Longtime leader George Read unimpressed by ‘hostile’ takeover attempt
Two people are claiming the leadership of the Green Party of Alberta after it held a bizarre annual general meeting in Morningside Alta. September 27.
George Read who’s led the party since 2003 says many non-Green members showed up to the Morningside community hall hoping to change the party’s name and attempt a “a hostile and undemocratic takeover” of the Greens. Read says that in response to this “hijack attempt” the party’s executive convened the meeting in the parking lot and immediately adjourned the AGM postponing it to a later day. The meeting minutes are posted on the Green Party’s website. “We don’t think it’s fair to stack the meeting” says Read.
When the adjournment was announced to those inside the hall it was met with calls of protest. “There were people yelling at us and a number of people felt threatened” says Read. (Video of the adjournment announcement is posted on YouTube.)
Joe Anglin the party’s candidate in Lacombe-Ponoka in the March provincial election says he was elected as the party’s interim leader after Read and his contingent left and a vote was held on Read’s leadership. “We tried to operate as best we could” says Anglin. “The debate was heavy about the vote of no-confidence for the leader. I think the tipping point was that the leadership had left…. Had George stayed at that meeting I’m not so sure he would have failed the vote of no-confidence.” Anglin says a lot of “rotten rumours” preceded the meeting and he acknowledges that some people — including many from his constituency — probably “did show up looking for a new party.” However Anglin says that idea was based on misinformation. “Never was there a new party going to be initiated — a takeover” says Anglin.
Anglin adds that the “secret meeting” in the parking lot excluded the party’s membership and was thus “morally wrong” and “unconstitutional.” Read counters that “officially and legally” those who continued meeting in the hall did so illegitimately. (According to the meeting minutes 28 members participated in the meeting in the parking lot.)
Both Read and Anglin say they want a resolution to the conflict. Anglin wants to discuss the issue with Read right away. “We have to sit down and we just have to talk” says Anglin. Read however wants to let things cool down a bit. “There needs to be a proper meeting with due notice and it is our intention to pull that together” he says adding that his leadership is up for review in 2009.
