleacutechi au problegraveme mais les reacuteponses ne sont pas simples et ce pour plusieurs raisons
Comme je lrsquoai dit nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de parole Lrsquoac-tualiteacute en France est domineacutee par les eacutelections preacutesidentielles qui auront lieu au printemps
Or degraves que nous les Verts sommes
inviteacutes dans les meacutedias les journalis-tes ne nous questionnent que sur nos conflits internes sur les sondages actuels qui sont mauvais sur ce que lrsquoon pense des autres candidats etc Mais jamais les journalistes ne nous demandent ce que lrsquoon pense sur le logement sur les OGM sur le nucleacuteaire ou sur les immigreacutes clandestins
Ainsi notre message ne peut pas passer Lrsquoeacutecologie est une chose complexe qui neacutecessite du temps pour ecirctre expliqueacutee La tendance actuelle est agrave la simplification des problegravemes politiques afin drsquoecirctre com-pris des citoyens Malheureusement lrsquoeacutecologie ne peut ecirctre simplifieacutee et nous nrsquoavons pas le temps de faire ce travail de peacutedagogie pour expliquer et convaincre les Franccedilais que notre projet est ambitieux et actuellement le seul capable de faire face agrave lrsquoenjeu eacutecologiqueCrsquoest donc un double travail qursquoil nous faut effectuer
Tout drsquoabord ecirctre plus visible dans les meacutedias sur les questions de fond et pas seulement pour commenter lrsquoactualiteacute des autres candidats Cela neacutecessite que les militants verts se mobilisent drsquoavantage afin de mettre en avant lrsquooriginaliteacute de notre projet et susciteacute un inteacuterecirct meacutediatique Pour exister il faut que nous soyons creacuteateur de deacutebats par des positions trancheacutees et des actions de terrain Nous ne devons plus suivre les deacutebats mais les conduire pour enrichir le deacutebat public de la theacutematique envi-ronnementale qui doit ecirctre centrale et sur laquelle les verts partout dans le monde sont les meilleurs
Ensuite il nous faut ecirctre peacutedagogue et expliquer lrsquoeacutecologie avec des mots simples mais sans simplifier et donc deacutenaturer le contenu de notre projet Nous ne devons pas apparaicirctre
comme des ennemis du progregraves qui voudraient revenir agrave la bougie et ha-biter dans une caverne Nous devons au contraire montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie crsquoest le progregraves Le progregraves crsquoest de pouvoir assurer agrave nos enfants et petits enfants une vie descente dans un en-vironnement saint Et pour cela nous avons besoin de reacuteduire nos deacutepenses eacutenergeacutetiques de sortir drsquoune socieacuteteacute de consommation destructrice de lrsquoenvironnement pour rentrer dans une socieacuteteacute sobre ougrave le relationnel et les rapports humains valent plus que les biens mateacuteriels
Crsquoest ce discours la qursquoil faut parvenir agrave faire passer Mais ce nrsquoest pas simple car la caricature est facile Certains nous considegraverent comme des fous furieux drsquoautres comme des nostalgique de la preacutehistoire Il faut leur montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie ce nrsquoest pas revenir dans le passeacute mais se creacuteer un avenir
Alors oui nous avons reacutefleacutechis sur le sujet Nous sommes conscients des difficulteacutes et nous tentons de les sur-monter Mais les Verts en France sont un parti jeune (24 ans) et nous man-quons certainement drsquoexpeacuterience Mais nous devons faire lrsquoeffort drsquoac-queacuterir cette expeacuterience tregraves vite car les meacutedias repreacutesentent aujourdrsquohui un pouvoir tregraves important certaine-ment aussi important que le pouvoir exeacutecutif ou leacutegislatif
Existe-t-il une solidariteacute ou une collaboration entre les verts (le parti politique) et les groupes eacutecologistes
Je ne suis pas un expert donc je ne mrsquoattarderais pas trop sur le sujet Bien entendu il y a une collaboration entre les Verts et les associations et groupes eacutecologistes Crsquoest mecircme pour cela que les Verts ont eacuteteacute creacuteeacutes en
France en 1984Le mouvement vert est neacute du
constat de nombreux eacutecologistes qui militaient dans des associations de protection de lrsquoenvironnement que lrsquoon ne pouvait changer vraiment les choses qursquoen eacutetant preacutesent dans les deacutebats politique Les Verts franccedilais sont donc au deacutepart le porte parole des associations de deacutefense de lrsquoenvi-ronnement
Lrsquoexemple le plus reacuteveacutelateur est la faccedilon dont les verts exercent leurs responsabiliteacutes politiques au niveau local Les Verts deacutefendent la deacutemo-cratie participative qui integravegre les citoyens au deacutebat avant de prendre une deacutecision qui aura des conseacute-quences sur leur environnement Par conseacutequent pour chaque projet les Verts srsquoimposent de consulter drsquoabord les associations locales de deacutefenses de lrsquoenvironnement pour connaicirctre leur avis car elles sont souvent de bons conseils eacutetant donneacute leur connais-sance du terrain
Par conseacutequent je dirais que le milieu politique et le milieu associatif sont deux mondes bien diffeacuterents qui nrsquoont pas le mecircme objectif Les associations sont lagrave pour interpeler les politiques et les politiques sont lagrave pour reacutepondre aux interpellations des associations Crsquoest pourquoi il nous faut travailler ensemble tout en deacutelimitant bien la frontiegravere entre les deux En effet les associations doivent ecirctre influentes sur tous les partis politiques et pas seulement les Verts De ce fait et afin de rester creacutedible il ne faut donc pas meacutelanger les Verts et les associations pour que ces derniegrave-res puissent influer eacutegalement sur les eacutelus des autres partis not
laquo LE DEacuteFIS DES VERTS EN FRANCE MAIS JE CROIS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE CrsquoEST DE MONTRER QUE LrsquoEacuteCOLOGIE POLITIQUE EST UN PARADIGME EacuteCONOMIQUE ET POLITIQUE Agrave PART ENTIEgraveRE COMME LE SONT LE COMMUNISME LE CAPITALISME raquo
FR SUITE SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 8
LA POLITIQUE AUTREMENT
LA DISCIPLINE DE PARTI ET LES ENTENTES SONT ANTIDEacuteMOCRATIQUES
e suis certain que nous sommes tous drsquoaccord pour dire qursquoil y a plu-sieurs problegravemes avec les partis politiques au Canada Mais selon moi deux des problegravemes les
plus nuisibles pour la deacutemocratie sont la discipline de parti et les ententes entre partis Les deux impliquent un controcircle de la direction du parti agrave lrsquoendroit de la base du parti et reacutesulte en la destruction de la diversiteacute poli-tique et ideacuteologique agrave lrsquointeacuterieur drsquoun parti politique Jrsquoespegravere que nous les jeunes verts pourront travailler agrave empecirccher les ententes et la discipline de parti de prendre racine agrave lrsquointeacuterieur du Parti Vert du Canada
La discipline de parti se produit lorsque la direction drsquoun parti dicte agrave leurs candidats comment preacutesenter certaines politiques durant une eacutelec-tion et et lorsqursquoon dit aux deacuteputeacutes comment voter agrave voter agrave la Chambre des communes Eacutevidemment le problegraveme avec cette pratique tregraves courante est que cela ne permet pas aux parlementaires de voter dans la Chambre des communes selon les aspirations de leurs eacutelecteurs Donc le deacuteputeacute ne repreacutesente plus les gens qui lrsquoont eacutelu
Les ententes se produisent lors-que la direction drsquoun parti se met drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un candidat sans panache un laquo poteau raquo dans le jargon politique dans certaines circonscriptions en eacutechange qursquoun autre parti fasse pareil dans un autre comteacute Par exemple la direction du NPD pourrait se mettre drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un laquo poteau raquo dans un comteacute ougrave les libeacuteraux ont de bonnes
chances de battre les conservateurs En eacutechange la direction du Parti Libeacuteral se mettrait drsquoaccord pour preacutesenter un poteau dans un comteacute lagrave ougrave le NDP a de bonnes chance de battre les conservateurs
Ces pratiques sont tregraves couran-tes en politique canadienne parce qursquoelles facilitent un gain politique agrave court terme Cependant ces deux pratiques limitent eacutegalement les deacutebats sur les politiques gouverne-mentales et deacutecouragent la diversiteacute drsquoopinion Par conseacutequent ces deux pratiques nuisent de maniegravere signifi-cative agrave notre deacutemocratie
Notez que les ententes impliquent que la direction du parti deacutecide quels candidats repreacutesenteront le parti dans un comteacute speacutecifique Les enten-tes megravenent eacutegalement naturellement agrave une discipline de parti stricte Quand une entente est conclue entre les strategraveges de deux partis les citoyens du comteacute en question se font simplement dire qui va les laquo re-preacutesenter raquo Et par conseacutequent leur soit disant repreacutesentant (si eacutelu) est envoyeacute agrave Ottawa sans lrsquoappui concret de leurs membres locaux et devient donc tregraves faible dans sa capaciteacute de srsquoopposer agrave la discipline de parti Si un deacuteputeacute veut plus que simplement suivre la ligne de parti telle que dic-teacutee par la haute direction du parti il doit avoir eacuteteacute choisi localement pour repreacutesenter ces eacutelecteurs
Pour nous les Verts la deacutemocra-tie participative et la diversiteacute sont importantes et sont des principes fondateurs dans notre politique Une des meilleures faccedilons drsquoavoir une di-versiteacute politique est de srsquoassurer que tous les candidats soient librement choisis par les membres du Parti Vert dans leur comteacute plutocirct que choi-
sis par lrsquoexeacutecutif du parti Faire des ententes est une pratique qui con-centre le pouvoir au sein des partis et creacutee des structures hieacuterarchiques deacutevastatrices pour la deacutemocratie en eacuteliminant la diversiteacute
Au congregraves du Parti Vert en aoucirct 2006 une reacutesolution cherchant agrave permettre la direction du Parti agrave faire des ententes avec drsquoautres par-tis a eacuteteacute proposeacutee Cette reacutesolution suggeacuterait de donner agrave lrsquoexeacutecutif du Parti le pouvoir de retirer un can-didat sans consideacuterer lrsquoopinion des membres locaux Je suis heureux de vous dire que cette reacutesolution a eacuteteacute deacutefaite et que les membres du Parti Vert ont deacutemontreacute leur engagement envers la diversiteacute politique au sein drsquoune deacutemocratie repreacutesentative Cependant je suis triste de constater
que crsquoest toujours un deacutebat au sein du parti
Je suis confiant que le deacutebat concernant les ententes entre partis deviendra plus prononceacute tandis que notre parti continuera agrave croicirctre Jrsquoespegravere sincegraverement que les jeunes verts plus que quiconque dans le parti souviendront de lrsquoimportance de la repreacutesentation locale au deacuteve-loppement de la diversiteacute politique En effet jrsquoespegravere que nous nous impliquerons dans nos associations locales du Parti Vert et aiderons agrave nominer des candidats du Parti Vert pour nous repreacutesenter Dans cet es-prit si vous avez besoin drsquoaide pour contacter votre organisation locale du Parti Vert veuillez envoyer un courriel au Conseil des jeunes verts agrave jeunesse laquo agrave raquo partivertca not
laquo LA DIVERSITEacute POLI-TIQUE CrsquoEST LAISSER LES MEMBRES DE CHAQUE COMTEacute CHOI-SIR LEUR CANDIDATE PLUTOcircT QUE LrsquoEXEacute-CUTIF DU PARTI raquo
PAR JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBR ECHT laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMEacuteTUDIANT EN DROIT Agrave Lrsquo UNIVERSITEacute QUEENrsquo S PREacuteSIDENT DES QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp REacuteDACTEUR EN CHEF FONDATEUR DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 9
CONSIDEacuteRONS LE POTENTIEL DU PORTE-Agrave-PORTE
n dimanche apregraves-midi de janvier je marche prudem-ment dans une salle de reacuteunion agrave Kingston Jrsquoy trouve environ une douzaine
de personnes et ils me semblent tous tregraves relaxe consideacuterant ce que lrsquoon srsquoapprecircte agrave faire ce qui est drsquoapprendre agrave faire du deacutemarchage ou du porte-agrave-porte En fait je ne serais pas en train drsquoeacutecrire srsquoil srsquoagissait simplement de porte-agrave-porte conventionnel quelque chose que jrsquoeacutevite autant que possible Cet atelier concerne le dialogue deacutemocratique via le porte-agrave-porte (D3 en anglais) un nouveau style de campagne unique au Parti Vert et jusqursquoici unique aux Verts de Kingston
Selon le guide de formation sur le D3 laquo Le Dialogue Deacutemocratique est plus qursquoune strateacutegie de campagne Cette meacutethode nous distinguera des vieux partis politiques en encour-ageant des relations authentiques et durables entre le Parti Vert et les citoyens verts raquo
D3 est lrsquoideacutee originale drsquoAndrew McCann un reacutesident de Kingston Le but de D3 est de prendre cette activiteacute campagne et de la trans-former en conversation qui permet aux participants drsquoapprendre lrsquoun de lrsquoautre plutocirct qursquoun discours agres-sif orienteacute sur la vente
McCann a commenceacute agrave penser agrave une nouvelle approche au deacutemar-chage lrsquoanneacutee derniegravere lorsqursquoil a accompagneacute son ami Eric Walton un candidat du Parti Vert feacutedeacuteral lors de son deacutemarchage durant
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa premiegravere expeacuterience de campagne politique et il a eacuteteacute frappeacute qursquoune conversation avec quelqursquoun sur leur perron agrave propos de politique constitue de la deacutemocratie
Ayant gagneacute une compreacutehension conventionnelle du deacutemarchage politique McCann a preacutesenteacute en deacutecembre sa nouvelle faccedilon de faire campagne aux supporteurs Verts de Kingston et a eu le feu vert
laquo Jrsquoai demandeacute agrave une association de comteacute de penser agrave faire cam-pagne avec cette perspective et ils ont deacutecideacute drsquoessayer raquo a dit McCann laquo Tu ne vends rien tu converses seulement et donc tu ne te sens pas comme un vendeur don-nant son discours raquo
Cette ideacutee a eacuteteacute reacutepeacuteteacutee tout au long de lrsquoatelier auquel jrsquoai participeacute Nous nrsquoessayons pas de changer les opinions des gens nous voulons simplement savoir ce que la per-sonne dans cette maison pense de la politique en geacuteneacuteral et du Parti Vert en particulier laquo Crsquoest quelque chose que je peux faire raquo je crois laquo Je nrsquoai jamais eacuteteacute tregraves bon agrave convaincre quiconque de quoique ce soit mais je peux probablement les eacutecouter raquo
En deacuteveloppant et en enseignant D3 McCann se retrouve agrave deacutepous-sieacuterer des outils politiques oublieacutes McCann nrsquoa deacutecouvert pratique-ment aucun mateacuteriel sur le porte-
