Nepean Carleton Greens

On a hot summer day in a trendy Conservative Party clubhouse in downtown Ottawa, Jean-Luc sat down with other candidates from the Ottawa area for our annual lunch with the leader Elizabeth May.

The press attended the lunch (The Hill Times, Quebecor Media, and the Toronto Star) where the leader and candidates discussed themes for the next general election. I had the cobb salad - in spite of my aversion to blue cheeses.

Jean-Luc described the foresight of Nepean-Carleton residents in continuing their "acts of green" to help the world for new reasons in this new economy - lowering their cost of living. Efficient appliances use less energy and save money. Insulating a home makes it cheaper to heat and cool. Making their next car a fuel efficient one saves money at the pumps. We're all trying to spend less these days; the Green Party is a fiscally conservative party.

He also took the time to give a nod to the previous riding candidate, Lori Gadzala. Her success in the previous election (almost 11%) was one of the strongest in the country.

Elizabeth spoke about the unparalleled freedom Green Party candidates have to adjust the national platform to fit the needs of their riding. We live in a diverse country; a national party must let its candidates draw from the direction of the national policy. Other national parties hand down their policy manual as if it were the law.

This gives me the flexibility to best meet the needs of our riding and give confidence that what you see is what you get.