This will be the last time I’ll speak as leader of the GPBC.

Before I start, I would like to ask all of the 2013 candidates who are here to stand. I want to personally thank each of you for stepping forward to represent the BC Green Party and I ask everyone to join me in giving them a round of applause.

Together this group of people provided voters with the opportunity to vote Green and they increased the support for the party. In 2009, we achieved just over 8% of the popular vote. We got almost the same percent in 2013 with 24 fewer candidates. It is an extraordinary achievement and virtually everyone who ran increased the popular vote in their riding, some doubling and even tripling previous results. On South Vancouver Island, 3 candidates received one-third or more of the popular vote.

Since I announced my decision to retire from politics and resign as leader, I've had a number of people suggest I leave big shoes to fill and that I’ll leave a lasting legacy on the provincial Green Party and politics in general. I've left enough organizations to know that once you leave, you're gone – there are no shoes to fill and no lasting legacy. This reality is amplified in politics. It was fun being deemed the most trustworthy leader and being recognized for my integrity and honesty but I don’t expect my absence to matter. Although, I’ve started a blog to share my observations and opinions about politics and other things so we’ll see.

Throughout the history of the GPBC, at each stage, the leader; the various provincial councils, and the membership have shaped it collectively. The Green Party of BC is ready to write its next chapter.

If there is a legacy from my time as leader, I hope it is three-fold. First, I hope the party continues to live within its means. When I was elected leader the party was a mess. It had a long-term debt of $30,000 and a deficit of $15,000 on $120,000 in income. It was about to be deregistered as a political party by Elections BC and as a Society by the government. The debt was a consequence of believing our obligations did not need to be repaid. The deficit came from a belief that if there is money in the bank, it can be spent.

If I contributed anything to the party it was an understanding that we should run our affairs like a business. In addition to paying off our debts under my leadership, we made sure that expenditures matched revenues and we paid attention to cash flow. Anyone who has been in business knows that most businesses fail because of cash flow, not income. This is doubly important to the GPBC because our monthly revenue is less than our expenses. Historically, we’ve used our year-end fundraising to allow us to top up the monthly deficit.

Adhering to this principle is easier than it sounds and I think the Party is vulnerable. I've heard several plans to hire a number of people. Without new sources of revenue, the Party can't afford more staff. Without a strategic plan, the Party risks hiring the wrong people - people hired because someone likes them rather than identifying a job that needs to be done and using a competitive process to hire the best person to fill that function. Provincial Council will need to distinguish between wants and needs and keep the party goal directed.

I want to give special mention to Walter Meyer zu Erpen and Rebecca Helps related to our financial recovery. Walter was elected Chair when I was elected leader. We worked tirelessly to raise the money needed to pay off debt and resolve the deficit. We did so by the end of 2008. And Walter was instrumental in recreating the reports needed to satisfy the deficiencies at EBC and the Society Branch. Walter is an archivist by profession and it was a time when those skills were needed.

Rebecca came on as Executive Director April 1, 2010. Six weeks later all of our information systems crashed. She was able to migrate us from that disaster to stable financial and database systems that have served the party well. Without Rebecca and Walter, this party would not exist.

My second hope is that we continue to see ourselves as a political party not an advocacy or protest group. I hope those carrying the party forward will work toward becoming the second party in BC; to getting more people elected, to forming opposition, to forming government. The Green Party is part of an international movement but the most successful Green Parties as defined by actually changing public policy are those with elected members and enough members to truly influence the decisions that are made. European Green parties that participate in government are able to implement the solutions we propose.

My third wish is for the Party to continue its current process of policy development and to its commitment to keeping all policy public at all times. The most rewarding part of my job as leader has been to work on an ongoing basis with Research and Policy Chair Roland Wahlgren. I have worked with Roland since 2010. He has brought a new level of rigorous evaluation to policy making within the GPBC – against 10 Green Principles and evidence-based support. Roland is joined by group of well-educated professionals - subsection policy coordinators – currently Joseph Kwan, Cassie Swartz and Allison Witter.

As I leave the leadership, I find myself in a familiar place. A psychologist’s job is to work yourself out of a job. With the election of our first MLA and the shift in focus that has happened as a consequence, it is an opportune time for me to leave. When I was elected leader in 2007, I promised not to stay longer than 6 years and this allows me to honour that commitment.

My philosophy in life is that when a door opens, I walk through without looking back. In this instance, I do so with relief and excitement. While it has been a privilege to have a public stage to talk about Green solutions for poverty elimination and creating strong local economies, being leader has been the most difficult and least rewarding job I have ever done - including teaching grade 8 when all the girls seemed to decide to go through puberty at the same time. 

I have been successful but it is hard to feel successful.

I am forever grateful to my campaign team. For the six months from November to the election, I discovered that politics could be fun. It came from having an exceptional team, a shared mission, a sense of possibility and lots of good humour, laughter and playfulness.

I promised myself I would only stay as leader on if it continued to be fun. Despite our success, it hasn’t been. There are things I want to do and I’m at an age that if I want to do those things, it’s time to get on with it.

I’m excited about the future of the Green Party of BC. As a result of the election, we have a number of young people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who ran as candidates, served as organizers or worked as interns who continue to drive the party forward. They are professional, ambitious and principled.

The Party will change and it needs to change. With the election of our first MLA and this new energy, the foundation has been set for the next level of success.

In closing, I want to thank Mike Hickey. Mike has been the Party Chair for the past year. He agree to run as Chair when we desperately needed someone to take on the position. He said he was willing to help in any way he could. The past year has been one of great challenges and tough choices. Mike was always willing to make the hard decisions and to carry them out. Mike told me he has the Chair’s job description taped to his mirror and most of what he’s had to do in the last year isn’t on that document. Without Mike, I couldn’t have been successful as leader and the Party would not be where it is.

Stick a fork in me, I’m done!

Thank you