agrave-porte Il y a certainement rien au Parti Vert et si les autres parties ont du mateacuteriel sur le porte-agrave-porte ils le gardent secret Il y a aussi aucun mateacuteriel acadeacutemique sur le porte-agrave-porte selon lui
McCann a lrsquoimpression que cela srsquoexplique par le fait que le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest pas consideacutereacute comme faisant partie de lrsquoarsenal typique de la politique du 21iegraveme siegravecle Lrsquoarsenal standard est lrsquoutilisation des meacutedias les pancartes etc en drsquoautres mots des outils de cam-pagne qursquoun quartier geacuteneacuteral peut facilement controcircler et propager Le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest ni lrsquoune de ces choses parce que crsquoest deacutecentraliseacute Crsquoest comme McCann dit laquo aussi citoyen que ccedila puisse ecirctre raquo
Donc McCann nrsquoa aucune bro-chure et peu de preacuteceacutedent Mais ce preacuteceacutedent existe
laquo Il y a deacutejagrave une roue et D3 nrsquoessaie pas de la reacuteinventer Ap-prenons simplement agrave comment lrsquoutiliser agrave nouveau agrave la deacutepoussieacuter-er et agrave lrsquohuiler Crsquoest une roue sans
manuel drsquoinstruction raquoMcCann espegravere que lrsquoapproche
D3 sera eacuteventuellement introduite agrave toutes les associations du Parti Vert Il pense que les organisations locales du parti seront capables drsquoutiliser la strateacutegie D3 de trois faccedilons la premiegravere faccedilon est comme programme de formation au porte-agrave-porte pour les nouveaux beacuteneacutev-oles la deuxiegraveme faccedilon est comme strateacutegie de campagne precircte agrave servir qui puissent ecirctre utiliseacute durant les eacutelections et la troisiegraveme faccedilon est comme ressource sur agrave quoi srsquoattendre durant une campagne de porte-agrave-porte en se basant sur les reacutesultats du projet D3 des Verts de Kingston
Quoique cette phase de D3 soit encore dans le futur les choses bou-gent et un jour peu lointain avec un peu de chance tous les jeunes verts seront engageacutes dans un dialogue deacutemocratique avec la personne au fond de la rue qursquoils nrsquoont jamais rencontreacutee auparavant not
laquo IL A EacuteTEacute FRAPPEacute QUrsquoUNE CONVERSA-TION AVEC QUEL-QUrsquoUN SUR LEUR PERRON Agrave PROPOS DE POLITIQUE CONSTITUE DE LA DEacuteMOCRATIE raquo
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa
GWEN MAYGWENMAY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMMEMBRE DES QUEEN rsquo S GREENS Agrave Lrsquo U QUEEN rsquo S (BEN OUI ) REacuteDAC TRICE EN CHEF DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 10
SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES
UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert originaire de Lyon a 21 ans et eacutetudie actuellement le droit europeacuteen agrave Louvain en Belgique pour 1 an avant de retourner en France lrsquoan-neacutee prochaine poursuivre ses eacutetudes avec une speacutecialisation en droits de la personne Membre des verts depuis 4 ans il a eacuteteacute preacutesident des jeunes verts de Lyon pendant 1 an Il fait mainte-nant partie de la commission justice des verts et participe agrave lrsquoeacutelaboration du programme des verts en matiere de justice Jrsquoai eu la chance de correspon-dre avec lui eacutelectroniquement pour mieux connaicirctre la perspective verte franccedilaise
Comment concevez-vous du rocircle des jeunes au sein des verts
Les jeunes ont toujours eu un grand rocircle pour faire eacutevoluer la so-cieacuteteacute Crsquoest particuliegraverement vrai en France puisque par exemple mai 68 a eacuteteacute le moteur drsquoune contestation de lrsquoordre eacutetabli Les eacuteveacutenements de mai 68 ont permis de remettre en cause une socieacuteteacute ougrave les jeunes nrsquoavaient pas droit agrave la parole et ougrave seule une eacutelite monopolisait le pouvoir
Drsquoune part les jeunes doivent sensibiliser les Verts pour que le parti puisse porter nos revendications Ce premier rocircle est donc plutocirct celui drsquoun lobby jeune afin que les Verts pren-nent conscience des difficulteacutes ren-contreacutees par la jeunesse aujourdrsquohui
Les conditions de vie de la jeunesse en France sont en effet difficiles le chocircmage touche en particulier les jeunes il est difficile de trouver un logement et par conseacutequent drsquoecirctre autonome vis-agrave-vis de ses parents les eacutetudes coucirctent chegraveres et ne sont donc pas accessible agrave tous
Ce rocircle de la jeunesse nrsquoest pas speacutecifique aux Verts Tous les partis devraient entendre ce que leur disent les jeunes Mais il nrsquoy a que chez les
Verts (en France en tout cas) que le parti prend vraiment en consideacutera-tion ce que disent les jeunes
Drsquoautre part les jeunes ont eacutegale-ment un rocircle beaucoup plus direct agrave jouer Il srsquoagit drsquoexercer nous mecircme des responsabiliteacutes et pour se faire drsquoecirctre eacutelu que ce soit au niveau local ou national En effet il est intoleacuterable que 95 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais aient plus de 40 ans (de mecircme qursquoil est anormal que plus de 80 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais soient des hommes)
Comment peut-on preacutetendre repreacute-senter un pays en excluant du Par-lement ceux qui seront les premiers toucheacutes par les politiques meneacutees notamment en matiegravere environne-mentale Les deacuteputeacutes drsquoaujourdrsquohui ne seront plus lagrave lorsque le reacutechauffe-ment climatique aura des conseacutequen-ces directes sur notre mode de vie
Il ne srsquoagit pas de dire que tous les deacuteputeacutes devraient avoir moins de 30 ans Mais il me semble normal que dans un pays les jeunes occupent une place dans les institutions afin de pouvoir deacutefendre les inteacuterecircts de la jeunesse Or les Verts sont un des seuls partis en France qui permet cela Notre secreacutetaire nationale (preacutesidente des Verts France) Ceacutecile Duflot est une jeune femme de 31 ans
Les Verts ont toujours eu comme objectif de faire de la laquo politique autrement raquo Cela signifie que le pouvoir politique ne doit pas rester entre les mains des hommes de plus de 40 ans
Selon vous quels sont les princi-paux deacutefis faces aux jeunes verts agrave Lyon en France
Le principal deacutefi est donc de se faire entendre que ce soit au niveau local ou au niveau national Et ce nrsquoest pas chose facile La preuve dans les banlieues le seul moyen qursquoont
trouveacute les jeunes pour se faire enten-dre crsquoest de bruler des voitures
Nous jeunes verts nous devons nous faire les portes paroles de cette jeunesse afin drsquoexprimer de faccedilon construite ce que les jeunes des banlieues ont tenteacute de dire par des moyens spectaculaire mais ineffica-ces
Nous devons donc convaincre les Verts mais aussi et surtout toute la socieacuteteacute que nous aussi nous avons des ideacutees que sommes conscients de ne pas avoir reacuteponse agrave tout car nous manquons drsquoexpeacuterience mais que nous sommes jusqursquoagrave preuve du con-traire les mieux placeacutes pour parler des problegravemes auxquels la jeunesse doit faire face
Le principal deacutefi que nous devons releveacute est donc celui de la creacutedibiliteacute ce qui nous impose de nous inves-tir beaucoup en politique afin de pouvoir ecirctre non seulement entendu mais aussi eacutecouteacutes et eacutelus
Quelle est la perception des verts agrave Lyon en France Selon-vous le mouvement vert souffre-t-il drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute ou drsquoimage
En France les Verts ont lrsquoimage drsquoun parti sympathique qui dit des choses inteacuteressantes mais qui nrsquoest pas assez bien structureacute pour ecirctre creacutedible
En effet les franccedilais ont je crois bien compris que les enjeux eacutecolo-giques seront les enjeux majeurs du 21egraveme siegravecle Plus personnes en France agrave quelques exceptions pregraves ne conteste la responsabiliteacute des activiteacutes humaines dans le reacutechauf-fement climatique et la majoriteacute de la population commence agrave prendre conscience qursquoun changement des comportements individuels est neacutecessaire
Cependant il est encore difficile de faire comprendre aux citoyens que les
politiques publiques doivent changer elles aussi Il ne suffit pas drsquoacheter des ampoules agrave eacuteconomies drsquoeacutenergie pour reacutesoudre la crise eacutecologique agrave laquelle nous faisons face
Lrsquoeacutecologie politique ce nrsquoest pas seulement srsquooccuper des petits oiseaux et des fleurs
Crsquoest aussi repenser notre systegraveme eacuteconomique afin que deacuteveloppement ne rime pas avec destruction de notre environnement
Crsquoest pourquoi selon moi il srsquoagit plus drsquoune crise drsquoimage que drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute Nous savons qui nous sommes et ce que nous pensons mais nous nrsquoarrivons pas toujours agrave communiquer
Les eacutelecteurs attendent des Verts qursquoils ne srsquooccupent que drsquoenviron-nement et de rien drsquoautre en laissant aux grands partis le soin de srsquooccuper du reste Notre responsabiliteacute crsquoest drsquoexpli-quer et de convaincre que lrsquoeacutecologie politique agrave vocation agrave se saisir de tous les sujets
Sur le logement par exemple les Verts proposent que tous les nou-veaux logements construits soient isoleacutes correctement afin de ne pas gaspiller de lrsquoeacutenergie en chauffage mais eacutegalement afin de reacuteduire la fac-ture drsquoeacutelectriciteacute ou de gaz des gens qui vivent dans ces logements
Or en France il est tregraves difficile de se loger actuellement car les loyers sont eacuteleveacutes et les charges (chauffages eau) elles aussi
Par cet exemple donc on voit bien que les Verts ce nrsquoest pas simple-ment la nature et la forecirct mais aussi le logement lrsquoemploi (la mise en place drsquoeacutenergies renouvelables crsquoest 400 000 emplois non deacutelocalisables creacuteeacutes) etc qui sont traditionnelle-ment des sujets ougrave les eacutelecteurs VOIR LA PAGE SUIVANTE
ENTR E VUE AVEC LOIumlC ROBERTPAR ADAM SOMMER FELD DESIGNER GR APHIQUE MONTREacuteAL DIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DE THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD laquo Agrave raquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 11
SUITE DE LA PAGE PREacuteCEacuteDANTE nrsquoattendent pas que les Verts se prononcent
Le deacutefis des Verts en France mais je crois partout dans le monde crsquoest de montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie politique est un paradigme eacuteconomique et po-litique agrave part entiegravere comme le sont le communisme le capitalisme
Il nous faut donc trouver le moyen drsquoavoir une image plus conforme agrave ce que nous sommes ce qui nrsquoest pas facile En effet les meacutedias jouent un grand rocircle dans le deacutebat politique et nous nrsquoavons que tregraves rarement la pa-role car nous sommes un petit parti
Or lorsque nous avons la parole la plupart du temps les journalistes nous interrogent sur nos laquo bagarres internes raquo et pas sur nos propositions Il faut donc que nous arrivions agrave nous imposer drsquoune part de reacutegler nos problegravemes internes discregravetement et ne pas eacutetaler nos divergences sur la place publique et qursquoagrave chaque inter-view nous reacuteussissions agrave ne parler que de nos ideacutees pour convaincre les eacutelecteurs qursquoelles sont bonnes
De quelle maniegravere les verts se sont-ils pencheacutes sur la question de comment le message du parti est communiqueacute au grand public
Les verts en France ne sont pas tregraves agrave lrsquoaise avec les meacutedias En tant que petit parti nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de paroles et crsquoest pourquoi il est difficile de parler de nos ideacutees Alors bien sucircr nous avons deacutejagrave reacutefleacutechi au problegraveme mais les reacuteponses ne sont pas simples et ce pour plusieurs raisons
Comme je lrsquoai dit nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de parole Lrsquoac-tualiteacute en France est domineacutee par les eacutelections preacutesidentielles qui auront lieu au printemps
Or degraves que nous les Verts sommes
inviteacutes dans les meacutedias les journalis-tes ne nous questionnent que sur nos conflits internes sur les sondages actuels qui sont mauvais sur ce que lrsquoon pense des autres candidats etc Mais jamais les journalistes ne nous demandent ce que lrsquoon pense sur le logement sur les OGM sur le nucleacuteaire ou sur les immigreacutes clandestins
Ainsi notre message ne peut pas passer Lrsquoeacutecologie est une chose complexe qui neacutecessite du temps pour ecirctre expliqueacutee La tendance actuelle est agrave la simplification des problegravemes politiques afin drsquoecirctre com-pris des citoyens Malheureusement lrsquoeacutecologie ne peut ecirctre simplifieacutee et nous nrsquoavons pas le temps de faire ce travail de peacutedagogie pour expliquer et convaincre les Franccedilais que notre projet est ambitieux et actuellement le seul capable de faire face agrave lrsquoenjeu eacutecologiqueCrsquoest donc un double travail qursquoil nous faut effectuer
Tout drsquoabord ecirctre plus visible dans les meacutedias sur les questions de fond et pas seulement pour commenter lrsquoactualiteacute des autres candidats Cela neacutecessite que les militants verts se mobilisent drsquoavantage afin de mettre en avant lrsquooriginaliteacute de notre projet et susciteacute un inteacuterecirct meacutediatique Pour exister il faut que nous soyons creacuteateur de deacutebats par des positions trancheacutees et des actions de terrain Nous ne devons plus suivre les deacutebats mais les conduire pour enrichir le deacutebat public de la theacutematique envi-ronnementale qui doit ecirctre centrale et sur laquelle les verts partout dans le monde sont les meilleurs
Ensuite il nous faut ecirctre peacutedagogue et expliquer lrsquoeacutecologie avec des mots simples mais sans simplifier et donc deacutenaturer le contenu de notre projet Nous ne devons pas apparaicirctre
comme des ennemis du progregraves qui voudraient revenir agrave la bougie et ha-biter dans une caverne Nous devons au contraire montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie crsquoest le progregraves Le progregraves crsquoest de pouvoir assurer agrave nos enfants et petits enfants une vie descente dans un en-vironnement saint Et pour cela nous avons besoin de reacuteduire nos deacutepenses eacutenergeacutetiques de sortir drsquoune socieacuteteacute de consommation destructrice de lrsquoenvironnement pour rentrer dans une socieacuteteacute sobre ougrave le relationnel et les rapports humains valent plus que les biens mateacuteriels
Crsquoest ce discours la qursquoil faut parvenir agrave faire passer Mais ce nrsquoest pas simple car la caricature est facile Certains nous considegraverent comme des fous furieux drsquoautres comme des nostalgique de la preacutehistoire Il faut leur montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie ce nrsquoest pas revenir dans le passeacute mais se creacuteer un avenir
