Coast Mountain Endorses BC Green Party

Coast Mountain Expeditions, Feb 21/05

Coast Mountain director and guide Ralph Keller, was the Provincial Green Party Candidate for the North Island Constituency in the 2001 election. His efforts and those of so many supporters raised the Green vote from 3.8% in 1988 to over 12% in 2001.
We are pleased to throw our support behind the new North Island Candidate Philip Stone.
Here is his acceptance speech for winning the candidacy.


North Island Selects Philip Stone as Candidate

The North Island Green Party officially elected their candidate for the coming provincial election this past Sunday. At an energetic meeting held at the Campbell River Community Hall local publisher Philip Stone accepted the party's endorsement and declared he is in the election race for all his North Island neighbours.

"I accept the Green Party's nomination because I have read their platform and frankly it all makes sense. It is based on basic principles, which everyone should consider before they make their voting decision. You name a hot button issue - health care, education, First Nations treaties, forest tenure reform, the economy - and the Green Party's stance sounds rational, possible and, most importantly, gives the citizen the best deal," Stone said in his acceptance speech.

"Beyond that, most Green Party policies are actually based on existing government recommendations. We already have the Peel Commission on Forest Resources, the Romano Commission on Health Care and the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. The people of BC, and indeed of Canada, have spoken on many of these issues, now it is time to elect politicians with the drive and will to implement their (the citizens') recommendations" Stone continued.

Party members are galvanized by the reality that Stone's background as a successful entrepreneur and Chamber of Commerce activist brings the credibility the party deserves to connect with North Island business leaders and the general public. Stone is no stranger to challenge with a background as an accomplished mountaineer, small business person and three term president of the Discovery Islands Chamber of Commerce.

"My talents of spoken and written word, a journalist's instinct to find out more and the challenges faced as a small businessperson and family man have brought me to the point where I feel I can't sit on the sidelines and stay silent any longer, while our future is stolen from around us," he says. "I don't come to you encumbered by political affiliations, backroom deals and obligations. Instead I stand for election to do the job right. To listen to North Islanders and deliver the message of your needs, desires and hopes to the BC Legislature."

The meeting continued with discussions on election planning and strategy. "The time is right for the North Island to elect a Green MLA" former candidate Ralph Keller said. "Green Party policies are demonstrating themselves as part of every British Columbian's ideals. Look at the NDP's recent announcement to ban corporate funding to political parties, the BC Citizen's Assembly on Electoral Reform's recommendations, the list goes on and on. We have to remind the voter that these are all central ideals to the Green Party platform and in some cases the major parties are lifting Green policies claiming them as their own. The reality is the NDP and Liberals are impotent because their affiliations with corporate and labour handicap their ability to make good decisions".

One of the central themes of Green Party values is grassroots democracy and decentralizing the decision making processes so that the public is once again in charge of their communities' future.

"I invite all North Islanders to join me on a quest during the next few months," Stone concluded. "A quest to examine the things that are right and the things that are wrong in the North Island. We'll look at the Green platform and find out how its common sense, consensus based solutions are designed for every British Columbian. Together we can grow our economy, utilize our resources sustainably, reconcile with First Nations and redefine our social direction to ensure that the British Columbia we are leaving our children is one of prosperity admired around the world."

Green Party of BC
Green Party of Canada

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