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Elizabeth May Quotes

Elizabeth Evans May is an American-born Canadian politician. May is leader of the Green Party of Canada and Member of Parliament for Saanich—Gulf Islands. An environmentalist, author, activist, and lawyer, May served as the Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006.

While May's family home is in Margaree Harbour, Cape Breton Island she moved her permanent residence to Sidney, British Columbia, in 2010. On May 2, 2011, she became the first member of the Green Party of Canada to be elected as a Member of Parliament.In the Federal election on October 19, 2015, Elizabeth May was re-elected in the riding of Saanich–Gulf Islands, being the only Green Party member to win a seat. Prior to this election, May had been invited to participate in two of the leaders' debates: one hosted by Maclean's magazine on August 6, 2015, and the first French language debate hosted by Radio-Canada on September 24, 2015. However, May was excluded from the other two debates. After being advised of the exclusion from the September 28, 2015 Munk Debate on Canada’s Foreign Policy, May took her message to social media where she criticized the Harper government on Twitter.May is an Earth Charter International Commission member.

✵ 9. June 1954
Elizabeth May photo
Elizabeth May: 19 quotes0 likes

Famous Elizabeth May Quotes

“You can’t deal with an issue like climate change if you basically abandon a healthy democracy and allow a corporatist culture to make the decisions. So you need engaged citizens, and you need Occupy,” she says. “You need people who have never seen themselves as political to become political. We need maybe 15 to 20 percent of Canadians to become really engaged and demand better. And then we’ll get it.””

Elizabeth May

The Walrus interview (2012)

“I’m one of the few MPs who never has a prepared text for everything I do, because I don’t have a bunch of people telling me what I have to say”

Elizabeth May

The Walrus interview (2012)

“The role of the individual MP has been sidelined by the power of the Cabinet, and now by the PM alone.”

Elizabeth May

Source: Losing Confidence - Power, politics, And The Crisis In Canadian Democracy (2009), Chapter 2, Parliament as Anachronism?, p. 54

“Don’t give up,” she implored. “Get up and fight.”

Elizabeth May

The Walrus interview (2012)

“I participate, therefore I am.”

Elizabeth May

Source: Losing Confidence - Power, politics, And The Crisis In Canadian Democracy (2009), Chapter 1, The Degradation of Canadian Democracy, p. 15

“I was raised to be extremely productive,” May recalls. “That was how my mom would put it; she’d say, ‘I had a very productive day.’”

Elizabeth May

The Walrus interview (2012)

Elizabeth May Quotes about democracy

“We Canadians think that Canada is a modern, well informed democracy. We look down our noses at the dumbed down content on Fox News and CNN, without noticing that we are rapidly heading in the same direction.”

Elizabeth May

Source: Losing Confidence - Power, politics, And The Crisis In Canadian Democracy (2009), Chapter 4, Democracy and the Media, p. 123

“Heckling “tunes people out of their democracy,” she says”

Elizabeth May

The Walrus interview (2012)

“The increasing prominence of a presidential-style prime minister is steadily denigrating the traditions and institutions of Canadian democracy.”

Elizabeth May

Introduction, p. 8
Losing Confidence - Power, politics, And The Crisis In Canadian Democracy (2009)

“Of all the deteriorating aspects of Canadian democracy, the lack of concern over the ability of the national police force to interfere in elections is the one that most suggests Third World politics.”

Elizabeth May

Source: Losing Confidence - Power, politics, And The Crisis In Canadian Democracy (2009), Chapter 5, Police State?, p. 124

Elizabeth May Quotes

“Three of my ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence.”

Elizabeth May

Introduction, p. 10-11
Losing Confidence - Power, politics, And The Crisis In Canadian Democracy (2009)
Context: Three of my ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence. It's just that any system of government has it pluses and minuses and it's important to understand the system of government you do live under so that you can protect it.

“Kyoto is not dead,” May says. “We’ve got a year to convince the prime minister to change his position.”

Elizabeth May

The Walrus interview (2012)

““I’d rather have no Green seats and Stephen Harper lose, than a full caucus that stares across the floor at Stephen Harper as prime minister, because his policies are too dangerous,” she told the Toronto Star.”

Elizabeth May

The Walrus interview (2012)

“Countries with high voting rates also have high levels of political knowledge.”

Elizabeth May

Source: Losing Confidence - Power, politics, And The Crisis In Canadian Democracy (2009), Chapter 6, What If They held an Election and No One Came?, p. 159

“Little wonder that the dumbing down of the political discourse, the attack ads and war rooms reign triumphant. The fifth estate is an enabler in this addiction to political trivia in place of reasoned debate.”

Elizabeth May

Source: Losing Confidence - Power, politics, And The Crisis In Canadian Democracy (2009), Chapter 3, The Americanization of Our Election Process, p. 91

“Strategically, as leader of the Green Party and the first elected Green in Parliament, I didn’t want to be in a renovated bank building,” she says. “I wanted to be on Parliament Hill, in a building that screams out at you, this is Parliament!”

Elizabeth May

The Walrus interview (2012)

“C-10 is such a nightmare, because we’re going to have a ton of amendments,” she says. “And I can’t present them unless I’m physically there.”

Elizabeth May

The Walrus interview (2012)

“When women raise their voices to be heard over the noise, they sound hysterical,” she says. “It’s a sexist world. If you lose control over your lower register, you’re going to be seen as a nut.”

Elizabeth May

The Walrus interview (2012)

“Without sounding arrogant,” she says, “I’m good on my feet.”

Elizabeth May

The Walrus interview (2012)

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