(The following article is from the June 16-30, 2008, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

By Kimball Cariou

Nothing focuses the minds of civic reform activists like an impending municipal campaign. That was the case for members of Vancouver's Coalition of Progressive Electors, at their annual meeting on June 1.

     At the time of the AGM, Vancouver's civic scene remained in suspense pending the outcome of mayoralty nominations by other parties, particularly the big business Non-Partisan Alliance, and the centrist Vision Vancouver, formed three years ago by a breakaway group of COPE councillors.

     Despite lingering bitterness over that episode, which effectively handed the 2005 election to the NPA, COPE members increasingly see the need for unity to block another NPA victory as the critical priority. A slate of candidates holding that view won a majority on the COPE executive in May 2007, at a hotly contested AGM. This time around, a last-minute agreement between two groups within the COPE leadership yielded a similar result, confirmed later in the meeting by a strong vote in favour of continued unity efforts.

     The new COPE executive table officers include Ellen Woodsworth and Donalda Greenwell-Baker (external and internal co-chairs), recording secretary Jane Bouey, treasurer Terry Martin, membership secretary Nathan Lusignan, corresponding secretary Tim Louis, and fundraiser Connie Hubbs.

     The last year has seen some ups and downs for COPE, and a complex and frustrating struggle to build anti-NPA cooperation.

     Reports from COPE's Park Board members and school trustees showed the positive impact of their consistent work with grassroots community groups. On some issues, such as school closures and outrageous plans for private businesses in city parks, COPE has been able to win small but significant victories. Their efforts have gone a long way towards keeping COPE on the voters' radar, despite a lack of media coverage. A number of high-profile candidates who have announced plans to seek COPE nominations were introduced, including incumbent school trustees Alan Wong and Al Blakey, former trustee Bouey, and parks commissioner Loretta Woodcock.

     On city council, COPE's lone representative, David Cadman, has continued to shine as Vancouver's most consistent and principled fighter for working people and protection of the environment. Vision's four councillors and Cadman have voted together against the NPA on many important issues, but Vision's mixed record and their links with some developers continue to raise doubts about the party's direction, leading many progressives to call for a Cadman mayoralty campaign.

     COPE members universally believe Cadman would be an excellent mayor, but there are also concerns that if he lost that race, the organization might be shut out of city council completely.

     In the end, some three-quarters of COPE members at the AGM voted to refer the crucial decision until a meeting in September, after Vision's June 15 nomination. In the minds of many, if Vision nominates Alan de Genova, an ex-NPA maverick and federal Liberal, this would signal a definitive shift to the centre-right by Vision, leaving the field wide open for a Cadman campaign. But the picture becomes more complicated if Vision picks NDP MLA Gregor Robertson, who is considered more compatible with COPE's social justice policies, or Raymond Louie, one of those who bolted COPE three years ago.

     The minority who wanted an immediate nomination argued that without a candidate for mayor, COPE will be unable to break into the mass media. But most civic activists believe that a divided left and centre will be defeated by the NPA, a scenario seen several times in recent decades here. In effect, deferring the decision was a clear statement from the membership that despite Vision's foot-dragging, efforts to negotiate some kind of joint slate and common platform must continue over the summer. The vote came at the end of a long and tiring afternoon, with perhaps half of the members still present. But if anything, the opponents of further unity negotiations were dismayed by their dwindling support, only able to muster a couple of dozen votes despite intense mobilizing efforts and impassioned appeals at the microphone.

     After early three years back in office, the NPA's record includes massive tax hikes for homeowners, a three-month strike interruption of civic services caused by Mayor Sam Sullivan's stubborn refusal to follow the pattern in Lower Mainland municipal contract bargaining, plans to impose poorly-planned, massive developments in residential east-side neighbourhoods (appallingly copyrighted by Sullivan as "eco-density"), a complete failure to stand up to provincial education underfunding, and much more.

     A week after the COPE meeting, the NPA dumped the unpopular Sullivan, nominating Councillor Peter Ladner for mayor instead. Ladner and Sullivan boast identical voting records, so the NPA remains highly vulnerable despite this cosmetic change. Now the labour movement and other progressive forces are waiting to see which direction Vision will choose: to accept COPE's unity overtures, or to go it alone, which might help Ladner pull off another NPA victory.

     (PV editor Kimball Cariou, a long-time COPE member, spoke at the AGM in favour of unity against the NPA.)