Svend Robinson: "Our Last Chance to Turn Things Around"

 Svend Roberts: "Our Last Chance To Turn Things Around"

Svend Robinson says he didn’t prepare for this. He shows me a letter from Black Diamond, Alberta that she just received. She urges him to do everything he can to ensure the federal NDP addresses the climate change crisis as it is. Attached to the letter is a $20 handwritten cheque.

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Robinson, who is turning 67 this spring, said that it was exciting to see that there are people feeling that urgency and that the political movement has to respond.

Robinson and I are sitting together in a north Burnaby vacant storefront. Robinson gestures like a theatre director when he's on an empty stage.

To our east is Burnaby Mountain, where Trans Mountain's pipeline has just been approved by the federal Liberal government. It is here that more than 30 oil tankers will transport their climate-depleting cargo to the Pacific Ocean every month, provided the project can overcome legal challenges from Squamish First Nations and the TsleilWaututh. *

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This darkened former bicycle shop on Hastings Street will become the headquarters of Robinson's campaign. According to Robinson, October's federal election "is our last chance" to address climate change.

Robinson said that there are many layers to this statement.

Robinson quit in 2004 after 25 years of being a progressive, media-savvy and media-savvy NDP politician. He was also the first openly gay federal candidate to win an election. Robinson claimed that he stole and returned a $21,500 diamond band from an auction. This happened despite having untreated mental health problems. This is his first attempt to make a political comeback since 2006. It could also be his last.

Robinson believes that the NDP lost its ground values, dropping from 95 to 44 seats at the 2015 federal elections. He believes it was because of its support for "mushy" centrism. It promised balanced budgets and justice for Canada's most vulnerable. Robinson feels it's now time to resurrect the NDP after the rise in politicians like Bernie Sanders or Jeremy Corbyn. He was personally involved with them during his career.

Robinson claims that his return to politics was motivated by "deep concern about the direction my party, particularly following the last federal election." The party's decision was, I believe to be, disastrous. We were the ones who paid the price.

Robinson, as many Canadians, was scared by the United Nations report that said humankind has only 11 year to reduce global emissions. If we don't, we could be locked into climate change, which may cause permanent flooding in Richmond and wildfires seasons far worse than those we currently experience. He believes it should be Canada’s top priority to "rapidly move away from fossil-fuels." Mostians Endorse Online Gambling