Alors oui nous avons reacutefleacutechis sur le sujet Nous sommes conscients des difficulteacutes et nous tentons de les sur-monter Mais les Verts en France sont un parti jeune (24 ans) et nous man-quons certainement drsquoexpeacuterience Mais nous devons faire lrsquoeffort drsquoac-queacuterir cette expeacuterience tregraves vite car les meacutedias repreacutesentent aujourdrsquohui un pouvoir tregraves important certaine-ment aussi important que le pouvoir exeacutecutif ou leacutegislatif
Existe-t-il une solidariteacute ou une collaboration entre les verts (le parti politique) et les groupes eacutecologistes
Je ne suis pas un expert donc je ne mrsquoattarderais pas trop sur le sujet Bien entendu il y a une collaboration entre les Verts et les associations et groupes eacutecologistes Crsquoest mecircme pour cela que les Verts ont eacuteteacute creacuteeacutes en
France en 1984Le mouvement vert est neacute du
constat de nombreux eacutecologistes qui militaient dans des associations de protection de lrsquoenvironnement que lrsquoon ne pouvait changer vraiment les choses qursquoen eacutetant preacutesent dans les deacutebats politique Les Verts franccedilais sont donc au deacutepart le porte parole des associations de deacutefense de lrsquoenvi-ronnement
Lrsquoexemple le plus reacuteveacutelateur est la faccedilon dont les verts exercent leurs responsabiliteacutes politiques au niveau local Les Verts deacutefendent la deacutemo-cratie participative qui integravegre les citoyens au deacutebat avant de prendre une deacutecision qui aura des conseacute-quences sur leur environnement Par conseacutequent pour chaque projet les Verts srsquoimposent de consulter drsquoabord les associations locales de deacutefenses de lrsquoenvironnement pour connaicirctre leur avis car elles sont souvent de bons conseils eacutetant donneacute leur connais-sance du terrain
Par conseacutequent je dirais que le milieu politique et le milieu associatif sont deux mondes bien diffeacuterents qui nrsquoont pas le mecircme objectif Les associations sont lagrave pour interpeler les politiques et les politiques sont lagrave pour reacutepondre aux interpellations des associations Crsquoest pourquoi il nous faut travailler ensemble tout en deacutelimitant bien la frontiegravere entre les deux En effet les associations doivent ecirctre influentes sur tous les partis politiques et pas seulement les Verts De ce fait et afin de rester creacutedible il ne faut donc pas meacutelanger les Verts et les associations pour que ces derniegrave-res puissent influer eacutegalement sur les eacutelus des autres partis not
laquo LE DEacuteFIS DES VERTS EN FRANCE MAIS JE CROIS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE CrsquoEST DE MONTRER QUE LrsquoEacuteCOLOGIE POLITIQUE EST UN PARADIGME EacuteCONOMIQUE ET POLITIQUE Agrave PART ENTIEgraveRE COMME LE SONT LE COMMUNISME LE CAPITALISME raquo
FR SUITE SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 9
CONSIDEacuteRONS LE POTENTIEL DU PORTE-Agrave-PORTE
n dimanche apregraves-midi de janvier je marche prudem-ment dans une salle de reacuteunion agrave Kingston Jrsquoy trouve environ une douzaine
de personnes et ils me semblent tous tregraves relaxe consideacuterant ce que lrsquoon srsquoapprecircte agrave faire ce qui est drsquoapprendre agrave faire du deacutemarchage ou du porte-agrave-porte En fait je ne serais pas en train drsquoeacutecrire srsquoil srsquoagissait simplement de porte-agrave-porte conventionnel quelque chose que jrsquoeacutevite autant que possible Cet atelier concerne le dialogue deacutemocratique via le porte-agrave-porte (D3 en anglais) un nouveau style de campagne unique au Parti Vert et jusqursquoici unique aux Verts de Kingston
Selon le guide de formation sur le D3 laquo Le Dialogue Deacutemocratique est plus qursquoune strateacutegie de campagne Cette meacutethode nous distinguera des vieux partis politiques en encour-ageant des relations authentiques et durables entre le Parti Vert et les citoyens verts raquo
D3 est lrsquoideacutee originale drsquoAndrew McCann un reacutesident de Kingston Le but de D3 est de prendre cette activiteacute campagne et de la trans-former en conversation qui permet aux participants drsquoapprendre lrsquoun de lrsquoautre plutocirct qursquoun discours agres-sif orienteacute sur la vente
McCann a commenceacute agrave penser agrave une nouvelle approche au deacutemar-chage lrsquoanneacutee derniegravere lorsqursquoil a accompagneacute son ami Eric Walton un candidat du Parti Vert feacutedeacuteral lors de son deacutemarchage durant
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa premiegravere expeacuterience de campagne politique et il a eacuteteacute frappeacute qursquoune conversation avec quelqursquoun sur leur perron agrave propos de politique constitue de la deacutemocratie
Ayant gagneacute une compreacutehension conventionnelle du deacutemarchage politique McCann a preacutesenteacute en deacutecembre sa nouvelle faccedilon de faire campagne aux supporteurs Verts de Kingston et a eu le feu vert
laquo Jrsquoai demandeacute agrave une association de comteacute de penser agrave faire cam-pagne avec cette perspective et ils ont deacutecideacute drsquoessayer raquo a dit McCann laquo Tu ne vends rien tu converses seulement et donc tu ne te sens pas comme un vendeur don-nant son discours raquo
Cette ideacutee a eacuteteacute reacutepeacuteteacutee tout au long de lrsquoatelier auquel jrsquoai participeacute Nous nrsquoessayons pas de changer les opinions des gens nous voulons simplement savoir ce que la per-sonne dans cette maison pense de la politique en geacuteneacuteral et du Parti Vert en particulier laquo Crsquoest quelque chose que je peux faire raquo je crois laquo Je nrsquoai jamais eacuteteacute tregraves bon agrave convaincre quiconque de quoique ce soit mais je peux probablement les eacutecouter raquo
En deacuteveloppant et en enseignant D3 McCann se retrouve agrave deacutepous-sieacuterer des outils politiques oublieacutes McCann nrsquoa deacutecouvert pratique-ment aucun mateacuteriel sur le porte-
agrave-porte Il y a certainement rien au Parti Vert et si les autres parties ont du mateacuteriel sur le porte-agrave-porte ils le gardent secret Il y a aussi aucun mateacuteriel acadeacutemique sur le porte-agrave-porte selon lui
McCann a lrsquoimpression que cela srsquoexplique par le fait que le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest pas consideacutereacute comme faisant partie de lrsquoarsenal typique de la politique du 21iegraveme siegravecle Lrsquoarsenal standard est lrsquoutilisation des meacutedias les pancartes etc en drsquoautres mots des outils de cam-pagne qursquoun quartier geacuteneacuteral peut facilement controcircler et propager Le porte-agrave-porte nrsquoest ni lrsquoune de ces choses parce que crsquoest deacutecentraliseacute Crsquoest comme McCann dit laquo aussi citoyen que ccedila puisse ecirctre raquo
Donc McCann nrsquoa aucune bro-chure et peu de preacuteceacutedent Mais ce preacuteceacutedent existe
laquo Il y a deacutejagrave une roue et D3 nrsquoessaie pas de la reacuteinventer Ap-prenons simplement agrave comment lrsquoutiliser agrave nouveau agrave la deacutepoussieacuter-er et agrave lrsquohuiler Crsquoest une roue sans
manuel drsquoinstruction raquoMcCann espegravere que lrsquoapproche
D3 sera eacuteventuellement introduite agrave toutes les associations du Parti Vert Il pense que les organisations locales du parti seront capables drsquoutiliser la strateacutegie D3 de trois faccedilons la premiegravere faccedilon est comme programme de formation au porte-agrave-porte pour les nouveaux beacuteneacutev-oles la deuxiegraveme faccedilon est comme strateacutegie de campagne precircte agrave servir qui puissent ecirctre utiliseacute durant les eacutelections et la troisiegraveme faccedilon est comme ressource sur agrave quoi srsquoattendre durant une campagne de porte-agrave-porte en se basant sur les reacutesultats du projet D3 des Verts de Kingston
Quoique cette phase de D3 soit encore dans le futur les choses bou-gent et un jour peu lointain avec un peu de chance tous les jeunes verts seront engageacutes dans un dialogue deacutemocratique avec la personne au fond de la rue qursquoils nrsquoont jamais rencontreacutee auparavant not
laquo IL A EacuteTEacute FRAPPEacute QUrsquoUNE CONVERSA-TION AVEC QUEL-QUrsquoUN SUR LEUR PERRON Agrave PROPOS DE POLITIQUE CONSTITUE DE LA DEacuteMOCRATIE raquo
la campagne de 2006 Crsquoeacutetait sa
GWEN MAYGWENMAY laquo Agrave raquo GMAILCOMMEMBRE DES QUEEN rsquo S GREENS Agrave Lrsquo U QUEEN rsquo S (BEN OUI ) REacuteDAC TRICE EN CHEF DE THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 10
SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES
UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert originaire de Lyon a 21 ans et eacutetudie actuellement le droit europeacuteen agrave Louvain en Belgique pour 1 an avant de retourner en France lrsquoan-neacutee prochaine poursuivre ses eacutetudes avec une speacutecialisation en droits de la personne Membre des verts depuis 4 ans il a eacuteteacute preacutesident des jeunes verts de Lyon pendant 1 an Il fait mainte-nant partie de la commission justice des verts et participe agrave lrsquoeacutelaboration du programme des verts en matiere de justice Jrsquoai eu la chance de correspon-dre avec lui eacutelectroniquement pour mieux connaicirctre la perspective verte franccedilaise
Comment concevez-vous du rocircle des jeunes au sein des verts
Les jeunes ont toujours eu un grand rocircle pour faire eacutevoluer la so-cieacuteteacute Crsquoest particuliegraverement vrai en France puisque par exemple mai 68 a eacuteteacute le moteur drsquoune contestation de lrsquoordre eacutetabli Les eacuteveacutenements de mai 68 ont permis de remettre en cause une socieacuteteacute ougrave les jeunes nrsquoavaient pas droit agrave la parole et ougrave seule une eacutelite monopolisait le pouvoir
Drsquoune part les jeunes doivent sensibiliser les Verts pour que le parti puisse porter nos revendications Ce premier rocircle est donc plutocirct celui drsquoun lobby jeune afin que les Verts pren-nent conscience des difficulteacutes ren-contreacutees par la jeunesse aujourdrsquohui
Les conditions de vie de la jeunesse en France sont en effet difficiles le chocircmage touche en particulier les jeunes il est difficile de trouver un logement et par conseacutequent drsquoecirctre autonome vis-agrave-vis de ses parents les eacutetudes coucirctent chegraveres et ne sont donc pas accessible agrave tous
Ce rocircle de la jeunesse nrsquoest pas speacutecifique aux Verts Tous les partis devraient entendre ce que leur disent les jeunes Mais il nrsquoy a que chez les
Verts (en France en tout cas) que le parti prend vraiment en consideacutera-tion ce que disent les jeunes
Drsquoautre part les jeunes ont eacutegale-ment un rocircle beaucoup plus direct agrave jouer Il srsquoagit drsquoexercer nous mecircme des responsabiliteacutes et pour se faire drsquoecirctre eacutelu que ce soit au niveau local ou national En effet il est intoleacuterable que 95 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais aient plus de 40 ans (de mecircme qursquoil est anormal que plus de 80 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais soient des hommes)
Comment peut-on preacutetendre repreacute-senter un pays en excluant du Par-lement ceux qui seront les premiers toucheacutes par les politiques meneacutees notamment en matiegravere environne-mentale Les deacuteputeacutes drsquoaujourdrsquohui ne seront plus lagrave lorsque le reacutechauffe-ment climatique aura des conseacutequen-ces directes sur notre mode de vie
Il ne srsquoagit pas de dire que tous les deacuteputeacutes devraient avoir moins de 30 ans Mais il me semble normal que dans un pays les jeunes occupent une place dans les institutions afin de pouvoir deacutefendre les inteacuterecircts de la jeunesse Or les Verts sont un des seuls partis en France qui permet cela Notre secreacutetaire nationale (preacutesidente des Verts France) Ceacutecile Duflot est une jeune femme de 31 ans
Les Verts ont toujours eu comme objectif de faire de la laquo politique autrement raquo Cela signifie que le pouvoir politique ne doit pas rester entre les mains des hommes de plus de 40 ans
Selon vous quels sont les princi-paux deacutefis faces aux jeunes verts agrave Lyon en France
Le principal deacutefi est donc de se faire entendre que ce soit au niveau local ou au niveau national Et ce nrsquoest pas chose facile La preuve dans les banlieues le seul moyen qursquoont
trouveacute les jeunes pour se faire enten-dre crsquoest de bruler des voitures
Nous jeunes verts nous devons nous faire les portes paroles de cette jeunesse afin drsquoexprimer de faccedilon construite ce que les jeunes des banlieues ont tenteacute de dire par des moyens spectaculaire mais ineffica-ces
Nous devons donc convaincre les Verts mais aussi et surtout toute la socieacuteteacute que nous aussi nous avons des ideacutees que sommes conscients de ne pas avoir reacuteponse agrave tout car nous manquons drsquoexpeacuterience mais que nous sommes jusqursquoagrave preuve du con-traire les mieux placeacutes pour parler des problegravemes auxquels la jeunesse doit faire face
Le principal deacutefi que nous devons releveacute est donc celui de la creacutedibiliteacute ce qui nous impose de nous inves-tir beaucoup en politique afin de pouvoir ecirctre non seulement entendu mais aussi eacutecouteacutes et eacutelus
Quelle est la perception des verts agrave Lyon en France Selon-vous le mouvement vert souffre-t-il drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute ou drsquoimage
En France les Verts ont lrsquoimage drsquoun parti sympathique qui dit des choses inteacuteressantes mais qui nrsquoest pas assez bien structureacute pour ecirctre creacutedible
En effet les franccedilais ont je crois bien compris que les enjeux eacutecolo-giques seront les enjeux majeurs du 21egraveme siegravecle Plus personnes en France agrave quelques exceptions pregraves ne conteste la responsabiliteacute des activiteacutes humaines dans le reacutechauf-fement climatique et la majoriteacute de la population commence agrave prendre conscience qursquoun changement des comportements individuels est neacutecessaire
Cependant il est encore difficile de faire comprendre aux citoyens que les
politiques publiques doivent changer elles aussi Il ne suffit pas drsquoacheter des ampoules agrave eacuteconomies drsquoeacutenergie pour reacutesoudre la crise eacutecologique agrave laquelle nous faisons face
Lrsquoeacutecologie politique ce nrsquoest pas seulement srsquooccuper des petits oiseaux et des fleurs
Crsquoest aussi repenser notre systegraveme eacuteconomique afin que deacuteveloppement ne rime pas avec destruction de notre environnement
Crsquoest pourquoi selon moi il srsquoagit plus drsquoune crise drsquoimage que drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute Nous savons qui nous sommes et ce que nous pensons mais nous nrsquoarrivons pas toujours agrave communiquer
