Canada needs the Green Party more now than ever!

The world is so rushed these days. Everyone has ten thousand things to do, and we are all running as fast as we can just to stay afloat. Inflation, rising gas prices, and Globalization only make matters worse. Are days of family, community, and happiness over?

According to the television, the only way to be happy in the year 2008 is to buy as many "wonderful new" products as possible and to be beautiful, even if it means plastic surgery, botox injections, breast implants, crazy and unhealthy diets, aspartame, hair extensions, tanning beds, and new teeth via lumineers.

As I see it, vanity is just another way for corporations to profit. They are counting on us to buy into it, to feel inadequate without looking like a star in a magazine (even though that star doesn't even look like their air-brushed picture in the magazine). And if you don't have the latest version of windows, then forget about having a life, hey?!

When did the world get so crazy, and why?

I am learning a lot about the economy this summer, and how to make it sustainable. I am taking a class in Ecological Economics at the U of R. We are in trouble with the current system of GDP (Gross Domestic Product), which requires the economy to grow forever just to stay at the same level of quality of life for you and I. I would argue that our quality of life is actually decreasing as the economy grows. We are running out of what's called "waste sinks". In otherwords, the earth is running out of room for the waste that is created by growing the economy endlessy.

The Genuine Progress Indicator is a new and different kind of accounting method that provides a more complete overview of well being then the GDP does. The GPI measures areas such as housework, health, culture, fitness, family time, volunteering, literacy, water, air quality, farmland, forests, and employment. Perhaps under that system, we could lower our ecological footprint.

An ecological footprint represents the land and water it takes to provide us with the things we use and to absorb our waste. To calculate your own ecological footprint, click on this link:
http://www.royalsaskmuseum.ca/gallery/life_sciences/footprint_mx_2005.swf

The sad part is that even if we all change our individual lifestyles and, as Mike Nickerson would say, learn to live on this earth as if we want to stay, that would barely make an impact. For this problem to be solved, industry has to change. They produce huge amounts of waste compared to you and I. I'm not saying that it's not important to live as green of a life as possible (because it is), I'm saying that it's not enough. We need industry to change, and we need Green Party Governments elected around the world to legislate the necessary changes.

The shift to a green economy is actually a great thing all around. We NEED to use less energy and make less waste. To do this will require much more human energy, which translates into more jobs, including a whole new wave of green jobs for our generation and our kids. Poverty in third world countries will also be relieved through sustainable jobs and by stopping corporations from going into these countries to destroy entire ecosystems forcing the people that live there off their land by polluting the air and water beyond being liveable. We're allowing corporations to do that in Canada too, in Fort Chip, an Indigenious community located downstream from the Alberta Tarsands. They are experiencing huge increases of auto-immune illnesses, and they have lost too many of their people to extremely rare cancers.

Because of NAFTA, Canada must continue to develop the Tarsands in Alberta and Saskatchewan in order to maintain U.S. oil supplies (presently used for the U.S. war effort). Otherwise, Canada will be taken to a NAFTA tribunal, sued, and will be forced to develop the Tarsands anyway. The Tarsands will single-handedly cripple Canada's ability to meet Kyoto Targets, and therefore cripple the world's ability to meet Kyoto targets. As Nuclear power gets further utilized by corporations as a way out of carbon taxes by convincing people that nuclear is green and safe when it's NOT, AT ALL, Canada will have to continue exporting uranium mined in Saskatchewan, despite the increased cancer rates from Uranium tailings.

NAFTA must be killed, and only the Green Party of Canada will do that.

In 1997, Canada banned the import of a maganese compound gasoline additive called MMT. It was banned out of concern that the carcinogenic manganese contained in the octane enhancer could cause memory impairment, tremors, and in extreme cases, psychosis similar to that caused by Parkinson's Disease.

Through NAFTA, U.S. based Ethyl Corporation sued Canada for more than a quarter billion dollars (the amount they claimed they lost in profits and reputation by Canada's MMT ban). Rather than face a messy scrap, the Canadian government paid a reported $20-million settlement to Ethyl Corp., wrote a letter of apology and agreed to withdraw the ban on MMT. As a result, it is still counted as one of the many chemicals added to the gasoline we pump today.

