Headlines this month:

• Labour Day
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
• Leader’s Summer Tour
• Megan Mitton is Hiring
• The Green Caucus is Hiring
• Federal Election 2021
• COVID-19

Happy Labour Day!

On Monday, September 6th the Green Party recognizes and proudly stands in solidarity with the workers of New Brunswick.

We Support CUPE:

Premier Higgs was given until Labour day to fix recruitment and retention issues and bring fair wages to front-line workers of New Brunswick. On the 6th of September, if nothing has changed CUPE members will have to take province-wide coordinated action. Read more HERE

This summer, David Coon called on the Higgs government to negotiate in good faith and think about the consequences of the current strategy. Nothing has changed since.

Read more HERE (French article only)

On August 28th, David and Megan joined the walk to appreciate and celebrate the importance of frontline workers - organized by CUPE:

New – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

September 30th

 “The road to reconciliation is long, but it begins with small steps.” – Chief Allan Polchies, Saint Mary’s First Nation

Orange Shirt Day on September 30th is now also a statutory holiday in Canada for Federally regulated workplaces. This new National statutory holiday is in response to the 80th call to action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada:

“We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with Aboriginal peoples, to establish, as a statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”

The Green Party of New Brunswick will continue to support and push for reconciliation.

In the News:

• David supports Chief Polchies in restoring the St. John River name to Wolastoq:

Read More HERE (English article only)

• David questions how much engagement is taking place with Indigenous leaders in the absence of the working group on reconciliation in New Brunswick:

Read More HERE (English article only)

 

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This month’s headlines:

• New Brunswick Day 
• Leader's Summer Tour
• News from our Green MLAs
• We’re Hiring!
• What’s Next?
• Strategic Planning Initiative

 

Happy New Brunswick Day!

New Brunswick is now in the GREEN phase of the COVID recovery, just in time to celebrate New Brunswick Day with your loved ones.  

We certainly hope that this enthusiasm for going "GREEN" will stay with all New Brunswickers going forward!

Leader’s Summer Tour

David Coon began a tour of the province in mid-July and will be making his way around New Brunswick throughout August and September.  David is meeting with mayors and municipal councilors along the way, and reconnecting with Green members. Follow and like us on Facebook for updates.

News from Green MLAs

Below are some July highlights from our engaged Green MLAs:

MLA Megan Mitton introduced baby Henry, born at the end of June. Sending best wishes to Megan and the family!

N.B. advocacy group calls for improved workers' rights after COVID-19

The New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice is calling on the province to improve rights and protections for low-wage and non-unionized workers in the province. MLA for Kent-North, Kevin Arseneau has been a tireless supporter and the Green Caucus is working on a bill to bring to the Legislature later this year to modernize this legislation.

Green Leader calls for 80% Renewable Power by 2030

A total of $30 million across two different governments has been given to Saint John based companies ARC Nuclear and Moltex for the development of nuclear technology. Green Party leader David Coon says “new nuclear…is going to drive rates up.” The province would be better off focusing on renewables like solar and wind, along with storage technology to keep the grid functioning efficiently.

Recent hospital ER hour reductions a reminder of failed health-care reforms

Health officials were forced to close some emergency rooms after hours because of staff shortages.  This was an integral part of the failed health care reforms of February 2020.  Premier Blaine Higgs personally promised the Green caucus that no such closures would occur, but nothing has been done to address the critical shortage of nurses.  The Green caucus continues to press for better salaries and working conditions for nurses and other health care workers.

Read more

This month’s headlines:

• Canada Day and our Treaty relationships
• Our strategic planning initiative
• Our Green MLAs in action
• Committee review of glyphosate
• July 11 - World Population Day
• Fredericton MP
• COVID-19 information

Canada Day and our Treaty relationship

This year Canada Day is a time for reflection on our country’s history, in particular the relationship between Indigenous peoples and long-term and recent settlers.