Les eacutelecteurs attendent des Verts qursquoils ne srsquooccupent que drsquoenviron-nement et de rien drsquoautre en laissant aux grands partis le soin de srsquooccuper du reste Notre responsabiliteacute crsquoest drsquoexpli-quer et de convaincre que lrsquoeacutecologie politique agrave vocation agrave se saisir de tous les sujets
Sur le logement par exemple les Verts proposent que tous les nou-veaux logements construits soient isoleacutes correctement afin de ne pas gaspiller de lrsquoeacutenergie en chauffage mais eacutegalement afin de reacuteduire la fac-ture drsquoeacutelectriciteacute ou de gaz des gens qui vivent dans ces logements
Or en France il est tregraves difficile de se loger actuellement car les loyers sont eacuteleveacutes et les charges (chauffages eau) elles aussi
Par cet exemple donc on voit bien que les Verts ce nrsquoest pas simple-ment la nature et la forecirct mais aussi le logement lrsquoemploi (la mise en place drsquoeacutenergies renouvelables crsquoest 400 000 emplois non deacutelocalisables creacuteeacutes) etc qui sont traditionnelle-ment des sujets ougrave les eacutelecteurs VOIR LA PAGE SUIVANTE
ENTR E VUE AVEC LOIumlC ROBERTPAR ADAM SOMMER FELD DESIGNER GR APHIQUE MONTREacuteAL DIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DE THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD laquo Agrave raquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 11
SUITE DE LA PAGE PREacuteCEacuteDANTE nrsquoattendent pas que les Verts se prononcent
Le deacutefis des Verts en France mais je crois partout dans le monde crsquoest de montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie politique est un paradigme eacuteconomique et po-litique agrave part entiegravere comme le sont le communisme le capitalisme
Il nous faut donc trouver le moyen drsquoavoir une image plus conforme agrave ce que nous sommes ce qui nrsquoest pas facile En effet les meacutedias jouent un grand rocircle dans le deacutebat politique et nous nrsquoavons que tregraves rarement la pa-role car nous sommes un petit parti
Or lorsque nous avons la parole la plupart du temps les journalistes nous interrogent sur nos laquo bagarres internes raquo et pas sur nos propositions Il faut donc que nous arrivions agrave nous imposer drsquoune part de reacutegler nos problegravemes internes discregravetement et ne pas eacutetaler nos divergences sur la place publique et qursquoagrave chaque inter-view nous reacuteussissions agrave ne parler que de nos ideacutees pour convaincre les eacutelecteurs qursquoelles sont bonnes
De quelle maniegravere les verts se sont-ils pencheacutes sur la question de comment le message du parti est communiqueacute au grand public
Les verts en France ne sont pas tregraves agrave lrsquoaise avec les meacutedias En tant que petit parti nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de paroles et crsquoest pourquoi il est difficile de parler de nos ideacutees Alors bien sucircr nous avons deacutejagrave reacutefleacutechi au problegraveme mais les reacuteponses ne sont pas simples et ce pour plusieurs raisons
Comme je lrsquoai dit nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de parole Lrsquoac-tualiteacute en France est domineacutee par les eacutelections preacutesidentielles qui auront lieu au printemps
Or degraves que nous les Verts sommes
inviteacutes dans les meacutedias les journalis-tes ne nous questionnent que sur nos conflits internes sur les sondages actuels qui sont mauvais sur ce que lrsquoon pense des autres candidats etc Mais jamais les journalistes ne nous demandent ce que lrsquoon pense sur le logement sur les OGM sur le nucleacuteaire ou sur les immigreacutes clandestins
Ainsi notre message ne peut pas passer Lrsquoeacutecologie est une chose complexe qui neacutecessite du temps pour ecirctre expliqueacutee La tendance actuelle est agrave la simplification des problegravemes politiques afin drsquoecirctre com-pris des citoyens Malheureusement lrsquoeacutecologie ne peut ecirctre simplifieacutee et nous nrsquoavons pas le temps de faire ce travail de peacutedagogie pour expliquer et convaincre les Franccedilais que notre projet est ambitieux et actuellement le seul capable de faire face agrave lrsquoenjeu eacutecologiqueCrsquoest donc un double travail qursquoil nous faut effectuer
Tout drsquoabord ecirctre plus visible dans les meacutedias sur les questions de fond et pas seulement pour commenter lrsquoactualiteacute des autres candidats Cela neacutecessite que les militants verts se mobilisent drsquoavantage afin de mettre en avant lrsquooriginaliteacute de notre projet et susciteacute un inteacuterecirct meacutediatique Pour exister il faut que nous soyons creacuteateur de deacutebats par des positions trancheacutees et des actions de terrain Nous ne devons plus suivre les deacutebats mais les conduire pour enrichir le deacutebat public de la theacutematique envi-ronnementale qui doit ecirctre centrale et sur laquelle les verts partout dans le monde sont les meilleurs
Ensuite il nous faut ecirctre peacutedagogue et expliquer lrsquoeacutecologie avec des mots simples mais sans simplifier et donc deacutenaturer le contenu de notre projet Nous ne devons pas apparaicirctre
comme des ennemis du progregraves qui voudraient revenir agrave la bougie et ha-biter dans une caverne Nous devons au contraire montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie crsquoest le progregraves Le progregraves crsquoest de pouvoir assurer agrave nos enfants et petits enfants une vie descente dans un en-vironnement saint Et pour cela nous avons besoin de reacuteduire nos deacutepenses eacutenergeacutetiques de sortir drsquoune socieacuteteacute de consommation destructrice de lrsquoenvironnement pour rentrer dans une socieacuteteacute sobre ougrave le relationnel et les rapports humains valent plus que les biens mateacuteriels
Crsquoest ce discours la qursquoil faut parvenir agrave faire passer Mais ce nrsquoest pas simple car la caricature est facile Certains nous considegraverent comme des fous furieux drsquoautres comme des nostalgique de la preacutehistoire Il faut leur montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie ce nrsquoest pas revenir dans le passeacute mais se creacuteer un avenir
Alors oui nous avons reacutefleacutechis sur le sujet Nous sommes conscients des difficulteacutes et nous tentons de les sur-monter Mais les Verts en France sont un parti jeune (24 ans) et nous man-quons certainement drsquoexpeacuterience Mais nous devons faire lrsquoeffort drsquoac-queacuterir cette expeacuterience tregraves vite car les meacutedias repreacutesentent aujourdrsquohui un pouvoir tregraves important certaine-ment aussi important que le pouvoir exeacutecutif ou leacutegislatif
Existe-t-il une solidariteacute ou une collaboration entre les verts (le parti politique) et les groupes eacutecologistes
Je ne suis pas un expert donc je ne mrsquoattarderais pas trop sur le sujet Bien entendu il y a une collaboration entre les Verts et les associations et groupes eacutecologistes Crsquoest mecircme pour cela que les Verts ont eacuteteacute creacuteeacutes en
France en 1984Le mouvement vert est neacute du
constat de nombreux eacutecologistes qui militaient dans des associations de protection de lrsquoenvironnement que lrsquoon ne pouvait changer vraiment les choses qursquoen eacutetant preacutesent dans les deacutebats politique Les Verts franccedilais sont donc au deacutepart le porte parole des associations de deacutefense de lrsquoenvi-ronnement
Lrsquoexemple le plus reacuteveacutelateur est la faccedilon dont les verts exercent leurs responsabiliteacutes politiques au niveau local Les Verts deacutefendent la deacutemo-cratie participative qui integravegre les citoyens au deacutebat avant de prendre une deacutecision qui aura des conseacute-quences sur leur environnement Par conseacutequent pour chaque projet les Verts srsquoimposent de consulter drsquoabord les associations locales de deacutefenses de lrsquoenvironnement pour connaicirctre leur avis car elles sont souvent de bons conseils eacutetant donneacute leur connais-sance du terrain
Par conseacutequent je dirais que le milieu politique et le milieu associatif sont deux mondes bien diffeacuterents qui nrsquoont pas le mecircme objectif Les associations sont lagrave pour interpeler les politiques et les politiques sont lagrave pour reacutepondre aux interpellations des associations Crsquoest pourquoi il nous faut travailler ensemble tout en deacutelimitant bien la frontiegravere entre les deux En effet les associations doivent ecirctre influentes sur tous les partis politiques et pas seulement les Verts De ce fait et afin de rester creacutedible il ne faut donc pas meacutelanger les Verts et les associations pour que ces derniegrave-res puissent influer eacutegalement sur les eacutelus des autres partis not
laquo LE DEacuteFIS DES VERTS EN FRANCE MAIS JE CROIS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE CrsquoEST DE MONTRER QUE LrsquoEacuteCOLOGIE POLITIQUE EST UN PARADIGME EacuteCONOMIQUE ET POLITIQUE Agrave PART ENTIEgraveRE COMME LE SONT LE COMMUNISME LE CAPITALISME raquo
FR SUITE SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 10
SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES
UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert originaire de Lyon a 21 ans et eacutetudie actuellement le droit europeacuteen agrave Louvain en Belgique pour 1 an avant de retourner en France lrsquoan-neacutee prochaine poursuivre ses eacutetudes avec une speacutecialisation en droits de la personne Membre des verts depuis 4 ans il a eacuteteacute preacutesident des jeunes verts de Lyon pendant 1 an Il fait mainte-nant partie de la commission justice des verts et participe agrave lrsquoeacutelaboration du programme des verts en matiere de justice Jrsquoai eu la chance de correspon-dre avec lui eacutelectroniquement pour mieux connaicirctre la perspective verte franccedilaise
Comment concevez-vous du rocircle des jeunes au sein des verts
Les jeunes ont toujours eu un grand rocircle pour faire eacutevoluer la so-cieacuteteacute Crsquoest particuliegraverement vrai en France puisque par exemple mai 68 a eacuteteacute le moteur drsquoune contestation de lrsquoordre eacutetabli Les eacuteveacutenements de mai 68 ont permis de remettre en cause une socieacuteteacute ougrave les jeunes nrsquoavaient pas droit agrave la parole et ougrave seule une eacutelite monopolisait le pouvoir
Drsquoune part les jeunes doivent sensibiliser les Verts pour que le parti puisse porter nos revendications Ce premier rocircle est donc plutocirct celui drsquoun lobby jeune afin que les Verts pren-nent conscience des difficulteacutes ren-contreacutees par la jeunesse aujourdrsquohui
Les conditions de vie de la jeunesse en France sont en effet difficiles le chocircmage touche en particulier les jeunes il est difficile de trouver un logement et par conseacutequent drsquoecirctre autonome vis-agrave-vis de ses parents les eacutetudes coucirctent chegraveres et ne sont donc pas accessible agrave tous
Ce rocircle de la jeunesse nrsquoest pas speacutecifique aux Verts Tous les partis devraient entendre ce que leur disent les jeunes Mais il nrsquoy a que chez les
Verts (en France en tout cas) que le parti prend vraiment en consideacutera-tion ce que disent les jeunes
Drsquoautre part les jeunes ont eacutegale-ment un rocircle beaucoup plus direct agrave jouer Il srsquoagit drsquoexercer nous mecircme des responsabiliteacutes et pour se faire drsquoecirctre eacutelu que ce soit au niveau local ou national En effet il est intoleacuterable que 95 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais aient plus de 40 ans (de mecircme qursquoil est anormal que plus de 80 des deacuteputeacutes franccedilais soient des hommes)
Comment peut-on preacutetendre repreacute-senter un pays en excluant du Par-lement ceux qui seront les premiers toucheacutes par les politiques meneacutees notamment en matiegravere environne-mentale Les deacuteputeacutes drsquoaujourdrsquohui ne seront plus lagrave lorsque le reacutechauffe-ment climatique aura des conseacutequen-ces directes sur notre mode de vie
Il ne srsquoagit pas de dire que tous les deacuteputeacutes devraient avoir moins de 30 ans Mais il me semble normal que dans un pays les jeunes occupent une place dans les institutions afin de pouvoir deacutefendre les inteacuterecircts de la jeunesse Or les Verts sont un des seuls partis en France qui permet cela Notre secreacutetaire nationale (preacutesidente des Verts France) Ceacutecile Duflot est une jeune femme de 31 ans
Les Verts ont toujours eu comme objectif de faire de la laquo politique autrement raquo Cela signifie que le pouvoir politique ne doit pas rester entre les mains des hommes de plus de 40 ans
Selon vous quels sont les princi-paux deacutefis faces aux jeunes verts agrave Lyon en France
Le principal deacutefi est donc de se faire entendre que ce soit au niveau local ou au niveau national Et ce nrsquoest pas chose facile La preuve dans les banlieues le seul moyen qursquoont
trouveacute les jeunes pour se faire enten-dre crsquoest de bruler des voitures
Nous jeunes verts nous devons nous faire les portes paroles de cette jeunesse afin drsquoexprimer de faccedilon construite ce que les jeunes des banlieues ont tenteacute de dire par des moyens spectaculaire mais ineffica-ces
Nous devons donc convaincre les Verts mais aussi et surtout toute la socieacuteteacute que nous aussi nous avons des ideacutees que sommes conscients de ne pas avoir reacuteponse agrave tout car nous manquons drsquoexpeacuterience mais que nous sommes jusqursquoagrave preuve du con-traire les mieux placeacutes pour parler des problegravemes auxquels la jeunesse doit faire face
Le principal deacutefi que nous devons releveacute est donc celui de la creacutedibiliteacute ce qui nous impose de nous inves-tir beaucoup en politique afin de pouvoir ecirctre non seulement entendu mais aussi eacutecouteacutes et eacutelus
Quelle est la perception des verts agrave Lyon en France Selon-vous le mouvement vert souffre-t-il drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute ou drsquoimage
En France les Verts ont lrsquoimage drsquoun parti sympathique qui dit des choses inteacuteressantes mais qui nrsquoest pas assez bien structureacute pour ecirctre creacutedible
En effet les franccedilais ont je crois bien compris que les enjeux eacutecolo-giques seront les enjeux majeurs du 21egraveme siegravecle Plus personnes en France agrave quelques exceptions pregraves ne conteste la responsabiliteacute des activiteacutes humaines dans le reacutechauf-fement climatique et la majoriteacute de la population commence agrave prendre conscience qursquoun changement des comportements individuels est neacutecessaire
Cependant il est encore difficile de faire comprendre aux citoyens que les
politiques publiques doivent changer elles aussi Il ne suffit pas drsquoacheter des ampoules agrave eacuteconomies drsquoeacutenergie pour reacutesoudre la crise eacutecologique agrave laquelle nous faisons face
Lrsquoeacutecologie politique ce nrsquoest pas seulement srsquooccuper des petits oiseaux et des fleurs
Crsquoest aussi repenser notre systegraveme eacuteconomique afin que deacuteveloppement ne rime pas avec destruction de notre environnement