It is cases like MMT and horrible acts against humanity like NAFTA that keep me fighting for what is right. It is issues like the Tarsands, uranium/nuclear, and palm oil that stop me from giving up. If I don't speak out, who will? I am an activist, and I can't sit by while my world, my future, crumbles. That is why I am the Green Party of Canada Candidate for Palliser. Canada needs the Green Party more now than ever.

Peace and Solidarity,

Larissa

STOP THE TARSANDS! Part 1

From July 4-7, 2008, Canadian youth from coast to coast to coast gathered in Edmonton for a three day long climate summit. We came to form a united front of youth whose vision is to stop further development on the Alberta (and Saskatchewan) Tarsands with a transition to a just and sustainable energy future through Green jobs and renewable energy. We recognize that this will not be easy...


However, it is so worth it! Canada can't meet our Kyoto targets because of the Alberta Tarsands, and the world can't meet Kyoto targets without Canada. The Alberta Tarsands and the soon to begin development of the Saskatchewan Tarsands is an issue that affects everyone on this planet.


I found out about the National Youth Climate Summit only shortly before the event, yet I instantly knew that I needed to go. Three friends of mine also attended from Regina, and it was so much fun to carpool with them.

The summit started off with in-depth education about the Tarsands. We learned not only about the shocking statistics, but also about the people whose lives have been hurt so badly by them. Apparently, the Alberta boom is a lot like the Saskatchewan boom; only corporations, the very elite, and the extremely wealthy scum are benefitting from it. Two thirds of the people who find jobs created by the Tarsands are laid off after the construction phase. Families that have relocated to Alberta, and more specifically Fort McMurray, are faced with insanely high housing costs along with no income after these lay-offs. Fort McMurray has grown from a city of 40,000 to 65,000 practically over night! Forecasts from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo's Strategic Planning and Policy Division indicate that the city will reach a population of 100,000 by 2012. The rates of suicide, drug/alcohol addiction, and spousal abuse have gone way up in Fort McMurray. The city can not keep up with the housing and healthcare demands of such rapid growth. So, why are so many people moving to a place that is out of control? It's simple really. The answer is money.

As I understand it, average people from overseas and across Canada (especially from somewhat nearby cities like Moose Jaw) come to Fort McMurray to receive fantastic wages for working twelve hour-long shifts in extremely dangerous jobs. Sometimes their families come with them; sometimes they get left behind. The rows of little white crosses that line the surrounding overcrowded highways are a blatant symbol that far too rapid expansion simply for the sake of maximum profit is far more important to the oil and gas corporations than human life is.



Regina Ecoliving has an amazing article entitled "Canada's Highway to Hell" about the devasting effects of the Alberta Tarsands.

I strongly encourage you to read the full article here.

This article offers such vital information, especially for those of us in Saskatchewan who are about to be subjected to the same woes once the next sale (August 11) of Crown petroleum and natural gas dispositions, including oil sands exploratory permits begins.

A few Quotes from "Canada's Highway to Hell"-- by Regina Ecoliving:

"Most locals call it Hell's Highway or the Highway of Death. On any given day thousands of logging trucks, SUVs, semitrailers, buses, and tanker trucks form a frantic parade to and from North America's largest engineering project. Convoys of extrawide loads often block an entire lane of the highway with turbines, tires, or house-size coker ovens used in oil processing. In fact, Highway 63 ferries one of the highest tonnages per mile of any road in Canada.


This congestion encourages a certain do-or-die recklessness. Impatient drivers not only pass on solid lines on hills but do so at speeds of 140 miles an hour. As a consequence, road accidents tend to be fatal or bloodily spectacular: Every month as many as four tar-sands workers get decapitated, skewered, or incinerated."


"With nearly 175 billion barrels in proven reserves, the tar sands represent the biggest pile of hydrocarbons outside Saudi Arabia. Many experts suspect they hold eight times that much."