Following the discovery of the remains of hundreds of children buried next to residential schools in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Indigenous leaders are calling on the New Brunswick government to conduct an investigation at the site of the former Sussex Indian School that operated until 1826. Many Indigenous people from New Brunswick are survivors of the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School in Nova Scotia that operated until 1967. Sipekne'katik (Shubenacadie) First Nation is currently conducting a search using ground-penetrating radar.

In New Brunswick, we have an ongoing treaty relationship with the First Nations and all Indigenous peoples. As the first peoples in this territory, the Passamaquoddy, the Wolastoqiyik, and the Mi’kmaq nations signed Peace and Friendship Treaties with the colonial European nations. The treaties established the legal basis for the relationship between the Province of New Brunswick and First Nations peoples.

The governments of Canada and New Brunswick have never respected the historic treaties. Our Party policy states that when the Greens form the government in New Brunswick, we will recognize, respect and implement the treaties signed with First Nations as the legal basis for the relationship between the Province of New Brunswick and First Nations peoples.

The Greens would also fully implement the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), including #45, to repudiate the doctrines of “discovery” and “terra nullius” that were used to legitimize the colonization of Indigenous peoples in different regions of the world including New Brunswick.

For more information about Green Party NB policy on the relationship with First Nations and Indigenous peoples, consult our policy manual, HERE.

Our Strategic Planning Initiative

The Provincial Council recently approved the launch of a strategic planning initiative to identify key initiatives and strategies we will need to implement in the months and years ahead to achieve success.

Our sister PEI Green Party conducted a similar exercise in 2015. Their strategy aimed to make their Party the Official Opposition in their Legislative Assembly in Charlottetown by 2020. As you know, they achieved that goal.

The Provincial Council set up a working group with party representatives to lead this initiative. We intend to finalize the work by the end of September 2021. In the coming weeks, the working group will contact members, supporters, Registered Districts Associations and other groups to discuss and exchange ideas. Stay tuned.

Our Green MLAs in action

The Green’s Bill to Amend the Residential Tenancies Act reached Second Reading in June.  It was designed to empower the government to prevent unreasonable rent increases, and restrict increases to once per year. The Green caucus secured the support of the Official Opposition, but the government members used their majority to vote it down.

June 11 was the final day of the Legislative Assembly before the summer recess. The Legislative Assembly will resume in November.

Before the recess, our Green MLAs raised many issues of concern to New Brunswickers, including renewing relations with First Nations. David Coon asked the premier if he supports a special sitting of the Legislature to hear from First Nation leaders. He also called out the premier for his lack of compassion for family members of Chantel Moore. Watch David’s intervention, HERE.

Megan Mitton spoke out about the laws and policies that actively contribute to poverty in New Brunswick. For example, the household income policy forces many people in poverty to not live with their loved ones. Watch Megan’s intervention, HERE.

Kevin Arseneau supported CUPE Local 1840, stating that the 70 stenographers, mostly women, have been without a contract since 2016 and have reached an impasse in their negotiations. He asked why the premier was continuing to impose austerity measures on public sector workers and stated that workers in New Brunswick deserve respect and fairness. Watch his intervention, HERE.

Other issues raised by our Green MLAs during the final days of the Legislature were electoral reform, the government’s rental review and the overnight closure of the Sackville Memorial Hospital emergency room on weekends this summer. You can watch videos of all the Green MLA interventions on the Green Caucus YouTube channel, HERE.

Read more

This month’s headlines:

• Our Green MLAs in action
• UN World Environment Days in June
• Volunteer opportunities
• Green Party news from around the world
• COVID-19 information

Our Green MLAs in action

May was another busy month for David, Megan and Kevin. Housing is a concern across New Brunswick, with our Green MLAs supporting constituents facing difficulties securing affordable, safe and secure housing for their families.

After the Legislative Assembly resumed sitting on May 11, all Green MLAs continued to advocate for changes in housing legislation. The Greens want rent control in New Brunswick. On May 20, David brought his bill 18 to Amend the Residential Tenancies Act for debate (second reading). 

