The Green Party & Politics
Russow joined the Green Party in 1993 and became leader in 1997. Russow ran for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons in three federal elections; in Victoria in 1997 and 2000, and a federal by-election in Okanagan-Coquihalla in September, 2000. She lost all three bids.
Russow's late partner was David Scott White (born Winnipeg, January 20, 1947; died Victoria, BC July 16, 2006) who was the former chair of the Green Party of British Columbia. White was the manager of Russow's election campaign as leader of the federal Green party.
Under the leadership of Russow, policies were developed which promoted social justice, human rights, and peace, as well as the more traditional concerns with environment.
In the 2001 Quebec City protest against the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Russow was detained for taking a photograph of the jail that was being emptied to incarcerate the FTAA protesters. Russow promoted the Green Party as a leader in the anti-globalization movement, in particular the anti-corporatist and pro-peace movement.
Russow and White left the Green Party in 2001, partly due to the German Green party's support of the NATO attack on Serbia. Russow and White both joined the NDP in 2003 and White continued his work as an activist until his death, most recently researching and writing against Canada's military role in Afghanistan.
In 2005 she criticized the Green Party under Jim Harris for moving away from some of its original left-wing principles.
Read more about this topic: Joan Russow
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