"Most Americans don't know it, but approximately 16 percent of their oil imports already come from northern Alberta. Plans drafted last year by the North American Energy Working Group, which is made up of high-ranking Canadian and U.S. officials, recommend boosting production from one million barrels a day to five million barrels in a "relatively short time span." So the tar sands could soon be topping up a quarter of the U.S. gas tank."


"The (Alberta Tarsands) project will eventually transform a boreal forest the size of Florida into an industrial sacrifice zone complete with lakes full of toxic waste and man-made volcanoes spewing out clouds of greenhouse gases. Are Canadians willing to create an environmental disaster in Alberta in order to provide the U.S. market with some of the most expensive oil in the world? The answer seems to be an emphatic yes."

Please visit the Regian Ecoliving website by clicking here to read the rest of this very informative article.


It doesn't have to be this way. It musn't be this way. It is hard to write about without tears in my eyes. What have we done?



And where is all this oil going?

In all honesty, it's going to kill civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's going to the U.S. war effort. With tankers that easily use one gallon of gas per mile, not to mention the huge amount of fuel needed for air power attacks. Alberta Tarsands production will soon be lifted from 1 million to 5 million barrels a day! Yikes! Producing 1 million barrels a day already uses as much natural gas as it would take to provide heat to 4 million homes! With 5 million barrels a day, that is equivalent to heating 20 million homes.

Forget about Kyoto, forget about a future for my generation's children and grandchildren.

But on with the "war on terror"!?

Announcement of Candidacy for Green Party Federal Council and Green Update from Larissa Shasko

Hello!

I am pleased to announce my candidacy for the position of Councillor at Large on the Federal Council of the Green Party of Canada (GPC). The Federal Council Elections are held in conjunction with the GPC National Convention (AGM) held in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia on September 5-7, 2008. Voting packages have just been sent out. Voting can be done in person at the AGM or by e-mail ballot.

One of the main reasons that I am running for Federal Council is too increase the level of awareness, Green Party membership base, and environmental activism that exists in my home province. I was born and raised in Saskatchewan, and I made the choice to stay in this province to help make it a better place for everyone to live, now and in the future. In the recent GPC by-election, the Green Party of Canada received 13% of the popular vote in Vancouver and Toronto ridings. In Saskatchewan riding of the federal by-election, the Green Party of Canada received only 3% of the popular vote.

Saskatchewan residents are falling victim to acid rain from the Alberta Tarsands, we are at threat of a nuclear power plant being built here to provide power to the Alberta Tarsands and to the U.S., and we produce most of Canada's grain. We've also lost passenger train service within the vast majority of Saskatchewan and we produce more greenhouse gas emissions per-capita than any other province mainly because we rely on coal for power (even though we have endless sun and wind here). You'd think we would have many reasons for caring about the environment in Saskatchewan, but a lot of people haven't woken up to the facts yet. I will do all I can to raise awareness here, especially as Councillor at Large on GPC Federal Council.

The Green Party is doing incredible things and has an amazing vision. If you are not a member of the Green Party of Canada, please consider becoming one today. You have to be a member of the GPC in good standing to vote for Federal Council. I need your vote to get elected! There are no demands placed on you for becoming a member, it is not permanent, and you don't have to get involved in any way unless you want to. But you can help me to get involved on your behalf.

Click on the following link to join the Green Party of Canada: https://secure.greenparty.ca/membership.php?origin=Main_Join_Button

Green Party members residing anywhere in Canada can vote for the position of Councillor at Large.

I am the only candidate for Councillor at Large from the prairies.

Voting for Saskatchewan Representative is only open to GPC members that are Saskatchewan residents, so make your voice heard Saskatchewanians!

