Joan Russow

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article or section needs to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please help improve this article with relevant internal links. (November 2007)
This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling.
You can assist by editing it now. A how-to guide is available. (November 2007)

Joan Elizabeth Russow (Ottawa: November 1, 1938) is a Canadian peace activist and former national leader of the Green Party of Canada from 1997 to 2001.[1][2]

Russow's late partner was David Scott White (Winnipeg: January 20, 1947 – Victoria, B.C.: July 16, 2006) who was the former chair of the Green Party of British Columbia.[3] "White managed Russow's election campaign as leader of the federal Green party, and remained active in the party for the five years of Russow's leadership."[4]

The couple left the party in 2001, disillusioned by, among other factors, 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.[4]

Russow received her BA and a Master’s degree in Education from the University of British Columbia.[5] Russow received her Ph.D.[2] from the University of Victoria in Interdisciplinary studies.

Russow is a co-founder of the Ecological Rights Association and the Global Compliance Research Project.[2]

Russow first gained attention in the "Lord's Prayer Case" which resulted in the banning of school prayer in public schools in British Columbia in 1989.[6]

Russow joined the Green Party in 1993 and became leader in 1997.[2] 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-Coquihala in September, 2000.[2] She lost all three bids.

She left the Green Party in 2003 to join the New Democratic Party[7] and in 2005 she criticized the Green Party under Jim Harris for moving away from some of its original left-wing principles.[8]

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 collaboration with the professors in the Law faculty of the University of Toronto, Russow was the litigant in the Charter challenge of the first-past-the-post electoral system in Canada.[9]

Russow developed a "common Security Index" which was submitted to the Senate Committee on the Anti-Terrorism Act on October 17, 2005.[10]

Russow has been speaking out about the increased militarism in Canada, and also attends civic events and parades where she publicly denounces WWII veterans as warmongers.[11] Her activism currently focuses on: (i) Increased military budget; (ii) increased belligerence in the military invasion and occupation of Afghanistan (iii) increased military exercises involving US nuclear powered vessels and nuclear arms capable vessels and aircraft and using live ammunition; (iv) increased military recruitment ads on television and buses, in "Navy days" with booths, and in schools; (v) increased mining and production of uranium, including the contribution to US ad NATO weapon systems; (vii) increased military flights overhead and participation in community events and parades.[12]

In March 2007, Russow lobbied state delegations in the UN General Assembly to invoke Article 22 of the Charter of the United Nations to set up an international tribunal to try the Bush regime. On March 8, 2007, the petition, in the six official languages was submitted to the office of the President of the UN General Assembly.[13]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Globe and Mail Election 2000
  2. ^ a b c d e Affidavit of Joan Russow
  3. ^ Peace, Earth and Justice on-line newsletter obituary
  4. ^ a b The Province newspaper obituary
  5. ^ The University of British Columbia Alumni Directory 1992
  6. ^ British Columbia Courthouse Library Society case name
  7. ^ Bell, Jeff. "Ex-leader of Green party becomes New Democrat", Times-Colonist, 2003-09-06, p. C4. 
  8. ^ Keller, James. "Former Greens say leader Jim Harris moving party too far to the right", Canadian Press, 2005-12-11. 
  9. ^ Affidavit of Joan Russow
  10. ^ Proceedings of the Special Senate Committee on the Anti-terrorism Act
  11. ^ Oak Bay News, 7 June 2006 (p.A6), 6 June 2007 (p.A11) & 13 June 2007 (p.A9).
  12. ^ Proposed No-fly list for Removal of Real Threats
  13. ^ The Bush Regime must be judged by an International Tribunal

[edit] Sources

Preceded by
Harry Garfinkle		 Green Party of Canada leaders
1997-2001		 Succeeded by
Chris Bradshaw
v • d • e
Leaders of the Green Party of Canada