Dear Green Party members and supporters,
It has been an honour to serve as leader of our party for the past year. The Green Party is now entering a new phase, and I have decided to resign from my position to open up space for new energy to emerge. I will continue as leader until the Annual General Meeting this fall, where a new leader will be elected. My intention is to continue to work with all Green Party members over the coming months to lift the level of communication, help increase our organizational capacity, and build our energy for the AGM.
The greatest challenge we face is finding ways to work creatively and democratically through our conflicts and differences. We all have great passion for positive change in Nova Scotia, and our diversity will become a strength when we can transform this passion into momentum for the party.
The decision to resign has not come easy. I believe in this party, and I believe that I have something positive to offer as leader. But it has become clear to me that it is time for another transition. We need a new focus on the issues, and a new energy to move forward into the next electoral cycle. But we also need stability and continuity, and I remain committed to working to support the next phase of growth for the Green Party of Nova Scotia.
Thank you to members, friends and supporters who have worked so hard for our party over the past year. I continue to believe that the Green Party has a unique and valuable contribution to make to Nova Scotia politics. I will do everything I can to help this party realize its full potential in the years to come.
Yours in the vision of a greener Nova Scotia,
Ryan Watson
Leader, Green Party of Nova Scotia
Hi Ryan,
Could you explain a little more what is going on, including the affair regarding the financial reports and the possibility of losing party status?
thanks
Oliver
Nice you’re quitting now that your $30,000 pay check/salary is up. Guess we all know what your real motivation behind the leadership was.
Oliver,
The financial reports have been submitted to Elections NS and we’re waiting their response.
Sarah,
I don’t understand what you mean by my salary being “up.” Unless or until the bylaw about the leader’s compensation is changed by the members, the leader (whether myself or another leader) will continue to receive the salary.
[...] financial upkeep of the campaign, in place in the second or third week of the election. Watson has announced that he will be resigning from the leadership of the party “for new energy to [...]
Hey Ryan- just read the article in the Chronicle Herald and the new deadline (August 18) for filing financial records of expenses…
Here’s hoping that this deadline will be achieved so the Green Party of Nova Scotia can continue to move forward.
Good luck in your future..
Carolyn
Good Day,
I have been a federal Green party supporter for quite some time. I made the jump to the NS Greens this past election because I felt that there was a better sense of organization.
The financial records fiasco has raised serious doubts to the political viability of the Green Party of Nova Scotia. I do understand that the party is young and will make mistakes. This seems to be an innocent mistake of not knowing the rules or procedures to the full extent.
Having candidates in all 52 districts is important to get votes and receive provincial funding. One can argue that having the party’s affairs in order so they do not loose official party status would trump the “have a candidate on each ballot” theory.
There are many views and opinions in the Green Party of NS and members can voice them openly. This is the uniqueness of the Greens and should not be lost. Hopefully, the party will be able to organize a common consensus on the main issues. Communication of those ideas and a deeper sense of organization of the financial affairs should be the top priorities of the new leader.
Ryan, I thank you for your time as Leader. I wish you well.
Regards,
JP
Let me say, before I begin, that I am not a supporter of the Green party. That being said, I respect the mission of your party. I am ususally a supporter of the underdogs, and I appreciate that some people are working hard to help this party grow.
That being said, I was reviewing the financial statements for 2008 and 2007, and I believe that the party’s main problem is you, Green party supporters.
It’s pretty sad to see that througout the province, the party only received $210 in donations from individuals. I am a cheapskate, and I give 20$ per year to my party of choice, and I feel that this is a very minimal amount. If the average donation is 20$, that means that 10 individuals have donated to their party?
Secondly, the party’s revenue may have increased, but an important factor had an important decrease. Revenue obtained through membership dropped from $770 in 2007, to $155 in 2008. That’s horrible. For a party trying to go the the next level, membership has to go up every year, not go down, specially not shrink by 80%.
When I look at those numbers, what jumps out for me is the lack of support the party is getting from it’s actual supporters. This is a small party, a party that is trying to grow, and the best way to achieve this is for you supporters and members to talk about your party. You can’t just sit back and congratulate yourself for voting Green. You have to help the party get started and get out there and volunteer, talk to as many poeple as you can about the party.
You need to give more money, give more time. It’s up to you.
Some think that it’s just cool to vote green, and to have a Green sign on their lawns. That’s not enough.
This party needs your support, and without it, the party will never get more than a couple hundred votes per riding.
You want the Green party to have a chance at making any kind of impact, well, you all need to make an impact as supporters.
Ian those comments of yours are very true ……what supporters the Green Party does have need to come together, formulate a positive and doable plan and all take responsibility for working together to build support..
This can be done in so many ways…..there are always people who like to be on the ground, in the community building support, person to person while there are others who are able to build support using the vast opportunities new technology has to offer- we are all different and all have our own skill sets and I betcha the Green Party has some savvy people who could really reach out to others with their party message in a number of ways
Many of these initiatives just take time and very little money…..
C xx
Ryan- I have been following the discussions on the Green Party Ning site and it seems like there are one or two people who maybe interested in becoming part of the executive or even consider putting their name forward for the leadership election…
Reading what folk are writing and discussing it seems to me that people may actually be a little reluctant to put their name forward as they do not REALLY know what the job as leader entails…
Maybe it would be helpful if you could start a Q & A thread on this topic over on the ning site which would give some of the GPNS members an opportunity to ask questions on your experience as leader, what were the good bits, bad bits, difficult bits, what did you learn etc- it could be moderated to keep the thread on topic too…
What do you think??
Here’s hoping!!
Cheers!
Hello,
Just wondering if elections NS have responded to the last financial report that was submitted?
Cheers,
JP