Today, I received word that my application to run in the Green Party of Canada leadership race has not been accepted.
I have asked the party’s anonymous vetting committee to explain its reason for not accepting my application.
I have appealed this decision. The appeal process will take seven days.
This is but one more challenge on our long journey toward environmental and social justice.
Please stay tuned.
Peace and solidarity, Dimitri
In this week’s episode of Dimitri Live, I and my co-hosts Lia Tarachansky, Wendy Goldsmith and Atul Bahl discussed how we can build a more caring society as we emerge from the pandemic.
We talked in particular about the need for a national mental healthcare strategy and the strengthening of our healthcare system.
For example, Canada ranks 51st in the world in the number of doctors per capita (behind Ukraine, Mongolia and Kuwait). Cuba, by contrast, has the highest number of doctors per capita in the world.
Our healthcare system needs more doctors, and there is no reason why a country as wealthy as Canada cannot do much better. I hope you will listen to our discussion:
Last month, in a letter to the Hill Times, I responded to an op-ed by Phil Gurski, a former senior strategic analyst with Canada’s spy agency (CSIS), in which Mr. Gurski raised the spectre of potential violence by environmental activists. After the Hill Times published my letter, Mr. Gurski kindly invited me onto his weekly program to debate national security, the threat posed by the fossil fuels industry and terrorism.
In our debate, which Mr. Gurski published today, I argued (starting at 8:58 of the podcast) that one of the greatest threats to Canada’s national security is in fact the fossil fuels industry and that, far from being a threat to national security, those who resist the fossil fuels industry are acting in the national interest.
I also argued that the legislation governing CSIS is broad enough to authorize CSIS to treat the fossil fuels industry as a national security threat, but that the government appointees who manage CSIS have a pro-fossil fuels bias – just like the Liberal and Conservative politicians who appointed them.
Finally, I argued (starting at 25:50 of the podcast) that Western governments and intelligence agencies are ignoring the true causes of terrorism, that there is no military solution to terrorism and that the true solution to terrorism is political in nature.
You can listen to our debate here:
On May Day 2020, I participated in a Webinar on the COVID-19 crisis. As I explained, now more than ever we need international solidarity, but if anything, the world’s major powers seem to be inclining toward a more warlike posture. Continue Reading ›
To date, on a per capita basis, Canada and the United States have suffered far more COVID19-related deaths than Cuba.
This week on Dimitri Live, I asked Cuba-based, British journalist Ed Augustin to explain how Cuba has managed to control the virus despite punishing U.S. sanctions.
As Ed explains, an important part of the reason for Cuba’s ability to limit the loss of life is that Cuba has a far higher proportion of doctors, and its doctors and other medical personnel have been going door-to-door to treat and test the citizenry.
I hope you will listen.
Green Party of Canada member Victoria Galea is conducting a series of interviews of the candidates for the leadership of the Green Party of Canada.
In her 5th episode, Victoria and I discussed a broad range of issues, including inequality, workers’ rights, diversity and Canadian foreign policy.
As I explained, my vision for growing the party is that it become a big tent for the millions of Canadians who are progressive but who feel that they are not fairly represented in Canada’s Parliament.
Our discussion can be seen here:
I spoke this week with Chris Cook of Gorilla Radio (CFUV 101.9 FM in Victoria, B.C.) about the Green Party of Canada’s leadership race and the COVID-19 crisis. Continue Reading ›