Click on the following link to join the Green Party of Saskatchewan: http://saskgreen.ca/join/

----------------------------------------------------

I'd also like to update you on where I have been devoting my efforts in the Green fight lately:

I am the Green Party of Canada Candidate for MP in the next federal election for my home riding of Palliser (as of March 2008). Palliser covers the southwest corner of Regina and all of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. I was also the candidate for Palliser in the 2006 federal election. I am thrilled to have a great Palliser team to support the campaign, including an Electoral District Association started up in 2006 by my Official Agent, Phil Boychuk. Phil is a great asset. We need all the help we can get, so don't hesitate to get in touch with myself or Phil Boychuk to offer your help as a volunteer or in the form of a tax deductible donation to the Palliser campaign.

To make a donation online to the Palliser campaign, click on the following link: http://ridings.greenparty.ca/index.php?module=article&view=232

Last fall, I ran as a candidate for the Green Party of Saskatchewan (GPS) in the provincial election for my home riding of Moose Jaw-Wakamow. I felt it necessary to run for the GPS to represent such issues as nuclear power that were being ignored by the other political parties and the press. I remain a committed Green party of Saskatchewan member. I have been offering my help to the new GPS executive for policy and other areas, and I will be coordinating the province's youth supporters, including Green Party Campus Clubs, during the summer and fall semesters.

I have been serving as Finance and Administrative Chair on the Young Greens of Canada (YGC) Council since February of 2008. The YGC is the entirely youth run wing of the Green Party of Canada consisting of all Green Party members from ages 14-29. I recently had the privilege of writing the very first YGC Budget Proposal which will potentially bring new resources to Green Campus Clubs and help to grow Green Party youth membership. The average age of a Canadian voter is 59! Youth can make a Green Party Government happen just by voting and bringing a friend or two! I am honoured to be on the YGC Council, and I plan to stay involved with the YGC until I am 30, and unfortunately, too old! My involvement on the Young Greens Council has inspired me to offer my services as Councillor at Large on the Federal Council of the Green Party of Canada. The people I have met (and continue to everyday) through the YGC share the same vision. We will win this fight. The planet and the future generations are relying on us. Government has an important role to play in protecting the environment from further damage and in creating policies that will help us to live on this planet as if we want stay.

I have been back at the University of Regina since Fall of 2007, and loving every minute! I am majoring in Political Science and minoring in Visual Arts. I am taking some great classes on environmental issues as well. I plan to study law at the University of Saskatchewan after I finish my degree. I am interested in Environmental Law and Charter Law (Charter of Rights and Freedoms).

Thanks so much for your time and your help in the Green fight to do what is right!

Peace,

Larissa Shasko

rissi1982@yahoo.ca or larissa.shasko@gmail.com

"Vision Green Eyes"- The Beauty and Integrity of Arts and Culture

Above: (Top)Wasabi, pencil (Bottom)Blind Contour Drawing, pencil

Below: 5 Minute Sketch, Charcoal

Above drawings were done by Larissa Shasko in winter 2008.

The Arts have never been as important to Canadian Society as in these times of increasing ugliness. Our beautiful natural landscape is being consumed by sprawling cities, growing suburbs, and resource extraction. Strip malls, parking lots, litter, and unwanted graffiti do not ennoble us as a people. On the other hand, beautiful and intelligent Canadian art has the ability to enrich our lives while bringing peace in times of pain. We live in times of pain that will only get worse: cancer, school shootings, job loss, climate change, futile war, auto-immune illnesses, world-wide food shortages, shall I go on?

Art has an important place in this crazy world, and Canada is home to amazing talent that must be embraced and celebrated. I am a Visual Arts Minor at the U of R partly because art offers a stress release from the demands of being a Political Science Major. My father, Orest Shasko, is a Canadian artist. His work is beautiful, but it is not well-known. He has had to spend his life working as a teacher and a carpenter instead. Like so many other talented Canadian artists, his art has often had to take a back seat to making money. This is a shame of epic proportions.

In addition to incredible visual art, many talented actors, and a booming film industry, Canada is home to amazing musicians such as Neil Young, Rush, The Tragically Hip, Arcade Fire, and Stompin' Tom---just to name a few. Their music elevates Canada around the world. They are more than musicians, they are Canadian embassadors, and they do us proud! This is the power of art: to heal, to represent, to unite, to educate, and to beautify.

