2020- 2022 Policy Process | Green Party of Canada
Where GPC membership collaborates to develop our policies
G21-B001 Members to Elect Deputy Leaders and Shadow Cabinet
Submitter Name
Dianne Varga
This proposal was discussed in the workshop during Phase 2 of the VGM. However, there was not enough time for this proposal to be voted on in plenary by the members during Phase 2. Therefore, this proposal will not be included in the ratification vote.
Proposal
To replace Bylaws 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3 with the following text:
- Party Members shall elect members to Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet.
- Party Members shall elect two Deputy Leaders.
- Party Members may replace members of the Cabinet, Shadow Cabinet, or Deputy Leaders, subject to appeal.
Objective
To empower Party Members:
(i) to elect members to the Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet,
(ii) to elect Deputy Leaders, and
(iii) to remove members of the Cabinet, Shadow Cabinet, or Deputy Leaders.
Benefit
The changes will:
(i) strengthen participatory democracy by empowering Party Members to decide who will represent them,
(ii) underscore the role participatory democracy plays in providing the basis of unity for the Global Green Movement, and
(iii) reinforce the Party’s constitutional purpose of advancing its values and basis of unity.
Supporting Comments from Submitter
Participatory democracy is primarily concerned with citizens being afforded an opportunity to participate in decision-making on important matters that affect their lives. An example of a Green party that has democratic processes more fortified than ours in Canada is Die Grünen of Germany. Die Grünen’s Public Relations Department has said that the two co-chairs and two deputy chairs of the party executive are elected by the 800+ delegates of the party congress, while the two co-chairs and five deputy chairs of the parliamentary group are elected by the members of the parliamentary group itself. Almost all MPs (49 out of 67) have a role as spokesperson for a specific field of policy, and these positions are filled through negotiation and agreement among the MPs and the leadership of the parliamentary group.
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand also has democratic processes stronger than our own. Their Correspondence Officer has said the executive structure includes two co-leaders and no deputies; the co-leaders are appointed at the annual general meeting by delegates of the representative branches across the country. Candidates for MP positions are themselves selected and ranked by the party membership, and voted upon in the country’s general election. Apart from this concrete evidence of the use of electoral processes and negotiation to determine executive and parliamentary representation, it is self-evident that if the Green Party of Canada empowered its grassroots Party Members to decide through electoral processes who will represent them as Deputy Leaders and Shadow Cabinet members, our participatory democracy would be stronger – stronger than it is now, stronger than the version seen in Germany, and as strong as the version seen in New Zealand.
Green Value(s)
Participatory Democracy
Relation to Existing Policy
Rescind and replace an existing policy. This proposal would rescind and replace Bylaws 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3.
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The International Precedents for Empowerment of the Membership
First, I want to say that I contacted Green parties in about a half a dozen countries and it was Germany and New Zealand that got back to me in time for me to submit my policy proposal before deadline.
I also want to say that neither country has leadership or cabinet structures exactly like ours in Canada. When comparing their structures to our own, it’s necessary to keep the role in mind, not the title of the role.
It’s also necessary to keep in mind that what my policy is about is devolving the power of the GPC leader to appoint deputy leaders and shadow cabinet members in order to empower the membership to elect candidates into these positions. So, what we’re examining with Germany and New Zealand is what power the leader has, if any, in appointing people to the roles.
Deputy Leadership Roles
In Germany, there are two executive co-chairs and two deputy chairs that are comparable to our leader and deputy leaders. Both the co-chairs and the deputy chairs are elected by the 800+ delegates of the party congress. As such, the leadership has no role in filling deputy positions.
In New Zealand, the Green Party has two co-leaders, elected, but no deputy leaders.
Policy Spokesperson Roles
As for policy spokespersons, neither Germany nor New Zealand has a shadow cabinet.
In Germany, three-quarters of the Green MPs have a role as spokesperson for a specific field of policy, and these positions are filled through negotiation among the MPs themselves and the leadership of the parliamentary caucus. The caucus leader would be like our own Elizabeth May, and not like our leader, Annamie Paul. The executive leadership stays out of this matter.
In New Zealand, the parliamentary caucus functions similarly in terms of policy spokespersons. Candidates for MP positions are selected and ranked by the party membership (presumably including those in leadership positions or those who will become leaders), and voted upon in the country's general election. As in Germany, the leadership itself has no special role in selecting or appointing the policy spokespersons.
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