Ladies Night in Owen Sound.

The Grey Bruce Owen Sound Greens nomination meeting was most definitely a time for the ladies to shine with candidates Lynn Morgan and Emma Hogbin as well as Green party leader Elizabeth May and deputy leader Adrian Carr front and center. Approximately 100 green party supporters filled the room to hear the candidates speak and answer questions from the floor prior to voting taking place.

Lynn spoke about the demise of our democracy under the Harper regime and how the arrest of innocent protesters and bystanders at the G20 was comparable with the actions of several totalitarian regimes overseas. She said we are heading for more of a Lord and Serf relationship with our government than a representative democracy unless things change.

Emma spoke of her dream for the future, of a participatory democracy with citizens involved and excited about the possibilities, of using the modern tools available on the Internet and phone systems to include everyone in the process. The best quote of the night came at the mid point of her lively speech when remarking upon the choices to be made she asked whether if you find yourself to be riding a dead horse is it not best to get off!

Elizabeth May who spoke to the crowd whilst the votes were being counted later picked up upon that repeating Emma's assertion that the Greens CAN be elected to the HoC and that GBOS has a real good chance of being the first to do so, just before herself, given that the polls close here long before they do on the west coast.

Having just come from a meeting with some representatives of the local agricultural community she said that those in this area should be particularly concerned with Harpers assertion when referring to the closure of the prison farms that “learning how to farm was not a useful skill”. She said that Canadian values are clearly different from American values as evidenced by our social safety net, our sharing and caring about all out citizens and how the Green party's values reflect those values.

CEO Randy Dryburgh who MC'ed the meeting asked Elizabeth to announce the successful candidate and she read the name Emma Jane Hogbin to loud and sustained applause from the supporters. Elizabeth had earlier said that she rarely had the opportunity to say “may the best woman win” and it is no disrespect to Lynn that Emma's enthusiastic and bubbly personality, and ability to get folks to want to get involved that won the day.

Congratulation Emma, I am sure we will be hearing much more from and about you in the next few months.

Also see Greens pick Hogbin - Owen Sound Sun Times - Ontario, CA

UPDATE Emma has posted a copy of her speech on her blog here and there is a video of her “shortest ever” acceptance speech at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxGCyDnm5Yo (1min 13sec)