Unfortunately, art appears to mean very little to the Conservative mindset. In his first budget, Harper's Government axed $4.6 million in funds for museum assistance. This was one of the many cuts in the September 25, 2006 budget delivered by the Conservatives which had a surplus of $13 billion! For more on the cutbacks in the 2006 budget, click here.

Now, Bill C-10 seeks to give the federal Heritage Department the power to deny funding for films and TV shows it considers offensive. Censorship does not belong in the world of art, especially not in Canada where such gems as SCTV have gained us world-wide recognition. Clearly, the Conservatives have the wrong approach when it comes to arts and culture.

The Green Party has a different vision. Government can create the right conditions to protect and support those who beautify and enrich the Canadian identity through their art. Today, over 600,000 Canadians are employed in the cultural sector.

Our Vision:

The Green Party understands that our future, our sense of who we are as a nation, depends on policies that ensure a thriving, diverse and socially responsible cultural community as part of an inclusive Canada.

We will continue and increase support for those cultural institutions that are within the Heritage Canada portfolio: Canada Council, the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC), the National Film Board (NFB), and Telefilm Canada.

We will reverse the funding cuts of the Harper government for the exchange of artists and the performance of Canadian arts abroad as they are a vital aspect of effective diplomacy and artistic expression.

We plan to establish the equivalent of the Japanese National Treasure programme where outstanding individual artists are supported to perfect their craft.

Green Solutions:

Green Party MPs will:

Increase support for community arts programs and facilities across Canada by establishing stable base-funding at a set percentage of the federal budget.

Establish a grant programme that provides full costs of university, tuition, books, housing and living expenses for 200 students whose artistic promise is extraordinary

Protect Canada’s cultural identity during trade negotiations.

Increase support for regional arts festivals that bring Canadian art to a wider audience.

Provide stable base-funding for the CBC so it can continue to provide quality Canadian content
television and radio programming in both official languages to all Canadians.

Ensure that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to reserve more bandwidth for independent and non-profit stations.

Require cinemas and video chains to have 20 % Canadian content.

Adequately fund Canada’s heritage and artistic museums to protect our cultural heritage from decay and neglect.

A note from Green Eyes:

Art has been around for far longer than Conservatives have. Artists record the world, reveal hidden or universal truths, give visible or tangible form to ideas, philosophies or feelings, and help us see the world in new or innovative ways. Artists are experiencers, reporters, analysts, and activists. Art is truly an important part of life.

In my first art class, my amazing art prof, Seema Goel, taught us about landscapes. We are all familiar with landscape paintings: painted scenes of the great outdoors, generally absent of people. I learned that in landscapes, what is painted is what is considered to be temporary. We are familiar with European landscapes featuring rolling green hills, jagged mountains, lush waterfalls, or bone-chilling winter scenes. Inuit landscapes feature none of these things. For the Inuit, their scenery is constant. For them, temporary is the brilliant sky, the animals, and the people. With the polar ice caps melting, I sadly wonder if Inuit landscapes will start to include the snow.

Peace,

Larissa

Read Vision Green! Click Here

Rush Rocks Regina!

Rush is one of the greatest bands ever, and I just had the chance to see them live in my hometown! Rush played Regina, Saskatchewan on Sunday, May 25th. This was the second time I have seen Rush in concert, both times on the Snakes and Arrows tour. I made the trek to Calgary to see them last summer. I did not believe they'd come to Regina on this tour! Their show in Regina was even better than Calgary was! It was also louder (and so was the crowd). Everyone had a great time, and the setlist was unbelievable! Subdivisions, 2112, Red Barchetta, and 3 hours beyond just those gems! Thanks Rush!

Rush is a Canadian (and proud of it) band. All three members: Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Neil Peart, are world class musicians. They are also one of my absolute favorite bands.

I find it hilarious and odd that I get constantly questioned for being female and liking Rush. I have not faced too much opposition for being a female political candidate or pre-law student, but apparently if a girl likes Rush, all hell brakes loose!