When introducing bill 18, David noted that New Brunswick renters have fewer legal protections than renters in other provinces. He said the Residential Tenancies Act requires a comprehensive overview, a major project beyond the means of the Greens that should properly be a government responsibility. David’s bill 18 is meant to address the most critical problems by providing legal authority to the government to limit rent increases in New Brunswick. Further debate on bill 18, and a vote, will happen on June 3.

Green Caucus media releases in May

Green Party Bill to Protect Tenants Reaches Second Reading Debate

Rental review shows it is imperative for government to modernize Residential Tenancies Act

Arseneau says reversal of regulations on stamped lumber is great news for New Brunswickers

Green interventions in the Legislature

Did you know that most of the speeches by Green MLAs in the Legislative Assembly are archived on the Green Caucus YouTube channel? You can view them all HERE. Here’s a selection from May:

David - Paid sick leave
David- Tenants rights

Kevin - Tax Havens (FR)
Kevin- Forestry (FR)

Megan - Neurological disease
Megan - Nursing shortage

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This month’s headlines:

• May Day!
• Special Meeting of Members May 11
• Survey: We would like to hear from you and others about the Green Party
• The Policy Working Group resumes
• News from Green MLAs
• Volunteer opportunities
• Green Party news from around the world
• COVID-19 information

May Day!

It’s May Day today, a day to honour the struggles of workers and labour movements. This past year has been a particular struggle for workers in the public sector. Recently the leaders of nine public sector unions in New Brunswick issued a joint statement calling on the government to invest in public services.

“The pandemic has reminded New Brunswickers of the importance of our public services and exposed the cracks and gaps in our public sector, but they come as no surprise to those working in the system. For many years, workers have been calling attention to these weaknesses and vulnerabilities. These same people have demonstrated a willingness to work with the government to help make the necessary improvements,” the union leaders stated.

On April 28, the National Day of Mourning, a day to remember the workers who have died, were injured, or became ill from their job, Green Party Leader David Coon issued a statement urging the government to recognize them by ensuring all workers have access to paid sick days.

Special Meeting of Members - May 11

The Provincial Council invites you to join your fellow members at our Special Meeting of Members (SMM) on Tuesday, May 11 from 7pm to 9:30pm (and May 18 if needed). The purpose to complete the unfinished business of this past AGM: the bylaw and constitution amendments provided to all members on February 17, 2021.

There is no fee to attend the SMM, but we invite you to contribute and renew your membership. (Membership fees are not tax deductible.) Deadline for registration is May 10 at 5pm.

The SMM will be held online, with a phone in option. Simultaneous French/English translation will be provided.

To register for the SMM, you must complete this Zoom registration form. You can also register by calling us at 506-447-8499 and leaving a message with your name and phone number. We will get back to you to complete your registration.

To ensure all interested members can participate efficiently in our meeting, a “practice” session will be offered 30 minutes prior to the meeting to provide guidance in using Zoom features; simply login with your registration link.

Survey: We would like to hear from you and others about the Green Party

Active citizenship is one of the six principles of the Green Party. We often host community meetings to generate dialogue and inform on our values, policies and platform. Today we are reaching out to you as an individual too. We want to know what is important to you and how this impacts your decisions.

We would like to hear from everyone - including keen Green supporters, those unsure of their political stance, those doubtful of the Greens, and others. Please share this link widely so that this survey reaches a wide range of New Brunswickers. Responses to this survey are anonymous. Thank you for your participation!

Click here to start the survey.

Policy Working Group resumes

You may remember that Party members voted on two multi-part resolutions at the 2021 AGM. The first, comprising three elements:

• Green forestry
• Just transition to a green economy
• and Public schools

… was sent back for more study before it could be presented again to members to vote for inclusion in the Green Party of New Brunswick policy manual. The time has come! We are convening a Zoom meeting on Thursday, June 10 at 7:30pm to begin working on these elements.

