Canada is Ready!

Members of the Canadian Youth Coalition engaged hundreds of
Vancouverites on the Green Jobs Day of Action. Tabling at two  locations - one a popular weekly farmers market, the second a busy street corner in the city's downtown eastside. CYCC members urged residents of Vancouver to take action on  climate change. They particularly encouraged support for green jobs, a priority in the upcoming elections.

Citizens of the local area frequented the event in the downtown eastside, including many members of the city's homeless population of more than 2500 people. In addition, the event had more than a dozen visits from candidates running for office in both the federal election (Oct 14th) and the municipal election (Nov 15th). Among these visitors were Vancouver East's NDP Member of Parliament Libby Davis, and the mayoral candidate from Vision Vancouver Gregor Robertson who arrived riding a bicycle.

The informal and friendly set-up provided a unique opportunity for an exchange of ideas and stories among the diverse group of participants. A key topic of conversation was: What would green jobs look like in a setting such as the downtown eastside? Many local residents shared their impressions as well as examples of green jobs they were already involved with including clean-up of their neighborhood, urban agriculture, non-motorized delivery of goods, and selective logging operations. The consensus among the group was that the neighborhood could benefit significantly from increased support for green, low-skill, labor-intensive jobs "that cannot be exported overseas". Participants held up signs saying "I am ready for a green economy" and "Green jobs now!" as they smiled for the cameras.

Other conversations centered around citizen's feelings towards voting and the political process. Despite divergent views on whether exercising voting rights actually "makes a difference", dozens signed the CYCC pledge to go to the voting stations with climate change in mind as a priority. One troubling observation was that new regulations around voting procedures exclude the homeless population from the political process, as picture IDs and proof of address are required to register to vote.

The Vancouver Chapter of CYCC would like to thank all those who participated in this and other Day of Action events across the continent. We were touched by the receptivity, curiosity, and honesty of all those who spoke to us and hope to continue this conversation in the months to come.