lessons learned: They say that what doesn’t destroy you makes you stronger. Well, I seem to have successfully survived challenging the leader of the Green Party in Saanich-Gulf Islands, so I guess the experience has made me stronger. Among other things, I learned that Elizabeth May‘s leadership has been an unmitigated disaster for Canadian Green politics, from which it may not recover.

formal complaint: Sometimes we either have to do something distasteful, or make a moral or ethical stand. What if that something goes against our principles, or when we see things going on that we believe are not right? Something fishy was definitely going on in Saanich-Gulf Islands. It offended my sense of Green democratic process, and even could be illegal. It was time to blow the whistle.

denial of service: Most of the national media attention focused on my complaint to Elections Canada of possible illegal transfer of funds by the Green Party to the Elizabeth May campaign, which she could use for her nomination. But even more important was the unequal availability of Party services to myself compared to the taxpayer-funded resources it was pouring into promoting the Party leader.

the challenge: I could publish the entire 6,500-word, nine-page letter with its 43 supporting documents that I sent to Elections Canada in support of my complaint about the unfair actions of the Green Party in Saanich-Gulf Islands—but mercifully, I won’t. Instead, here’s a taste of what I went through; some of the things I learned; and some political questions that my experience raised. It's a complex tale.

Introduction Will Canadian politics be simply a continuation of the feudal class struggles of the past, or have globalisation and the Internet brought about a political sea change that will result in a radically transformed and more polarised political landscape? Here are two books that each represent radically different visions of the past and future of Canadian democracy.