Newsletters may offer personalized content or advertisements. – Redaction Politics. I do not believe that that approach is consistent with our core, progressive values, nor is it a winning electoral strategy, as experience has proven. Privacy Policy, The latest polls, breaking news and analysis on the U.S. election from HuffPost’s Washington, D.C. bureau. “I also represented union pension funds that had taken a hit on their assets due to corporate fraud.”. Support us for as little as $1 a month on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/RedactionPolitics. The 2020 Leadership Contest is over, but you can still donate to help former contestants pay off campaign expenses! ( Log Out /  Not Right. “My clients were overwhelmingly ordinary Canadians who had been hurt by corporate wrongdoing,” he told Redaction Politics in a recent interview. I did some research to understand the reasons that Dimitri Lascaris was initially rejected from the Green Party of Canada (GPC) leadership race by the vetting committee. The Green Party needs a leader who knows how to overcome the opposition of large corporations and the billionaire class to the transformational changes we need to save our planet and protect our children. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Forward Together.”, “We had the most favourable electoral circumstances in the last election,” he said. On foreign policy, Lascaris is calling for disarmament, peace, and the “principle of universality.”. What top two problems do you believe the party current faces? What this moment calls for is bold, progressive action. Would you describe yourself as religious? 19. 20. ( Log Out /  What public policy issue do you feel is undercovered and deserving of more political and public attention?Inequality. Another ‘almost’ moment for the US. Why do you think you’re best placed to be the next Green Party leader?In my career as a lawyer, journalist and activist, I have consistently spoken truth to power and have successfully challenged the power of large corporations and the billionaire class. “I think our core values are the core values of the left, they’re the core values of socialism and I’m not remotely hesitant to say so.”. I was raised in the Greek Orthodox religion but I became an atheist at the age of 18. What do you consider your greatest achievement?Learning to think outside the box. Join or renew your membership for one year ($10+) or three years ($25+). “I think that, as a matter of principle, we should be defending the rights of Canadian workers, whether they’re unionized or non-unionized,” he said. Among other things, I want to tax billionaires out of existence, ban all new oil and gas exploration, reduce military spending by 50 per cent and reallocate those funds to the elimination of homelessness and poverty, and raise the minimum wage to $20 per hour. The public consciousness about the climate crisis, our signature issue, was at historic highs.”. Lascaris said the GPC needs to learn from its disappointing performance in 2019, which he attributed to an uninspiring, centrist platform embodied by the slogan: “Not Left. “The numbers can’t be denied. Second, the party establishment has become increasingly distant from the base of the party. Party members need to take a “hard, honest look” at those results and the middle-of-the-road approach that produced them, he said. These Scary Movie Scenes Will Haunt You Forever, Doug Ford Defends Law That Makes It Harder To Sue For COVID-19 Exposure, Federal Election Averted As Liberals, NDP Defeat Contentious Conservative Motion, This At-Home Pumpkin Facial Uses 5 Ingredients You Have In Your Kitchen, Trudeau Says He’ll Call Election If Conservative Motion Passes, Tory Push For 'Anti-Corruption Committee' Could Spur Election, Liberals Warn, RCMP ‘Let Down’ Mi'kmaw Fishers, Indigenous Services Marc Miller Says After Violence In Nova Scotia, Halloween Trick Or Treating Not Recommended In Ontario COVID-19 Hot Spots: Officials. Scott Costen is a Canadian journalist based in East Hants, Nova Scotia. Redaction cannot survive without your help. Redaction Weekly: Another injustice. Ontario Reports More Than 1,000 New Daily COVID-19 Cases For 1st Time, NDP Wins Historic Majority Government British Columbia Election, Meet The Toronto Tattoo Artist Who Just Worked On Steph And Ayesha Curry, Meet The Captain Behind The Viral Canadian Forces Twitter Account, Ontario Considers Expanding Restrictions As New COVID Cases Hit Record High, Canadians Living In The U.S. Mull Heading Home If Trump Wins Again. Green Party Candidate won 5.37% of the vote. If so, what religion/denomination do you subscribe to?I am an atheist. Change ), Dimitri Lascaris: Green Party should have ‘unapologetic’ left wing stances to take the fight to Trudeau, Coming soon – The left’s battle to be heard after Corbyn and Sanders. You can find the details of my platform here: https://www.teamdimitri.ca/platform. At the end of the day, centrists are the guardians of the status