Well, that's just too bad, because I think that Rush is one of Canada's greatest strengths. Great bands inspire society to become more involved with the arts. The Green Party has an amazing platform for enriching Canadian culture and improving the lives of the many very deserving and talented Canadian artists across the entire arts spectrum. I will write more about that soon in a new section called "Vision Green Eyes." It wil be my take on the Green Party of Canada Platform called "Vision Green."

It is too late to write more! Goodnight Regina Rush fans!

Murdering Our Closest Relative

An article in yesterday's edition of the Guardian Unlimited reminded me of an earlier shocking Guardian article about the same subject. I first read about the horrible situation the Palm Oil industry has created in a Guardian article from March 25, 2007entitled "Five Years to Save the Orang Utan." The palm oil industry is rapidly on the rise as an alternative to trans fats, and it is found in one of every ten grocery products. The demand for palm oil as a biofuel, especially in the European Union, is also a key player in the Orang Utan crisis. Compared to 1995, Britain now imports twice as much palm oil amounting to one million tonnes per year. Indonesia and Malaysia produce 83% of the world's plam oil. Unfortunately, these two countries are also home to the natural rainforest habitat of man's closest relative. Orang Utans share 96.4% of our human DNA.

According to the March 25 article, "A United Nations report has found that illegal logging and fires have been overtaken as the primary cause of deforestation by a huge expansion of oil palm plantations, which are racing to meet soaring demand from Western food manufacturers and the European Union's zeal for biofuels." The Borneo Orang Utan Survival Foundation UK warns that by 2012, orangutans in the wild could be close to extinction.

More from "Five Years to Save the Orang Utan" follows:

"But the new UN report warns: 'Today, the rapid increase in [oil palm] plantation acreage is one of the greatest threats to orang utans and the forests on which they depend. In Malaysia and Indonesia, it is now the primary cause of permanent rainforest loss. The huge demand for this versatile product makes it very difficult to curb the spread of plantations.'

Displaced from their rainforest habitat, the orang utans struggle to survive in the oil palm plantations and are regarded as an agricultural pest. Mindful of the potential loss in profits, farmers have carried out a vicious extermination programme.

Michelle Desilets, director of the Borneo Orang Utan Survival Foundation UK, said: 'They are left hungry so they go in search of food in the plantations and destroy the plants. They become easy targets. Some plantation owners put a bounty of $10 or $20 on the head of orangutans, which is worth a few weeks' salary for the workers.

'Workers don't usually have guns: the orang utans that get shot are the lucky ones. We've seen them beaten to death with wood sticks or iron bars, doused in petrol and set on fire, trussed up in nets or tied up with wire which cuts through their flesh. Often a mother is killed and eaten while its baby is sold on or kept as a pet. In the local plantations where we're working, the managers have now agreed not to offer the bonus. But there's still a macho thing about bringing down an adult male.' "

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We can not allow our closest relative to become extinct, especially not by an industry deemed "environmentally friendly." I felt only some relief by the article in yesterday's Guardian entitled Palm Oil Industry Signs Up To Green Labelling Scheme. Yesterday, "a certification process designed to allow palm oil producers that meet environmental standards to label their products as eco-friendly was launched." The Round table meeting that decided the criteria was attended by producers (Proctor Gamble, Unilever) and environmental groups (WWF, Friends of the Environment).

After reading the following from the article, I worry about the enforcement of this certification process:

"Launching the certification process, Malaysian commodities minister, Peter Chin, accused environmental groups of harming palm oil's image, particularly in the UK – where it is estimated that one in 10 of all products sold contains palm oil. 'Using these [emotive] arguments, they often manage to pressure the rest of the supply chain towards giving support through the adoption of negative policies, as being the case with some major retailers in the UK,' said Mr Chin."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Facing the environmental crisis we have created is not an easy path. Mistakes are being made along the way; palm oil and nuclear energy are examples of those mistakes.

