Ending ties to Green Party
“I believe in the integrity and in the leadership abilities of Dr. Sarah Stewart-Clark”
It was a Sunday afternoon 11 years ago when I listened to a conversation between Peter Mansbridge and Elizabeth May, the leader of the federal Green Party.
I was impressed with how positive and optimistic she was. She gave credit where credit was due and spoke kindly of other politicians from other parties.
She supported good people with good ideas regardless of political stripe.
I thought to myself this is the type of individual that I want to be associated with.
I joined and ran for the P.E.I. Greens in 2007. I garnered the highest percentage of votes for any provincial Green party candidate in the entire country at that time. There was even a Journal Pioneer editorial calling for me to become the party’s next leader. I acquiesced to a much more gifted and talented politician, my friend, Peter Bevan Baker.
Since then, I have supported politicians from all parties. I support good people with good ideas regardless of political stripe.
Knowing first-hand how challenging it is to put oneself out there and run for public office, especially for women, I have volunteered and canvassed with many people from all parties. This is my way to encourage and support more people, especially women to run for public office. I believe in support, inclusiveness and that the quality of the individual supersedes party politics.
I find it very telling that the Green Party had zero issue with me last spring publicly supporting PC MLA Brad Trivers in his five-month campaign for the leadership and now after only one Facebook post of me publicly supporting Dr. Sarah StewartClark, the Green Party is formally telling me that we must cut formal ties, if I support Dr. Sarah Stewart-Clark.
I believe in the integrity and in the leadership abilities of Dr. Sarah Stewart-Clark.
Her heart is in the right place, she believes in inclusiveness and will do what she has always done and that is fight for Islanders.
This is the quality of individual that I support to represent Islanders in a leadership role.
I am disappointed with the Greens but I understand and I will give them what they have asked for and I will end my formal ties to the Green Party of P.E.I.
I will always support good people with good ideas regardless of political stripe.
“It is always the right time to do the right thing.” Martin Luther King