quo. 14. Children?I have been married to my partner, Farida, for 22 years. Dimitri Lascaris: Green Party should have ‘unapologetic’ left wing stances to take the fight to Trudeau By Scott Costen HAVING beaten them as a class action lawyer, Dimitri Lascaris is eager to take on corporations and billionaires as leader of the Green Party of Canada (GPC). Engaging more robustly with workers and the labour movement is both a moral imperative and a strategic opportunity, Lascaris said. Dimitri Lascaris was allowed to remain a Green party leadership candidate despite making a comment Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a “vile anti-Semitic smear.” Photo by Craig Glover/Postmedia Tea or coffee? Then mail to: 11. View all posts by Scott Costen. 17. To donate via PayPal, use our Donate with PayPal page. 9. ( Log Out /  “So we will stop treating countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel and Egypt and Bahrain and Kuwait and Honduras and Haiti – all of these countries whose governments are deeply repressive – we’re going to stop treating them as though there’s a different standard, a lower standard, that applies to them, and we’re going to apply to them the same standard we apply to every other state.”. TLDR: Lascaris strongly supports the use of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel and his stance has led to conflicts with other members of the Green Party. 15. Donors who do not pay income tax are unable to benefit from these credits. HAVING beaten them as a class action lawyer, Dimitri Lascaris is eager to take on corporations and billionaires as leader of the Green Party of Canada (GPC). In others?Self-righteousness. Why do you think the party failed to win more seats in the last election?Regrettably, in the last election, the Green Party of Canada adopted the slogan “Not Left. 16. "I don’t think I that I need to be adding my presence to the strength of party out here on the West Coast… I would probably be inclined to run in the Southern Ontario or the Montreal area.” What makes you happy?The natural beauty of this world. In 10 years, we recovered over $450 million from major corporations, including SNC Lavalin, Bank of Montreal and the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation. “Human rights and international law apply to all states, not only to the official enemies of the United States,” he said. The Green Party of Canada is working to build a more prosperous and sustainable future for all Canadians. Chile's constitutional referendum - breaking the binds of neoliberalism? Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Lascaris is one of nine candidates looking to win the GPC’s top job in October. 13. “How can we as a party claim seriously to be champions of social justice without being champions of the rights of workers?”. Green Party Leadership Race Contender: Dimitri Lascaris We sent each of the candidates this 23-question questionnaire. We appreciate all donations. Copyright © 2020 HuffPost.com, Inc. "HuffPost" is a registered trademark of HuffPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Beer or wine?Coffee and wine. Which living person do you most admire?Noam Chomsky. ( Log Out /  Vote for a Canada that works, together. We must lay an unapologetic claim to the left, which the NDP leadership has abandoned. What is your greatest fear?Dying before my life’s mission has been fulfilled. 8. What is your most marked characteristic?Speaking truth to power. That platform would include addressing the climate crisis, socializing the economy, expanding workers’ rights, overhauling Canada’s foreign policy, and instituting justice and police reform. 3. 22. What would be your policy priorities if you become the leader?My top priority would be to transform our inhumane, destructive and grotesquely unequal economic system into one that prioritizes the planet and people over profits. I am that leader. And how do you plan to try to overcome them?First, the party has sought to position itself as a centrist party. And yet, when the ballots were counted, the GPC had experienced the smallest possible growth, going from two seats to three with 6.55 per cent of the popular vote. In other words, it would move the GPC sharply to the left. On what occasions do you lie?When I am trying to avoid hurting the feelings of others. 5. What is your greatest extravagance?Pinot Noir. “His workers’ rights agenda is by far the most progressive on the political front in the country.”. Patience, memories and a weak, neoliberal opposition - how MAS and Morales returned to power in Bolivia, Democratic Socialists of Canada pushing for change to help 'every single person that’s living in Canada', Criticise Amy Coney Barrett - but only for her politics, EXCLUSIVE: Keir Starmer will transform Labour's 'inconsistent' foreign policy, says Shadow Cabinet ally, Murdered school teacher revives sacred question of secularism in France, https://www.patreon.com/RedactionPolitics, Redaction Weekly: Another injustice.