Crsquoest pourquoi selon moi il srsquoagit plus drsquoune crise drsquoimage que drsquoune crise drsquoidentiteacute Nous savons qui nous sommes et ce que nous pensons mais nous nrsquoarrivons pas toujours agrave communiquer
Les eacutelecteurs attendent des Verts qursquoils ne srsquooccupent que drsquoenviron-nement et de rien drsquoautre en laissant aux grands partis le soin de srsquooccuper du reste Notre responsabiliteacute crsquoest drsquoexpli-quer et de convaincre que lrsquoeacutecologie politique agrave vocation agrave se saisir de tous les sujets
Sur le logement par exemple les Verts proposent que tous les nou-veaux logements construits soient isoleacutes correctement afin de ne pas gaspiller de lrsquoeacutenergie en chauffage mais eacutegalement afin de reacuteduire la fac-ture drsquoeacutelectriciteacute ou de gaz des gens qui vivent dans ces logements
Or en France il est tregraves difficile de se loger actuellement car les loyers sont eacuteleveacutes et les charges (chauffages eau) elles aussi
Par cet exemple donc on voit bien que les Verts ce nrsquoest pas simple-ment la nature et la forecirct mais aussi le logement lrsquoemploi (la mise en place drsquoeacutenergies renouvelables crsquoest 400 000 emplois non deacutelocalisables creacuteeacutes) etc qui sont traditionnelle-ment des sujets ougrave les eacutelecteurs VOIR LA PAGE SUIVANTE
ENTR E VUE AVEC LOIumlC ROBERTPAR ADAM SOMMER FELD DESIGNER GR APHIQUE MONTREacuteAL DIRECTEUR DU DESIGN DE THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD laquo Agrave raquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 11
SUITE DE LA PAGE PREacuteCEacuteDANTE nrsquoattendent pas que les Verts se prononcent
Le deacutefis des Verts en France mais je crois partout dans le monde crsquoest de montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie politique est un paradigme eacuteconomique et po-litique agrave part entiegravere comme le sont le communisme le capitalisme
Il nous faut donc trouver le moyen drsquoavoir une image plus conforme agrave ce que nous sommes ce qui nrsquoest pas facile En effet les meacutedias jouent un grand rocircle dans le deacutebat politique et nous nrsquoavons que tregraves rarement la pa-role car nous sommes un petit parti
Or lorsque nous avons la parole la plupart du temps les journalistes nous interrogent sur nos laquo bagarres internes raquo et pas sur nos propositions Il faut donc que nous arrivions agrave nous imposer drsquoune part de reacutegler nos problegravemes internes discregravetement et ne pas eacutetaler nos divergences sur la place publique et qursquoagrave chaque inter-view nous reacuteussissions agrave ne parler que de nos ideacutees pour convaincre les eacutelecteurs qursquoelles sont bonnes
De quelle maniegravere les verts se sont-ils pencheacutes sur la question de comment le message du parti est communiqueacute au grand public
Les verts en France ne sont pas tregraves agrave lrsquoaise avec les meacutedias En tant que petit parti nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de paroles et crsquoest pourquoi il est difficile de parler de nos ideacutees Alors bien sucircr nous avons deacutejagrave reacutefleacutechi au problegraveme mais les reacuteponses ne sont pas simples et ce pour plusieurs raisons
Comme je lrsquoai dit nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de parole Lrsquoac-tualiteacute en France est domineacutee par les eacutelections preacutesidentielles qui auront lieu au printemps
Or degraves que nous les Verts sommes
inviteacutes dans les meacutedias les journalis-tes ne nous questionnent que sur nos conflits internes sur les sondages actuels qui sont mauvais sur ce que lrsquoon pense des autres candidats etc Mais jamais les journalistes ne nous demandent ce que lrsquoon pense sur le logement sur les OGM sur le nucleacuteaire ou sur les immigreacutes clandestins
Ainsi notre message ne peut pas passer Lrsquoeacutecologie est une chose complexe qui neacutecessite du temps pour ecirctre expliqueacutee La tendance actuelle est agrave la simplification des problegravemes politiques afin drsquoecirctre com-pris des citoyens Malheureusement lrsquoeacutecologie ne peut ecirctre simplifieacutee et nous nrsquoavons pas le temps de faire ce travail de peacutedagogie pour expliquer et convaincre les Franccedilais que notre projet est ambitieux et actuellement le seul capable de faire face agrave lrsquoenjeu eacutecologiqueCrsquoest donc un double travail qursquoil nous faut effectuer
Tout drsquoabord ecirctre plus visible dans les meacutedias sur les questions de fond et pas seulement pour commenter lrsquoactualiteacute des autres candidats Cela neacutecessite que les militants verts se mobilisent drsquoavantage afin de mettre en avant lrsquooriginaliteacute de notre projet et susciteacute un inteacuterecirct meacutediatique Pour exister il faut que nous soyons creacuteateur de deacutebats par des positions trancheacutees et des actions de terrain Nous ne devons plus suivre les deacutebats mais les conduire pour enrichir le deacutebat public de la theacutematique envi-ronnementale qui doit ecirctre centrale et sur laquelle les verts partout dans le monde sont les meilleurs
Ensuite il nous faut ecirctre peacutedagogue et expliquer lrsquoeacutecologie avec des mots simples mais sans simplifier et donc deacutenaturer le contenu de notre projet Nous ne devons pas apparaicirctre
comme des ennemis du progregraves qui voudraient revenir agrave la bougie et ha-biter dans une caverne Nous devons au contraire montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie crsquoest le progregraves Le progregraves crsquoest de pouvoir assurer agrave nos enfants et petits enfants une vie descente dans un en-vironnement saint Et pour cela nous avons besoin de reacuteduire nos deacutepenses eacutenergeacutetiques de sortir drsquoune socieacuteteacute de consommation destructrice de lrsquoenvironnement pour rentrer dans une socieacuteteacute sobre ougrave le relationnel et les rapports humains valent plus que les biens mateacuteriels
Crsquoest ce discours la qursquoil faut parvenir agrave faire passer Mais ce nrsquoest pas simple car la caricature est facile Certains nous considegraverent comme des fous furieux drsquoautres comme des nostalgique de la preacutehistoire Il faut leur montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie ce nrsquoest pas revenir dans le passeacute mais se creacuteer un avenir
Alors oui nous avons reacutefleacutechis sur le sujet Nous sommes conscients des difficulteacutes et nous tentons de les sur-monter Mais les Verts en France sont un parti jeune (24 ans) et nous man-quons certainement drsquoexpeacuterience Mais nous devons faire lrsquoeffort drsquoac-queacuterir cette expeacuterience tregraves vite car les meacutedias repreacutesentent aujourdrsquohui un pouvoir tregraves important certaine-ment aussi important que le pouvoir exeacutecutif ou leacutegislatif
Existe-t-il une solidariteacute ou une collaboration entre les verts (le parti politique) et les groupes eacutecologistes
Je ne suis pas un expert donc je ne mrsquoattarderais pas trop sur le sujet Bien entendu il y a une collaboration entre les Verts et les associations et groupes eacutecologistes Crsquoest mecircme pour cela que les Verts ont eacuteteacute creacuteeacutes en
France en 1984Le mouvement vert est neacute du
constat de nombreux eacutecologistes qui militaient dans des associations de protection de lrsquoenvironnement que lrsquoon ne pouvait changer vraiment les choses qursquoen eacutetant preacutesent dans les deacutebats politique Les Verts franccedilais sont donc au deacutepart le porte parole des associations de deacutefense de lrsquoenvi-ronnement
Lrsquoexemple le plus reacuteveacutelateur est la faccedilon dont les verts exercent leurs responsabiliteacutes politiques au niveau local Les Verts deacutefendent la deacutemo-cratie participative qui integravegre les citoyens au deacutebat avant de prendre une deacutecision qui aura des conseacute-quences sur leur environnement Par conseacutequent pour chaque projet les Verts srsquoimposent de consulter drsquoabord les associations locales de deacutefenses de lrsquoenvironnement pour connaicirctre leur avis car elles sont souvent de bons conseils eacutetant donneacute leur connais-sance du terrain
Par conseacutequent je dirais que le milieu politique et le milieu associatif sont deux mondes bien diffeacuterents qui nrsquoont pas le mecircme objectif Les associations sont lagrave pour interpeler les politiques et les politiques sont lagrave pour reacutepondre aux interpellations des associations Crsquoest pourquoi il nous faut travailler ensemble tout en deacutelimitant bien la frontiegravere entre les deux En effet les associations doivent ecirctre influentes sur tous les partis politiques et pas seulement les Verts De ce fait et afin de rester creacutedible il ne faut donc pas meacutelanger les Verts et les associations pour que ces derniegrave-res puissent influer eacutegalement sur les eacutelus des autres partis not
laquo LE DEacuteFIS DES VERTS EN FRANCE MAIS JE CROIS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE CrsquoEST DE MONTRER QUE LrsquoEacuteCOLOGIE POLITIQUE EST UN PARADIGME EacuteCONOMIQUE ET POLITIQUE Agrave PART ENTIEgraveRE COMME LE SONT LE COMMUNISME LE CAPITALISME raquo
FR SUITE SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 11
SUITE DE LA PAGE PREacuteCEacuteDANTE nrsquoattendent pas que les Verts se prononcent
Le deacutefis des Verts en France mais je crois partout dans le monde crsquoest de montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie politique est un paradigme eacuteconomique et po-litique agrave part entiegravere comme le sont le communisme le capitalisme
Il nous faut donc trouver le moyen drsquoavoir une image plus conforme agrave ce que nous sommes ce qui nrsquoest pas facile En effet les meacutedias jouent un grand rocircle dans le deacutebat politique et nous nrsquoavons que tregraves rarement la pa-role car nous sommes un petit parti
Or lorsque nous avons la parole la plupart du temps les journalistes nous interrogent sur nos laquo bagarres internes raquo et pas sur nos propositions Il faut donc que nous arrivions agrave nous imposer drsquoune part de reacutegler nos problegravemes internes discregravetement et ne pas eacutetaler nos divergences sur la place publique et qursquoagrave chaque inter-view nous reacuteussissions agrave ne parler que de nos ideacutees pour convaincre les eacutelecteurs qursquoelles sont bonnes
De quelle maniegravere les verts se sont-ils pencheacutes sur la question de comment le message du parti est communiqueacute au grand public
Les verts en France ne sont pas tregraves agrave lrsquoaise avec les meacutedias En tant que petit parti nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de paroles et crsquoest pourquoi il est difficile de parler de nos ideacutees Alors bien sucircr nous avons deacutejagrave reacutefleacutechi au problegraveme mais les reacuteponses ne sont pas simples et ce pour plusieurs raisons
Comme je lrsquoai dit nous nrsquoavons pas beaucoup de temps de parole Lrsquoac-tualiteacute en France est domineacutee par les eacutelections preacutesidentielles qui auront lieu au printemps
Or degraves que nous les Verts sommes
inviteacutes dans les meacutedias les journalis-tes ne nous questionnent que sur nos conflits internes sur les sondages actuels qui sont mauvais sur ce que lrsquoon pense des autres candidats etc Mais jamais les journalistes ne nous demandent ce que lrsquoon pense sur le logement sur les OGM sur le nucleacuteaire ou sur les immigreacutes clandestins
Ainsi notre message ne peut pas passer Lrsquoeacutecologie est une chose complexe qui neacutecessite du temps pour ecirctre expliqueacutee La tendance actuelle est agrave la simplification des problegravemes politiques afin drsquoecirctre com-pris des citoyens Malheureusement lrsquoeacutecologie ne peut ecirctre simplifieacutee et nous nrsquoavons pas le temps de faire ce travail de peacutedagogie pour expliquer et convaincre les Franccedilais que notre projet est ambitieux et actuellement le seul capable de faire face agrave lrsquoenjeu eacutecologiqueCrsquoest donc un double travail qursquoil nous faut effectuer
Tout drsquoabord ecirctre plus visible dans les meacutedias sur les questions de fond et pas seulement pour commenter lrsquoactualiteacute des autres candidats Cela neacutecessite que les militants verts se mobilisent drsquoavantage afin de mettre en avant lrsquooriginaliteacute de notre projet et susciteacute un inteacuterecirct meacutediatique Pour exister il faut que nous soyons creacuteateur de deacutebats par des positions trancheacutees et des actions de terrain Nous ne devons plus suivre les deacutebats mais les conduire pour enrichir le deacutebat public de la theacutematique envi-ronnementale qui doit ecirctre centrale et sur laquelle les verts partout dans le monde sont les meilleurs
Ensuite il nous faut ecirctre peacutedagogue et expliquer lrsquoeacutecologie avec des mots simples mais sans simplifier et donc deacutenaturer le contenu de notre projet Nous ne devons pas apparaicirctre
comme des ennemis du progregraves qui voudraient revenir agrave la bougie et ha-biter dans une caverne Nous devons au contraire montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie crsquoest le progregraves Le progregraves crsquoest de pouvoir assurer agrave nos enfants et petits enfants une vie descente dans un en-vironnement saint Et pour cela nous avons besoin de reacuteduire nos deacutepenses eacutenergeacutetiques de sortir drsquoune socieacuteteacute de consommation destructrice de lrsquoenvironnement pour rentrer dans une socieacuteteacute sobre ougrave le relationnel et les rapports humains valent plus que les biens mateacuteriels
Crsquoest ce discours la qursquoil faut parvenir agrave faire passer Mais ce nrsquoest pas simple car la caricature est facile Certains nous considegraverent comme des fous furieux drsquoautres comme des nostalgique de la preacutehistoire Il faut leur montrer que lrsquoeacutecologie ce nrsquoest pas revenir dans le passeacute mais se creacuteer un avenir
Alors oui nous avons reacutefleacutechis sur le sujet Nous sommes conscients des difficulteacutes et nous tentons de les sur-monter Mais les Verts en France sont un parti jeune (24 ans) et nous man-quons certainement drsquoexpeacuterience Mais nous devons faire lrsquoeffort drsquoac-queacuterir cette expeacuterience tregraves vite car les meacutedias repreacutesentent aujourdrsquohui un pouvoir tregraves important certaine-ment aussi important que le pouvoir exeacutecutif ou leacutegislatif
Existe-t-il une solidariteacute ou une collaboration entre les verts (le parti politique) et les groupes eacutecologistes
Je ne suis pas un expert donc je ne mrsquoattarderais pas trop sur le sujet Bien entendu il y a une collaboration entre les Verts et les associations et groupes eacutecologistes Crsquoest mecircme pour cela que les Verts ont eacuteteacute creacuteeacutes en
France en 1984Le mouvement vert est neacute du
