Francis Chartrand for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles

Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006 5:28pm

Jim Loney spoke today for our new faith and justice commission. The room was packed. What was amazing was the fact that the people gathered weren't just there to learn from Jim's experience but also looking for ways of bringing their faith to the work of changing this country for the better.

We had people who came from the Sikh tradition, the Muslim tradition, the Jewish tradition and those who have no affiliated or structured "religious" background.

But what they seemed to have was what Jim Loney called us to do - "to build the new society in the shell of the old" and to "make a world where it is easier for people to be good."

These are the folks going back to their ridings and faith communities to build the bridges with the NDP.

It's been very exciting to see.

Malalai Joya

Friday, Sept. 8, 2006 8:05pm

I'm sitting here in the congress hall as Afghan representative Malalai Joya speaks. It is hard to describe the sense of almost breathless emotion that fills the room. Her denunciation of the Northern Alliance and the US-led war needs to be heard.

She speaks of the torture, the starvation and the growing barbarism that is taking place under the US-backed warlords. She is a powerful prophet for justice calling for the disarmament of both the "pro-US terrorists" along with the "anti-US terrorists."

"No country can bring liberation to another," she says.

"We are deeply sorry for the death of Canadian troops, but if Canada cannot act independently of the US government it will not be able to help the Afghan people."

By the time she finishes speaking, there are people crying all around us. What an unbelievable woman of courage.

Democracy is messy

Friday, Sept. 8, 2006 5:27pm

The afternoon has been spent with delegates debating the priorities surrounding hundreds of resolution. These resolutions were drafted by activists in riding associations across the country.

The resolutions cover a wide array of issues from opposing digital RFID (radio frequency identification devices) in clothing, to positions on international troop deployment.

The media have spent a great deal of time poring over the language of these resolutions -- making hay whenever they find something controversial.

The reality is that many of these resolutions never even make it to the floor for a vote.

And when they come forward in the afternoon priority sesssions, the result is passionate and sometimes seemingly chaotic debate from supporters and opposers on all sides.

Is it ordered? No. Democracy is a messy and passionate time when the front line activists try to push the party forward, sometimes to the cutting edge of controversy.

But at the end of the day, we see a passionate exchange of ideas and positions under an ever-increasingly big tent of supporters.

Something special

Friday, Sept. 8, 2006 3:17pm

There is a real sense here in Quebec that something special is happening. You could sense it last night as 800 or so folks gathered on the train platform in montreal.

What we saw were folks from across the country -- young, old, new citizens, francophones.

The team from my own riding (Timmins-James Bay) is a good example of this exciting new face of the NDP.

Many are folks who have never been active in the party before. We have some strong grassroots franco-ontarien activists who are now active and outspoken in our riding association.

They are coming to Quebec because they believe that change is possible and that the NDP represents a very real alternaitve to the Harper Tories.

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 12:23 AM