A Sad Loss for Moose Jaw-North

Above: Glenn Hagel (Sketch by Larissa Shasko)

The final results are in. NDP Glenn Hagel has been defeated by Sask Party Warren Michelson in the riding of Moose Jaw-North. I live in the riding of Moose Jaw-Wakamow, and I ran in the provincial election for the Green Party of Saskatchewan in my home riding. Moose Jaw is a small city with a population of 35,000. It is divided into two provincial ridings. Moose Jaw North consists of the entire section of the city located north of Caribou Street, which runs east to west. Moose Jaw has only one noticeably wealthy part of town. It is an area named Sunningdale, and it is located as far north in the city as possible. Of course there is a Wal-Mart and a Tim Horton's near to Sunningdale, and the SUV's are accompanied by at least a few Hummers. Typical...

I am a strong supporter of maximum wages. I don't like seeing those with excess money flaunt it over others as the government seeks to meet their every wish. That is largely why Warren Michelson defeated Glenn Hagel; the Sask Party promised the well-off citizens of Sunningdale even more money. Forget about that $1000 tuition break and a universal drug plan that even included unemployed adults (oh, the horrors!).

Instead, we elected a change. For Moose Jaw-North, that change somehow feels very wrong. Glenn Hagel has been MLA for that riding since 1986. He is the most personable MLA that I have ever met. I was very shocked by his defeat. He is quite respected in his community. I aspire to someday be as friendly and committed to my constituents as Mr. Hagel was. I didn't get a good impression of Warren Michelson. I felt him to be rather reserved. What a mistake for the city of Moose Jaw. What a mistake for Saskatchewan.

Corporations and large scale donations from Alberta financed the Saskatchewan Party campaign (which is actually pretty ironic, but is also deceitful and unfair to Saskatchewan residents.) The Sask Party, and our province's government, is now at the mercy of those whose donations got them elected. Hasn't anyone wondered why the proposed nuclear plant on Lake Diefenbaker or at Elbow is designed to split the power evenly between both Saskatchewan and Alberta!? Yet, you can't split the risks involved with a nearby nuclear plant that our province's citizens would have to endure. Why would I put our beautiful province at risk for gas guzzling Alberta? THANKS SASK PARTY! THANKS FOR TRYING TO SCREW UP MY GENERATIONS FUTURE JUST TO WIN POWER! Thanks...

The Green Party of Saskatchewan was the only political party in the election to oppose nuclear. We were almost completely censored by the gatekeepers of the media though. Don't believe the myths. Nuclear is not green! Please seek out truthful information; don't rely on the media or the government to tell you what is green or safe.

The Green Party did well. We went from .55% of the vote in 2003 to 2% of the popular vote in 2007. In Moose Jaw-Wakamow, I received 2.27% of the votes. In 2003, the riding received 67 votes. This was my first time running in Wakamow, and the Greens received 167 votes, exactly 100 more than the last provincial election. I felt the same frustration after running for the federal riding of Palliser. I received about 3.5% of the votes. This was around 1200 votes, up from approximately 800 votes in the previous federal election. Growth in a new party takes time. I was excited to hear about the results of the latest Strategic Counsel survey (for the Globe and Mail/CTV News). Page 14 shows that the Green Party, with 13%, has overtaken both the NDP (12%) and the Bloc Quebecois (11%) ! This is the first time this has ever happened and it is quite surprising. For the Green Party of Canada, 13% is quite a growth from receiving approximately 5% of the vote in the 2006 federal election. However, I do not view public opinion polls as overly reliable. Regardless, the poll is encouraging.

The campaign was decent. It is always a unique experience. I am quite burnt-out from the high stress and constant demand of being a candidate without a large campaign team or enough donations. Although I am very tired, I am glad I took the opportunity to stand up for an alternative to rhetoric. I did have fun. I enjoy the debates, and I truly believe in Green Party policies. I do believe we are the party of the future. However, I really wish that future could start today.

Political Song of the Week:

Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire

This song is definitely one of the greatest political protest songs. The lyrics are so full of meaning, and despite being from 1965, this song is extremely relevant to today's society.

The following lyrics are from the beginning of the song:

"The Eastern world, it tis explodin'. Violence flarin', bullets loadin'. You're old enough to kill, but not for votin'. You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin'."


Peace,

Larissa