constat de nombreux eacutecologistes qui militaient dans des associations de protection de lrsquoenvironnement que lrsquoon ne pouvait changer vraiment les choses qursquoen eacutetant preacutesent dans les deacutebats politique Les Verts franccedilais sont donc au deacutepart le porte parole des associations de deacutefense de lrsquoenvi-ronnement
Lrsquoexemple le plus reacuteveacutelateur est la faccedilon dont les verts exercent leurs responsabiliteacutes politiques au niveau local Les Verts deacutefendent la deacutemo-cratie participative qui integravegre les citoyens au deacutebat avant de prendre une deacutecision qui aura des conseacute-quences sur leur environnement Par conseacutequent pour chaque projet les Verts srsquoimposent de consulter drsquoabord les associations locales de deacutefenses de lrsquoenvironnement pour connaicirctre leur avis car elles sont souvent de bons conseils eacutetant donneacute leur connais-sance du terrain
Par conseacutequent je dirais que le milieu politique et le milieu associatif sont deux mondes bien diffeacuterents qui nrsquoont pas le mecircme objectif Les associations sont lagrave pour interpeler les politiques et les politiques sont lagrave pour reacutepondre aux interpellations des associations Crsquoest pourquoi il nous faut travailler ensemble tout en deacutelimitant bien la frontiegravere entre les deux En effet les associations doivent ecirctre influentes sur tous les partis politiques et pas seulement les Verts De ce fait et afin de rester creacutedible il ne faut donc pas meacutelanger les Verts et les associations pour que ces derniegrave-res puissent influer eacutegalement sur les eacutelus des autres partis not
laquo LE DEacuteFIS DES VERTS EN FRANCE MAIS JE CROIS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE CrsquoEST DE MONTRER QUE LrsquoEacuteCOLOGIE POLITIQUE EST UN PARADIGME EacuteCONOMIQUE ET POLITIQUE Agrave PART ENTIEgraveRE COMME LE SONT LE COMMUNISME LE CAPITALISME raquo
FR SUITE SEacuteRIE INTERVIEW COUSINS TERRESTRES UN JEUNE VERT EN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 12
APPEL DE SOUSMISSIONCALL FOR ENTRIESCONTRIBUEZ AU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute laquo LE FUTUR raquoLE THEgraveME SUGGEacuteREacute DU PROCHAIN NUMEacuteRO EST laquo LE FUTUR raquo VOUS EcircTES COMPLEgraveTEMENT LIBRE Agrave VOTRE PROPRE INTERPREacuteTATION VOUS AVEZ EacuteGALEMENT DROIT Agrave LrsquoIGNORER COMPLEgraveTEMENT DANS UN MONDE POLITIQUE OUgrave LrsquoEXPEacuteRIENCE TEMPORELLE EST MORCELEacuteE EN FRAGMENTS DE 2 Agrave 4 ANS LE PARTI VERT EST LE SEUL QUI SE PREacuteOCCUPE DU SORT DES CITOYENS DrsquoUN FUTUR LOINTAIN MEcircME EXTREcircMEMENT EacuteLOIGNEacute VOICI QUELQUES QUESTIONS ET IDEacuteES QUI POURRAIENT SERVIR DrsquoINSPIRATION COMMENT LE GOUVERNEMENT PEUT-IL CREacuteER DES POLITIQUES QUI APPORTENT LA PROSPEacuteRITEacute LA SEacuteCURITEacute ET LE BIEN EcircTRE TANT Agrave COURT TERME QUrsquoAgrave LONG TERME COMMENT LES OPINIONS DES JEUNES SUR DES QUESTIONS DE SOCIEacuteTEacute SE DEacuteMARQUENT-ELLES PAR RAPPORT AUX AUTRES GROUPES DrsquoAcircGE OU PAR RAPPORT Agrave LrsquoUN LrsquoAUTRE LES JEUNES VERTS REPREacuteSENTENT LES FUTURS DIRIGEANTS DU PARTI MAIS ILS CONTRIBUENT EacuteGALEMENT AU SUCCEgraveS DU PARTI AUJOURDrsquoHUI REacuteFLEXIONS SUR NOTRE PLANEgraveTE EN 20 ANS LES MOTS NE REPREacuteSENTENT QUrsquoUNE FACcedilON DE VOUS EXPRIMER NOUS ENCOURAGEONS FORTEMENT DES SOUMIS-SIONS PAR MOYEN DE LrsquoIMAGE QUE CE SOIT NUMEacuteRIQUE DESSINEacuteE PHOTOGRAPHIQUE BD CARICATURE OU AUTRE NOUS SOMMES EacuteGALEMENT TOUJOURS RAVIS DE RECEVOIR VOS TRIBUNES LIBRES ET VOS COMMENTAIRES
CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT ISSUE SUGGESTED THEME ldquoTHE FUTURErdquoWE ARE SOLICITING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE ON THE THEME THE FUTURE (DOO-DI-DOO-DOO) FEEL FREE TO INTERPRET THIS THEME HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT OR TAKE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS HOW DO WE INCLUDE THE VOICE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS IN OUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES NOWIS THE GENERAL ELECTORATE CAPABLE OF FORESIGHT (OR DO THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE ISSUES)HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARTIES JUGGLE SHORTETHTERM GAIN AND LONGETHTERM BENEFITSHOW DO THE OPINIONS OF YOUTH TODAY DIFFER ON SOCIAL ISSUESYOUNG GREENS ldquoTHE FUTURErdquo OF THE PARTY OR PART OF ITS SUCCESS NOWWHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT YOUNG GREENS SHOULD FOCUS ON TO MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARSARTISTIC RENDERINGS AND COMICS ON THE STATE OF EARTH IN 50 YEARS--BE A FORTUNE TELLERDONrsquoT LIMIT YOURSELF TO THE WRITTEN WORD WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE VISUAL SUBMISSIONS LIKE DIGITAL IM-AGES DRAWINGS PHOTOGRAPHS COMIC STRIPS CARICATURES OR ANYTHING ELSE WE ALSO WELCOME LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND ANY AND ALL COMMENTS
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 13
THE YOUNG GREENS COUNCIL REPORTBY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
he Young Greens of Canada is the exciting new youth wing of the Green Party of Canada All Canadians age 29 and under are invited
to become a part of the Young Greens
These are some of the projects we have started
bullBuilding a Young Greens website bullOrganizing a database for our membership bullHelping to start new campus clubs bullCoordinating active campus clubs bullPreparing election materials bullEstablishing the role of the Young Greens within the Green Party
The Council is looking for some Greens who will help out with these projects We need help with web-building design fundraising video creation translation editing etc Please donrsquot hesitate to email us at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca not
THE COUNCIL IS AN ELECTED GROUP OF NINE YOUNG GREENS WHO ARE HELPING TO ORGANIZE AND MOBILIZE YOUNG GREENS ACROSS CANADA OUR COUNCIL FOR THIS YEAR IS
+
JAMES BROOKSINTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
LYNNE CHAMPOUX-WILLIAMSFR ANCOPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
TANNER WALDOADMINISTR ATIVE AND FINANCE CHAIR
K ATIE GIBBSORGANIZING CHAIR FEMALE
JARED GIESBRECHTORGANIZING CHAIR MALE
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTONTEEN ORGANIZING CHAIR
JASON HAMMOND CO-CHAIR MALE
MEGAN DIETRECH CO-CHAIR FEMALE
BEN R ANKIN EX TERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
JARED GIESBRECHT
+
VICTORIA CATE MAY BURTON
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 14
DEBUNKING THE KYOTO CRITICS
BY SAMUEL MOISAN-DOMMGREENPOLITICIAN ldquoATrdquo YAHOOCOMFORMER GREEN C ANDIDATE AT 18 IN THE RIDING OF CHARLESBOURG-JACQUES-C ARTIER CURRENTLY A SSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
Members of the Kyoto Protocol such as China India and other populous emerging economies have no binding targets render-ing any effort of ours ultimately useless
bullWhile not entirely factuallywrong the argument is fl awed When a person is aware of a prob-lem he or she works to resolve it fi rst and then tries to get others to go along For instance if you are in a poisonous social environment due to lack of respect you start by being respectful and hope your example will have an impact on others The same applies to the Kyoto Protocol
Even if Canada achieved the objectives set out in the Kyoto Protocol this would be a wasted effort since we account for barely 3 of global emissions
bullOnce again it is sensible to at-tempt to lead by example and not a waste Also if everyone used simi-lar arguments we would never get anything done whether the fi ght was against climate change poverty or child labour
Why pay for foreign carbon cred-its to reduce emissions of develop-ing countries when we could re-duce Canadarsquos emissions instead without the Kyoto scheme
bullWho said that we had to spendhot air credits Harper said it We can choose to reduce emissions here rather than elsewhere by acting now rather than waiting How-ever many environmentalists now acknowledge that we might have to buy foreign carbon credits because we are so far behind Sceptics then point out that with Japan and Europe trying to buy credits as well there will be no credits left But this is a false assumption and unjustifi ed fortune telling Nothing prevents us from fi ghting for those credits and it is presumptuous to claim that car-bon credit supply will remain as low as they are now in the coming years
Emissions in the US and Aus-traliamdashcountries that did not sign on to Kyotomdashdid not increase as much as in Canada which shows that voluntary measures are more effective than the Kyoto binding targets
bullLook nothing at all prevents acompany or country from voluntar-ily reducing emissions at any time they can invent and implement all the voluntary measures they want with or without treaty-binding targets Consequently no voluntary scheme necessarily works better than binding schemes The only time it appears to work better is in conjunction with incentives The Kyoto Protocol doesnrsquot stop us from introducing an incentives scheme
The Kyoto Protocol has not helped us to reduce greenhouse gases emissions
bullA green-minded friend of mineonce used this argument My answer is that we will not know results of Kyoto until 2012 To evaluate its performance now is like saying a certain person will not win a race before anyone has
crossed the fi nish line In addition most of the mechanisms within the Kyoto Protocol such as the Clean Development Mechanism havenrsquot even been used yet and most of the incentives inherent to the protocol have not yet been put into practice A Kyoto incentive is why Harper wants to get out of the Kyoto Proto-col now Canada has until 2008 to exit Kyoto otherwise it will have to pay a big fi ne in 2012 if it hasnrsquot met its end of the bargain That is the incentive to meet targets There-fore when someone tells me that the Kyoto Protocol does not work I tell them that most mechanisms found in the Kyoto Protocol are not even being used yet All we know at this point is that some countries are being proactive about their Kyoto commitments and others like Canada are being laggards not
ldquoWHEN SOMEONE TELLS ME THAT THE KYOTO PROTOCOL DOES NOT WORK I TELL THEM THAT MOST MECHANISMS FOUND IN THE KYOTO PROTOCOL ARE NOT EVEN BEING USED YETrdquo
As a Green you no doubt see the Kyoto Protocol as a neces-sary baby step However you have probably also encoun-tered sceptics easily swayed by the sophists and dema-gogues They voice arguments against the Kyoto Protocol that I will debunk in this article I will sum up each argu-ment and then counter it
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 15
RESISTING MONOCULTUR
-ALISM
lready thinking about the impor-tance of diversity in Canada I at-tended a speech by David Suzuki in which he touched
on the importance of all kinds of diversity Life has flourished as a result of both cultural and biological diversity he said ldquoItrsquos been the key to human successrdquo
An uplifting statement con-sidering we keep hearing about how as Canadians wersquore living in an increasingly diverse society If diversity has gotten us this far itrsquos sure to push us even further right But what Dr Suzuki said next gave me reason to pause ldquoWe are mono-culturing the planet with the idea of progressrdquo That is as a society we tend to conform to the norm and tow the middle line Wersquove adopted one main business plan one model for growth Wersquove taken what works and pushed it to the limit All too
infrequently however we pause to look at the other options availablemdashthe more sustainable options
With the rise of the Green Party these other options are being sug-gested recognized and slowly but surely being incorporated into Canadian policy and culture As inspiring as that is however it is important to remember that there is still much work to be done in terms of racial ethnic and cultural diver-sity within our government and our society Even as we tout a national policy of multiculturalism we fail to embrace what it really means
Human Rights and Public Service Reform Critic of the Green Party Joe Foster told me that diversity affects more issues than we may initially consider While his hu-man rights portfolio obviously deals with issues of diversity all the time diversity also comes up in public service reform ldquoA major problem in the public service is not hiring enough visible minori-
tiesrdquo he said The problem is also reflected in the make-up of the elected officials across the country ldquoIf yoursquore going to have politicians who represent Canada they have to come from various backgroundsrdquo Although Canada is one of the best experiments in the world in terms of making multiculturalism work he said itrsquos not enough While the population is becoming increasingly diverse the government hasnrsquot provided the necessary resources to ensure a safe diverse society As he stated ldquotherersquos an enormous need to recognize the diversity It should be looked at as an invest-ment into making us a harmonious nationrdquo Failing to do so he said will hurt not just the minorities but society as a whole ldquoNo matter how you look at it there are different groupings that make up a country If you exclude them yoursquore going to lose the richness that that group has to offerrdquo
Justice affairs critic of the Green
Party Rebecca Bromwich agreed that we as a political party need to address issues of diversity in order to be prepared for governing the coun-try ldquoObviously therersquos a great deal of diversity in our countryrdquo she said ldquoItrsquos very important that everyonersquos treated equallyrdquo She said youth in particular should be looking at diversity as an important all-around issue ldquoThe youth population is more diverse than the older generationrdquo she said ldquoThe way things shape up today is going to have the longest-term impact on youthrdquo
As politically motivated youth we need to remain continually aware of the diversity surrounding us Ac-cepting David Suzukirsquos suggestion that diversity has been the key to human success if we want Canada to continue to flourish we need to embrace and encourage it in all its forms not
BY LISA JEMISON LISAJEMISON ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMLISA IS A THIRD-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y AND WRITES FOR THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER THE JOURNALILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PER E Z VINCEISDEAD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THINK GREEN (YOU DEFINITELY ARENrsquoT ALONE)
SPEAK GREEN(GET PUBLISHED IN THE UNDERSTORY)
(PLEASE EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO DARCYHIGGINS ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)(FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THEUNDERSTORY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOM)
The Understory is an exciting new monthly publication of the Young Greens of Canada that is calling for submissionsmdasharticles artwork photography comics or anything else yoursquod like to submit
LE MAGA ZINE DES JEUNES VERTS YOUNG GREENS NEWSLETTERFABRIQUEacute AU C ANADA MADE IN C ANADA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 17
