At the very least, I would expect The Walrus to detail Mr. Dobbin’s previous activities and allegiances. I am not so naive as to think no journalist has biases. But when they are this frighteningly obvious, I shudder to think what else is being passed off as balanced critique.
Andrea Horan
Ottawa, Ontario
Mr. Dobbin’s readers would have been better served knowing that one of his primary sources, Matthew Pollesel, is a former Green Party employee whose contract was not renewed. As a result, this individual’s objectivity might be tainted. And while we regretted the loss of Gretchen Schwarz, it was not to the Peace and Ecology Party, as Mr. Dobbin wrote, but first to a short fling with the ndp. Finally, the unique circumstances surrounding the loss of two Green Party council members do not illustrate any disagreements over political direction, but rather show the high standards of personal conduct we expect from members of our executive body.
While Mr. Dobbin raises a number of valid observations, which we take to heart, I invite readers to visit our website, greenparty.ca, and judge for themselves.
Bruce Abel
Chair, Green Party of Canada
Guelph, Ontario
Murray Dobbin responds:
Fraser Los puts me in the camp of those who view capitalism as anathema to the natural world. More accurately, my position is that the current form of capitalism, increasingly deregulated and able to pollute with impunity, is inherently hostile and will ultimately prove fatal to the natural world. That is why, like many environmentalists, I believe in extremely strong regulation with relentless enforcement and fines that are sufficiently high to function as a disincentive to pollute. Eco-capitalists, by contrast, suggest that we can change corporate behaviour through tax incentives and consumer action. I’m afraid we don’t have that much time.
Richard Jack points to the sorry record of the ndp in Saskatchewan. I come from Saskatchewan and spent many years fighting the ndp’s support of the uranium-mining industry. But this record has nothing to do with my analysis of the Green Party. Federally, neither the Greens nor the ndp are going to form a government any time soon. Until then, the point is to have as many critical voices in the House of Commons as possible—preferably speaking from a strong set of policies. The relevant fact is that the Green Party has put very little thought into its environmental policies.
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