Please join us if the issues above are ones that you would like to see reflected in Green policy in future. We have a goal to re-examine other issues of concern that did not come to the table at the AGM but which the Policy Working Group has drafted in the past. Please RSVP to: [email protected] with any questions or if you wish to participate. We will be in touch with more details as the date approaches.

 

Read more

Provincial Council 2021

 

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This month’s headlines:

• Green Party Leader statement on Premier’s State of the Province speech
• Reminder: AGM March 20 and Provincial Council elections
• Reminder: Membership renewal & fee
• More news from Green MLAs
• COVID-19 information

Green Party Leader statement on Premier’s State of the Province speech

Premier Higgs has drawn a line in the sand on environmental action and a transition to a green economy during the State of the Province address, and he is standing against it. The Premier has firmly anchored himself on the wrong side of history in order to maintain the status quo. 

He is ignoring the efforts of local businesses to expand renewable energy development but handing $20 million to foreign nuclear power developers to weigh us down with more costly and dangerous waste-generating nuclear technology. He came out firmly against the application of Canada’s clean fuel standard to the Irving Oil refinery while backing their application to the EUB to increase the price of heating oil, gasoline and diesel. 

The Premier’s revelation that the province will have a deficit of just $13 million this year is a slap in the face to all of those small business people in the hospitality, entertainment, arts and tourism sectors who are struggling to stay afloat, and desperately need targeted support to get through this pandemic.

The same could be said for those New Brunswickers facing unreasonable rent increases forcing them to look for new homes during the pandemic in a very tight rental market.  The Premier should freeze rents and evictions until his three-month review of New Brunswick’s tenancy system is completed to avoid companies from jacking up rents in the interim for fear of future rent controls.

Read the full statement here:

Green Party Leader statement on Premier’s State of the Province speech

Reminder: Annual General Meeting March 20 and Provincial Council elections

The 2021 AGM agenda will be held online on March 20. The AGM will include elections for the Provincial Council, the Party’s governing body. We encourage members interested in taking a more active role in the Party to put their name forward. The positions open in 2021 are: President, VP Francophone, Secretary, and 4 Members-at-large.

The role and purpose of the Provincial Council is described in our Party’s Constitution, available here. To learn about the positions available and how you can be nominated, contact Nomination Committee members (Nicolas Jelic, Sarah Colwell, and John Sabine ) at [email protected] or Tom McLean at [email protected].

Through the pandemic, Green MLAs continue to serve the needs of their constituents. Here is the link to the hours and contact details for the constituency offices of David, Megan and Kevin: https://greencaucusvert.ca/fr/contact-us/

Register here for the AGM

Reminder: membership renewal & fee: renew soon!

We use the membership list to ensure you can participate as a member including notice of member meetings, voting at member meetings, participation in policy development, and many more. As we mentioned in the February newsletter, the Provincial Council determined that implementing an annual membership renewal and membership fee would greatly help in ensuring the accuracy of our ever-lengthening membership list.

Please renew as soon as possible so the membership list will be up-to-date in preparation for the Annual General Meeting on Saturday, March 20. Renew your membership via our website by going to the membership renewal page.  Prior to your membership  anniversary date, you will automatically receive a reminder to renew again.

We want to ensure that the $10 membership fee is not a barrier to membership. If it is for you, please let us know, and we will waive the fee. Simply send an email to [email protected] specifying your request with the completed membership form (available here) or call the office at 506-447-8499 ( toll free 1-888-662-8683).

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Here are this month’s headlines:

• Annual General Meeting and Provincial Council elections
• Membership renewal & fee
• Green Party policy on official languages
• More news from Green MLAs
• COVID-19 information

First, don’t forget to attend the Budget of Hope - 2021 Pre-Budget Consultation with the Green Caucus on Facebook Live this Tuesday at 7:30 pm (or in French this Thursday at 7 :30 pm).  