BY BARTON CUT TEN BARTON819 ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM A NATIVE OF BIBLE-HILL NOVA SCOTIA FORMER C ANDIDATE FOR THE GREEN PART Y OF NOVA SCOTIA 200 6ILLUSTR ATION BY VINCENT PEREZ VINCEISDE AD ldquoATrdquo HOTMAILCOM
hen I fi rst looked at the candi-date list for the fi rst ever Young Greens Council elec-
tion I couldnrsquot help but ask myself ldquoWhere are all the women candidatesrdquo I have to admit I was pretty disappointed to see such a dismal turn-out of female candidatesmdashonly 6 of the 28 candidates running were female That translates into 214 female candidates
I took note of this statistic (one that even Jim Harris canrsquot work with) and emailed a few ldquohigher profi lerdquo female Young Greens that seemed to be good candidates for the Council election The responses to my emails were to be honest pretty lame ldquoI may be too busyrdquo or ldquoI never thought of itrdquo were the two most common And the whole time Irsquom thinking in the back of my mind ldquoArenrsquot a lot of women angry because they feel like theyrsquore still being marginalized in todayrsquos society by not having a voicerdquo
Before I go any further I want to
thank the female candidates who did run in the Young Greens elec-tionmdashthank you The topic of gender parity often comes up regarding po-litical representation For example it is often stated that there should be more of a balance between the sexes and there are frequent discus-sions exploring the possible avenues to remove ldquobarriersrdquo that do not allow more women to participate For example there is talk within the Steacutephane Dion Liberals about making a major effort to get more women running as candidates even if it means blocking men in particu-lar ridings However I have to say that there were no barriers in the Young Greens election especially with newly elected female leader Elizabeth May To you women true equality canrsquot be given to you equality doesnrsquot come in the form of Government programs or prop-ping up your independence Rather equality has to be taken and seized upon by you As a male I can only work hard to remove any exist-ing barriers and encourage but beyond that women have to achieve equality on their own I want to
make it clear that I do support major funding for single parents or women looking to get out of violent relations or to get an education that will hopefully translate into fi nan-cial independence But beyond that I donrsquot see the overall good female support programs provide In a way it may only encourage more depend-ence or a lack of true betterment similar to what we see in the major funding schemes to aboriginals
I challenge any female reader to tell me why there werenrsquot more female candidates running in the Young Greens election especially in the female-only categories
If only women could get together and put more female candidates into action as effectively as they did in protesting the Harper govern-mentrsquos cuts to womenrsquos programs It makes me question the validity of pushing for more gender par-ity when all things being equal women canrsquot even get close on their own What is more important the principle of equality or making it a reality There have been successive waves of female groups that have fought tooth and nail to break down
barriers hindering women from having equality in society Surely some of these women would be turning in their graves if they found out the lack of female participa-tion in say the inaugural Young Greens election Irsquom not sure where the gender ratio in politics should be some say 5050 but would that refl ect the true nature of things What I do know is that it will remain unbalanced as long as more women fail to seize the opportunity and run for public offi ce
I hope in the next Young Greens election there will be more fe-males running and more potential candidates running for nomina-tion at large Having a male make a subsidized environment to strive for parity in an election is not true equality Neglect is the eventual killer of everything Young women donrsquot fl ounder on what was so bit-terly fought for you And now that I think of it I feel more young men nowadays expect more practiced equality from females then women do Hopefully someone can prove me wrong not
ldquoI CHALLENGE ANY FEMALE READER TO TELL ME WHY THERE WERENrsquoT MORE FEMALE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE YOUNG GREENS ELECTION ESPECIALLY IN THE FEMALE-ONLY CATEGORIESrdquo
MORE WOMEN NEED TO RUN FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 18
POLITICS DIFFERENTLY
DEAL MAKING AND PARTY DISCIPLINE IS UNDEMOCRATIC
am sure we all agree that there are many problems with political parties in Can-ada But I would argue that two of the most democrati-cally debilitating problems are party discipline and deal-
making Both involve top-down control and result in the destruc-tion of political and ideological diversity within a political party I hope we Young Greens can work hard to prevent both deal making and party discipline from taking root within the Green Party of Canada
Party discipline is when party leadership dictates to their candi-dates how they will present certain policies in an election and instructs members of Parliament how to vote in the House of Commons Of course the problem with this com-mon practice is that it does not al-low members of Parliament to vote in the House of Commons according to the wishes of their constituents So the MP is no longer representing the people that elected her
Deal-making takes place when the party leadership agrees to run a really lousy candidate (a ldquocan-non-fodder candidaterdquo) in a certain riding in exchange for a rival party running a poor candidate in another riding For example the NDP leadership could agree to run a poor candidate in a place where the Liberals had a good chance of beat-ing the Conservatives in exchange for the Liberal leadership agreeing to run a poor candidate in a place where the NDP had a good chance of beating the Conservatives
These practices are common in Canadian politics because they can effectively bring about short-term
political gain However both of these practices also stifle policy debates and suppress diversity of opinion and therefore do signifi-cant damage to our democracy
Notice that deal-making involves the leadership of the party deciding what candidate will represent the party in a specific riding Deal-mak-ing also leads quite naturally into strict party discipline When a deal is made between the top strategists of two parties the citizens of the constituency in question are simply told who will ldquorepresentrdquo them And as a result their so-called representative (if elected) is sent to Ottawa without a strong backing from the local party and is unable to stand up against the discipline of the party leadership If a Member of Parliament is to do more than simply toe the party line as dictated to her from the party leadership she must have actually been chosen to represent her constituents
For us Greens both grassroots de-mocracy and diversity are important and foundational principles in our politic One of the best ways to have political diversity is to ensure that all candidates are freely chosen by the local Green Party membership rather than selected by the party leadership Deal-making is a practice that cen-tralizes parties and creates top-down structures that disturbingly enough are devastatingly unETHdemocratic and eliminate diversity
At the 2006 Green Party Conven-tion last August a resolution came forward that sought to allow the leadership of the Party to make deals with the other parties This resolution suggested giving the Green Party leadership the power to withdraw a candidate regardless
of wishes of the local membership I am happy to say that this resolution was defeated and that the Green Party membership demonstrated its commitment to the value of political diversity in representative democ-racy However I am sad to say that this continues to be a debate within our Party
I am confident that the debate over deal-making will become more pronounced as our party continues to grow I sincerely hope that we Young Greens more than
anyone in the Party will remember the importance of free and local representation in developing politi-cal diversity Indeed I hope that we will get involved in our local Green Party organizations and help nominate Green Party candidates to represent us In that vein if you need help contacting your local Green Party organization please email the Young Greens Council at youth ldquoatrdquo greenpartyca and we will hook you up not
ldquoONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO HAVE POLI- TICAL DIVERSITY IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL CANDIDATES ARE FREELY CHOSEN BY THE LOCAL GREEN PARTY MEMBERSHIP RATHER THAN SE-LECTED BY THE PAR-TY LEADERSHIPrdquo
BY JAR ED GIESBR ECHTJAREDGIESBRECHT ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOML AW STUDENT AT QUEENrsquo S UNIVERSIT Y CHAIR OF QUEENrsquo S GREENS amp FOUNDING MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDERSTORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 19
ECOPHILOSOPHY ECOLOGICAL AGE MANIFESTO
BY SA ŠA C VE TKOVI ETH SASACVETKOVIC ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMBORN IN Z AGREB CROATIA 1979 MOVED TO BELGR ADE DUE TO THE CIVIL WAR IN 1991 IN 1996 IMMIGR ATED TO CANADA IN 1996 WITH FAMILY FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL amp L ATER GR ADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF WATERLOO COMPLETED MASTERS IN ARCHITECTURE 2006 NOW LIVES IN SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO amp WORKS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF MASTER THESIS
his global mentality shift - the ecological awakening of our ignorant collective-consciousness - has to start with the image of our planet The
first step is realizing the fact that the Earth is our limit The blue sphere that some rightly tend to call Mother Earth is our cradle and our grave It is not only our home and the home of our chil-dren but it is equally the home of every single life form that exists on it and every future one that is yet to come Thus we should behave and act accordingly We shall acknowledge its natural forces and the principles which govern it Then we shall accept them obey them and finally cher-ish them while taking part in their endless cycles
Love and reverence for the earth shall no longer be seen as lsquobeautifica-tion and preservation of the sceneriesrsquo but rather be based on the awareness of the symbiotic and interdependent relationship with the nature for our survival on the earth is less likely to depend on our manipulative and controlling capacities over nature but rather on our own ability to synchro-nize to be one with it This will come
fully to fruition once we realize that heaven is not only something we walk under but also something we walk onto Ultimately we shall regain the faith in Mother Nature herself by looking back to our origins - on con-ceptual ideological and even mytho-logical level - to find the profound moments of our past when human minds were not infected by obliterat-ing and insatiable mental appetites by an unbearable urge for rushed and inconsiderate progress by greed for power control and conquest This return to our long forgotten yet innate qualities of stewardship defer-ence and genuine partnership with nature would be also the return to our true selves Likewise the return to sensuality spirituality humility environmentally friendly modes of production modesty and tradi-tion would equally be the return to Mother Nature This in turn would restore our faith and lead the way to our healing and inevitably to the healing of our environments In ad-dition it would signalize the re-born sacredness and regained respect for nature whose previous absence in our lives happened to be one of the prime phenomenological causes for the disruption of the natural balance and subsequent failing environment
In her search of an adequate
philosophy and effective lsquohealing methodsrsquo to cure our unhealthy environments Ellen Dunham-Jones offers a more specific explanation for future ecologic incentives In her es-say ldquoLosing Ground Post-industrial Identity in Architecture and Urban-ismrdquo she distinguishes architecture as a powerful mediator between presently opposing humanity and na-ture She calls for an architecture of ldquoaffiliation engagement and steward-shiprdquo in order to ldquoboth alleviate the rootlessness of the Telematic Nomad and accept responsibility for the health and well-being of the earthrdquo What people of today need is ldquoan architecture that works to ground us in place to provide us with a footing from which to evaluate contemporary technology critically and embrace it selectively rather than one that cel-ebrates dissolution and the placeless-ness of telecommunicationsrdquo
In order to fully realize such an architecture we should focus more on listening understanding and attuning to the natural forces to the cosmic energies and to the spirits of the idiosyncratic places we inhabit This would bring us to the desired harmony It would reconnect us with the world It would imbue us with genuine meanings and higher truths of our terrestrial existence and con-
sequently bring back the vital sense of reverence so necessary for the well being of surroundings and our own sustenance This purification of our souls will finally reveal and unfold the real world before our revived senses Only then will we be able to see hear and feel again the natural wonders for what they truly are and understand ourselves for what we truly are independently and no longer obscured by our own subjec-tive and limited anthropocentric affinities
With architecture that ldquobonds us to the earth and to each otherrdquo we will be able to abolish emptiness placelessness and sterility of our suburbs cities and their problem-atic sprawl With architecture that ldquoengenders love pride and cultural belonging to placerdquo we will be able to remediate our alienation dis-enchantment un-rootedness and disengagement while retrieving the lost life balance and post-indus-trial soul Only then will we be the desired change we want so pas-sionately to see in the world Only then will we become the children of nature the genuine children of the Earth not
THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM A L ARGER WORK ldquoECOLOGICAL MANIFESTO amp ECOPHILOSOPHYrdquo BY CVETKOVI ETH THE WORK IN ITS ENTIRET Y WILL SOON BE AVAIL ABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 20
THE POTENTIAL OF DOOR-TO-DOOR CAMPAIGNING
n a Sunday after-noon in January I walk cautiously into a meeting room in Kingston There are about a dozen people in the room and
they are looking pretty relaxed to me given what we are about to do which is learn aboutmdashgulpmdashdoor-to-door canvassing Well I wouldnrsquot be here if we were just talking about your standard doorETHtoETHdoor campaigning something I avoid if I can help it This workshop is about DoorETHtoETHDoor Democratic Dialogue (or D3) a new campaigning concept unique to the Green Party and at this point unique to the Kingston Greens specifi cally
