Wednesday July 1, 2020 ~ SAANICH, BC
by Mary Brooke, editor ~ West Shore Voice News
“Many of us are facing the most unusual Canada Day in our lifetimes, complete with self-isolating, social distancing, mask-wearing, and uncertainties about our future,” said Green Party of Canada leadership candidate David Merner in a message on Canada Day.
“This is not the Canada Day we expected, but perhaps it’s the Canada Day we need. This is a time for reflection that goes beyond the celebrations, the flags, and the fireworks,” he noted in the context of most people staying home or close to home during the COVID-19 pandemic that continues in BC and Canada.
“World events have called on us all to reconsider how we respond to long standing racial injustices at home. The pandemic requires us to address the deep economic inequalities and the safety of our seniors in Canada, as well as new solutions such as the guaranteed livable income. And solutions to the climate emergency are now more important than ever, as fires rage in Siberia,” siad Merner.
COVID-19 in real time:
Merner tells Canadians today that he and his family are self-isolating at home with his youngest daughter who returned from a Rotary exchange in Finland last week.
Back on the campaign trail:
Merner was the Green Party candidate for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke in the 2019 federal election campaign. In 2015 he was the Liberal candidate in that same riding here on the south shore of Vancouver Island.
After that second defeat in 2019, he indicated his direction forward as being in eco-restoration. The pandemic is the broadest possible opportunity to reexamine and repurpose every aspect of Canadian ecosystems — not just the natural environment but socioeconomic in every respect.
For the Green Party Leadership race now in 2020, each Saturday morning Merner takes part in a weekly Zoom call at 11 am Pacific. And coming up this week via Zoom are two town hall-style discussions on “Honest, Ethical and Caring Leadership” — one on Thursday July 2 at 4 pm Pacific and another session on Wednesday July 8 at 4 pm Pacific.