Annual General Meeting and Provincial Council elections

The 2021 AGM agenda will be held online on March 20. The AGM will include elections for the Provincial Council, the Party’s governing body. We encourage members interested to take a more active role in the Party to put their name forward. The positions open in 2021 are: President, VP Francophone, Secretary, 4 Members-at-large.

The role and purpose of the Provincial Council is described in our Party’s Constitution, available here. To learn about the positions available and how you can be nominated, contact Nomination Committee members (Nicolas Jelic, Sarah Colwell, and John Sabine ) at [email protected] or Tom McLean at [email protected].

Membership renewal & fee: renew soon!

As the party continues to grow the Provincial Council looks for ways to support that growth and the membership. With that in mind we are introducing (1) an annual membership renewal and (2) a membership fee.

Annual Membership Renewal

We use the membership list to ensure you can participate as a member including notice of member meetings, voting at member meetings, participation in policy development, and many more. Recently the Provincial Council determined that implementing an annual membership renewal would greatly help in ensuring the accuracy of our ever lengthening membership list. By taking action to reaffirm your membership once a year, you are assured that the information we have on file for you is correct and we are assured that you remain committed to the party and its principles.

Please renew as soon as possible so the membership list will be up-to-date in preparation for the Annual General Meeting on Saturday, March 20. Renew your membership by going to the membership renewal page on our website greenpartynb.ca. Prior to the anniversary date, you will automatically receive a reminder to renew again.

Membership Fee

We take pride in that fact that we run a very efficient organization due to the efforts of our volunteers and staff. That said, a modest $10 membership fee will go a long way in ensuring we can cover our ever increasing administration costs which include the cost of maintaining an accurate, efficient and robust membership list. The decision to introduce a membership fee was not taken lightly. We appreciate your support in this matter. The annual fee will be collected when you renew your membership.

We do not want this fee to be a barrier to membership. If you feel that is the case then please let us know and we will waive the fee. Simply send an email to [email protected] specifying your request with the completed membership form or simply call the office at 506-447-8499 (toll free 1-888-662-8683).

Your membership, participation and support are essential, and we value them all highly.

Thank you.
Tom McLean
President, Parti Vert NB Green Party

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Happy New Year! Hopes and predictions for 2021

January: An early federal election is avoided

February: The Green Party’s rent control bill passes second reading

March: All members love the Green Party of New Brunswick AGM

April: David Coon wins an award for his rendition of “It’s not easy being Green”

May: The vaccines quash COVID-19 and New Brunswickers come out of winter more resilient than ever

June: More hugs and smiles than the previous 18 months combined

July: Kevin Arseneau’s crops have have a bumper year

August: Megan Mitton is celebrated as a climate action leader

September: Kids returning to school see the smiles of their schoolmates.

October: Halloween is back to being only “fun” scary.

November: Thousands more people are working in new green economy jobs

December: "Zoom" will just mean moving quickly

Local self-reliance

The Green Party of New Brunswick has six founding principles that we believe form the basis of a just, equitable and sustainable future for our children and our province. The principle of local self-reliance is particularly appropriate to consider at this point in our history, as we think collectively about our future.

Principle of local self reliance: New Brunswick communities must be in charge of their own destiny to the greatest extent possible. Resilient, sustainable communities require economies that meet local needs and are locally controlled, minimizing dependency on external forces. Self-reliance and resilience is built on public assets placed in the hands of and dedicated to the service of local communities. Local self-reliance is integral to the shift to a society which respects the ecological and social limits of human production.

News from Green MLAs

The Legislative Assembly was recessed on December 18 and will return on February 8, a delayed start due to extensive renovations in the Department building. Hansard and translation services (as well as the press gallery and the Green caucus office) are moving out of the building during the renovations and won't be fully operational in time for a January start as planned.

In December, our Green MLAs continued to make public statements on issues of concern in the province. Click on the headline below to read the statements:

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