According to the D3 learning package ldquoDemocratic Dialogue is more than a doorETHtoETHdoor campaign strategy it will differen-tiate us from oldETHline politics by nurturing authentic sustainable relationships between the Green Party and Green Citizensrdquo
D3 is the brainchild of Kingston resident Andrew McCann The point of D3 is to take this extremely democratic style of political cam-paigning and turn it into a conver-sation where both canvasser and canvassed learn from each other instead of an aggressive sales pitch
McCann started thinking about
a new approach to canvassing last year when he accompanied his friend Eric Walton a Federal Green Party candidate going door to door during the 2006 election This was Mc-Cannrsquos fi rst experience with political campaigning It struck him that a conversation with someone at their door about politics is democracy
Armed with this new understat-ing of doorETHtoETHdoor political campaigning McCann presented his idea for training Kingston Green Party supporters to doorETHtoETHdoor campaign in a new way to the King-ston Greens in December and was given the go ahead ldquoI asked one EDA to thinking about campaigning in this light and they are tying it outrdquo says McCann
But doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing scares people and McCann recog-nizes that But he does not believe that it needs to be scary or intense especially through the D3 approach ldquoYoursquore not selling anything yoursquore just conversing so you donrsquot have to feel like the sales man on the stooprdquo
This idea was re-iterated throughout the workshop I at-tended Wersquore not setting out to
change minds we just want to know what the person in this house thinks about politics and about the Green Party in particular ldquoThis is something I can dordquo I think ldquoIrsquove never been very good at convincing anyone to do anything but I can probably listen to themrdquo
In developing and teaching D3 McCann fi nds himself dusting off some forgotten political tools Mc-Cann has discovered that is virtu-ally no literature on doorETHtoETHdoor canvassing Therersquos certainly noth-ing within the Green Party and if other parties have literature on it theyrsquore keeping it secret There is no academic material on door-toETHdoor campaigning
McCann feels the reason for this is that doorETHtoETHdoor is just
not considered part of the typical campaign arsenal of 21st century political tactics Thatrsquos media party signs etc campaign tools that a central campaign headquarters can easily control and dissemi-nate Door-to-door campaigning is neither of those things because it is decentralized It is as McCann says ldquoas grassroots as it getsrdquo
So McCann is left with no litera-ture and not a lot of precedent But it exists ldquoTherersquos a wheel already and D3 isnrsquot trying to reinvent it just learn how to use it again dust it off and oil it Itrsquos a wheel without an instruction manualrdquo McCann hopes that D3 approach will eventu-ally be ready for all the Green Party EDAs to use not
ldquoIT STRUCK HIM THAT A CON-VERSATION WITH SOMEONE AT THEIR DOOR ABOUT POLITICS IS DEMOCRACYrdquo
a new approach to canvassing last
GWEN MAYGWENMAY ldquoATrdquo GMAILCOMMEMBER OF THE QUEEN rsquo S GREENS AT QUEEN rsquo S U (WHERE EL SE ) AND IS THE MANAGING EDITOR OF THE UNDER STORY
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 1
INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET
A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
Loiumlc Robert a native of Lyon is 21 years old and is currently studying European Law in Leuven Belgium for one year before returning to France to continue his education specializing in human rights law A member of the Greens for four years Robert has been chair of the Lyon Young Greens for one year He is part of the Greensrsquo justice commission and is helping to develop a justice program for the Greens
What role do you feel youth play within the Greens
Youth always have an important role to play in transforming society
This is especially true in France For example May lsquo68 resulted in nothing less than a shake down of the entire existing order May rsquo68 exposed a society that silenced young people and vested all power in a small elite
In my view the role Young Greens must play is twofold
One youth must make Greens aware of what is important to them so that the Greens can address these issues This role is kind of like a youth lobby where we make Greens see the difficulties facing young people today
Life can be challenging for French youth unemployment affects young people in particular it is difficult to finding housing which forces young people to be dependent on their pa-rents education is expensive and not accessible for everyone
This dialogue youth must have with their party is not specific to Greens All parties must listen to youth But it is only the Green Party (in France anyway) that pays any real attention to young peoplersquos concerns
Young people have a second role to play as well which is much more di-rect We must take responsibility and
get elected on a local or national le-vel It is unacceptable that 95 of our political representatives in France are over 40 (just as it is strange that 80 of them are men)
How can anyone claim to be repre-senting a country when Parliament is excluding those who will be affected first by the policies it comes up with especially in environmental matters Current elected representative will not be around when the effects of global warming start changing the way we live
That doesnrsquot mean every politician must be under 30 years of age But it makes sense to me for young people have a place in our institutions so that they can speak out for the youth The Green Party is one of the only parties in France who is doing this Our national secretary (Chair of the Green Party of France) Ceacutecile Du-flot is only 31 years old The Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently This means power must not remain in the hands of 40-plus men
In conclusion I would say that we the young Greens must do all we can to ensure that the Greens donrsquot forget about youth in their policies and at the same time get involved in the Party and run in elections so that we can put our ideas into action
In your opinion what are the main challenges facing young Greens in Lyon and in France
Our main challenge is to make our voices heard at the local and national levels and that is no simple task Proof of that is that in the suburbs youth had to resort to burning cars to get attention
Young Greens must become spokespeople for youth so that they can effectively communicate what
youth in the suburbs were trying to say using spectacular but ineffective means
We must show Greens and society in general that we also have ideas that we know that we donrsquot have all the answers because we lack experience but that unless someone proves otherwise we are in the best position to talk about the problems young people must deal with
Our biggest challenge is gaining credibility which is essential to get-ting involved in politics so we are not only heard but listened to and elected
How are Greens perceived in Lyon and in France Is the Green move-ment having an image or identity crisis
In France the Green Party is seen as a nice party that says interesting things and is not organized well enough to be a viable option
In fact I think French citizens have come to realize that ecological issues are the major issues of the 21st century With some exceptions few people in France question the role human activity has played in global warming and most people are begin-ning to understand that we need to change how we live
However it is more difficult to make citizens understand that politics also has to change Buying energy efficient light bulbs wonrsquot be enough to solve the environmental crisis
Green politics isnrsquot just about pretty little birds and flowers Itrsquos about rethinking our economic system so that economic development isnrsquot synonymous with environmental destruction
Thatrsquos why I think itrsquos more an image crisis than an identity crisis We know who we are and what we believe but we do not always manage
to communicate that Voters think that Greens are
concerned with the environment and nothing else and leave all other issues to the big parties
We have to show that ecopolitics is broad enough to address all issues
With the issue of housing for exam-ple the Greens advocate correction insulation for all new houses so that energy is not wasted on heating and so that the people living in the houses save on electricity and gas bills
Right now housing is a real problem because rent and associated costs (heating water ) is so expensive
This example shows that the Greens arenrsquot just focused on nature and forests but are also concerned with housing employment (imple-menting renewable energy sources will create 400000 non-relocatable jobs) etc issues that voters have traditionally believed fall outside the Green Partyrsquos policies
The challenge for Greens not just in France but in every country is to make people realize that ecopolitics is an economic and political para-digm comparable to communism capitalism
We have to find a way to make our image more accurately reflect who we are which is not easy The media plays a major role in the political de-bate and we seldom have a voice in the media because wersquore a small party
When we do get media attention journalists tend to focus on the ldquoinETHfightingrdquo in our party and not on our policies We have to start resolving problems within the party discreetly and stop dragging our dif-ferences into the public eye At every interview we must speak only about our ideas in order to convince voters that they are good ones CONrsquoT ON FOLLOW PAGE
INTERVIE W WITH LOIumlC ROBERTBY ADAM SOMMER FELD GR APHIC DESIGNER MONTREacuteAL DESIGN EDITOR THE UNDERSTORYADAMSOMMERFELD ldquoATrdquo PARTIVERTCA
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE
THE UNDERSTORY | MAGA ZINE DES JEUENES VERTS YOUNG GR EENS NE WSLE T TER | VOL 1 5 MAR Oslash7 2 2
gtFROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Are the Greens andor young Greens giving thought to how they can communicate their messages to the general public (media com-munications publicity etc )
Greens in France are not very comfortable with the media As a small party we donrsquot get a lot of speaking time making it difficult to commu-nicate our ideas Although we have definitely examined the problem the solutions are not simple and there are a number of reasons why
As I said we do not get a lot of spea-king time The news in France right now is dominated by the Presidential election which takes place this spring
When the media does cover the Greens its about our internal conflicts or current discouraging surveys or our opinion on the other candidates etc But journalists never ask us about where we stand on housing GMOs nuclear energy or illegal immigrants
So we can never get our message across Ecology is a complex subject and cannot be explained quickly The current trend is to simplify political is-sues so that the general public will un-derstand them Unfortunately ecology cannot be simplified and we donrsquot have time to engage in the kind of education required to convince everyone that our project is ambitious and the only one that can deal with the ecological crisis
There are two things we need to doFirst we must have a much larger
media presence on the fundamental issues and not just relating to other can-didates Active Greens must increase their efforts so that the originality of our party is made very evident to the public and draws media attention We must kick start debates through voicing clear and distinct positions on the
issues and grassroots action We can no longer simply follow debates but lead them so that they can take on an envi-ronmental theme which should be a focus and on which Greens throughout the world are the experts
Second we must be teacher and ex-plain ecological principles using plain language but without oversimplifying and consequently misrepresenting our agenda We do not want to come off as the enemies of progress who want everyone to live in caves and only use candles Instead we must show that ecology is progress Progress means being able to guarantee a good life in a livable environment for our children and their children For that to happen we need to use less energy and replace our environmentally destructive con-sumerist society with a more restrained society that values human relationships more than material goods
This is the message we need to get across but it is difficult because labeling is easy Some think we are nut jobs others that we are nostalgic for prehistoric times We have to convince people that ecology is about creating a future not returning to the past
So yes we have thought about this issue We are aware of the difficulties and are tyring to overcome them But the Green Party in France is young (24 years old) and we definitely lack experience But we need to work hard and gain this experience very quickly because the power of media cannot be underestimated it is certainly equal to the executive or legislative power
Is there cooperation or solidarity among Greens (the political party) and environmental groups
I am not an expert on this subject so I wonrsquot spend too much time on it The Greens and environmental
groups and associations do work to-gether In fact that is why the Green Party was established in France in 1984
The Green movement was born when many ecologists active in environmental protection groups rea-lized that change would not happen without a political presence So the Green Party of France started out as the mouthpiece for environmental protection groups
The most illustrative example of the cooperation between Greens and associations is how Greens exercise their responsibilities at the local level The Greens uphold participatory democracy which allows all citizens to participate in the political process before a decision is made that will af-fect the environment Therefore for every project the Greens first consult their local environmental protection groups because these groups can of-ten offer excellent advice given their knowledge of the area
Political parties and associations are two very different kinds of organizations that do not share the same goals Associations are there to make politicians accountable and politicians are there to respond to associations Thatrsquos why we must work together while being mindful of what separates us Environmental groups must be able to influence all the parties and not just the Greens To remain credible environmental associations and the Greens must not become indistinguishable from each other so that the associations can also influence the other parties not
ldquoTHE CHALLENGE FOR GREENS NOT JUST IN FRANCE BUT IN EVERY COUNTRY IS TO MAKE PEOPLE REALIZE THAT ECOPOLITICS IS AN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL PARADIGM COMPARABLE TO COMMUNISM CAPITALISMrdquo
FR CONCLUSION INTERVIEW SERIES GREENS ACROSS THE PLANET A YOUNG GREEN IN FRANCE