Canada's Best Candidate is a Black Woman

Annamie Paul is the future

If we, in fact, inhabited the world we’ve been taught to believe we do, one that functions on merit and ability, then Annamie Paul, the first Black woman leader of a major party would be elected Prime Minister.

In this make-believe world of the “best person for the job”, we would appreciate and reward, maturity, honesty, and candor. Qualities Annamie Paul has in spades.

Under her leadership, a word I and others can use with pride because it’s truth — Annamie Paul has the vision, and ability to lead Canada into realizing our potential. I know it may seem a heavy burden to put the weight of making Canada great on anyone’s shoulders, but Ms. Paul has proven she can bear it.

Green Party In-fighting

Before this election was called, Annamie was on the receiving end of nasty in-fighting within her party’s ranks. Green Party members fought to oust her from leadership. They waged an aggressive campaign. As a Black woman watching these scenes play out, the racism was front and centre.

Most likely, Green party members who chose to wage this typical and common war wanted to pretend they weren’t being racist. But for Black women, Indigenous women, marginalized women, the racist stench was obvious and unfortunately, recognizable, in the maligning of her capability as a leader. In the chosen word divisive. In the questioning of her ability.

Indigenous and BIPOC women know all too well the seductive courtship when you’re asked to be part of the white structure. We’re wanted at first for our “unique strengths, perspectives, and capabilities.” We’re led to believe we’ll affect change.

But when our individual (read non-white perspective) clashes with the majority, we’re discarded as roughly as last night’s anonymous sex partner.

The Green push against Annamie made me and many others, dismiss the Greens as “not ready.” But truly, we were simply doing what we always do, undervaluing a Black woman. I was guilty of it too.

I believed that we had to vote strategically to ensure the best outcome for Canada.

Then came the French and English debates. And on a stage with primarily, white male leaders (except for Jagmeet Singh) Ms. Paul let her intelligence, and dignity lead. As the men argued, raised their voices, and bullied their points out to Canadians, Ms. Paul embodied leadership. She let the men’s squabbling childishness illustrate why nothing gets better for Canadians in parliament — because these male “leaders” would rather score points, than work together for the good of Canadians.

Annamie Paul let Canadians see the best outcome for Canada is Annamie Paul. And we were smitten.

Instead of dwelling on her treatment at the hands of the Greens and indicative of her character, she put party needs ahead of her own. Annamie Paul didn't lash back at the Greens taking shots at her. Despite the toll it must have taken, she stayed to give her party an opportunity to make a positive change, rather than waste time finding a new leader and nearly simultaneously, trying to run an election campaign.

Ms. Paul made sure the Greens were okay and focused on fighting for Canada.

The Green Platform

Annamie Paul’s platform is on support for the working class, Indigenous equality and respect, an end to fighting Indigenous children in court, Black rights, a guaranteed livable income, increased minimum wage, and immediate action on climate change.

Ms. Paul’s platform is about dignity for all Canadians.

A few tools that Canadians could use to meet escalating utility bills that have forced too many out of their homes and into their cars.

Climate Change

Did you know the 2021 heatwave that destroyed the town of Lytton, burned the ocean, increased the intensity of wildfires, and created a heat dome (think of a pot boiling with the lid on) that took 808 Canadian lives, killed billions of plants, and animals?

That should scare anyone who’s capable of lucid thought. That’s billions of lives and the global temperature has only increased to 1.2 degrees Celsius.

Politicians and corporations are playing a deadly game with all our lives by their irresponsible refusal to seriously tackle climate change.

And we haven’t yet hit 1.5 degrees, the point at which we can’t imagine or predict the ferocity of the storms and the impact of additional heat domes. A temperature increase that may boil us to death and at which time, our air conditioners may not be able to keep us cool. If you’re fortunate to have housing and can afford a cooling system that is. Not to mention the water shortages caused by droughts.

What the Platform Will Achieve

Annamie Paul put out a platform that will ban fracking, cancel pipeline projects, eliminate subsidies for the oil and gas industry. She has a detailed plan with clear and enforceable targets to substantially reduce GHG emissions.

Ms. Paul wants to create an all-party climate cabinet to work together on climate change. She’s not saying, “only I can do this,” she’s saying, “We must work together” to stop the temperature from climbing any higher. This is a woman who’s taking her responsibility for climate change seriously through recognition that this is a job that requires everyone to participate regardless of party affiliation.

She’s not in power and she’s showing us how power should be used.

She wants to achieve net-zero emissions as soon as possible, not wait until some distant time in the future when it will be too late to turn the temperature down.

Annamie wants to end fossil fuels immediately, including canceling the Trans Mountain pipeline.

Because you can’t talk about protecting the climate and simultaneously increase our reliance on oil and gas like the Trudeau Liberals have done over the last six years. That’s doublespeak.

Trudeau Liberals

The Liberal government has had six years to make progress on this front. Instead, under Trudeau’s “leadership” Canada now sits at twenty-one percent higher GHG emissions than we did in 1990.

However, Mr. Trudeau promises that if elected, this time will be different.

This time the Liberals will reduce emissions to 30% below 2005 levels while continuing to keep the fossil fuel industry pumping out oil and gas.

So, they’ll repeat their actions and hope for a new outcome.

If you watched the debates Mr. Trudeau clung to his raft repeating “the experts say we’ve got the best plan.”

Mr. Trudeau, having the “best plan” isn’t going to save lives unless it can be implemented. A lot of people have great plans, but they tend to go nowhere if we don’t do the work. And over six years the Liberals have deftly shown us they’re not capable of doing the work.

COVID has been a terrible gift. I say this a lot because it’s true. It’s shown us we can achieve anything we want today. We can stop the world, give it time to breathe, and fix it.

Until now, we’ve only lacked leadership. Under the guidance of a capable, intelligent, adult, Canada has a chance to become better.