(The following article is from the September 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.)

People's Voice Editorial, Sept. 16-30, 2008

Progressive civic activists in Vancouver heaved a sigh of relief on Sept. 8, with the announcement of electoral cooperation involving Vision Vancouver, the Coalition of Progressive Electors, and the civic Greens. The agreement requires ratification at the COPE policy conference on Sept. 14, after this issue goes to press. As supporters of COPE from its foundation forty years ago, we hope that the cooperation deal will receive overwhelming support from COPE members.

     The agreement includes eight City Council nominations for Vision and only two for COPE, which is less than many had hoped for. But COPE's greatest strength today is not at the Council level, but at School Board, where the agreement does give COPE five of nine nominations. Overall, the agreement gives the best possible chances to elect several COPE candidates on Nov. 15, an outcome which is crucial to the survival of Canada's oldest labour-left civic reform alliance.

     Most importantly, cooperation allows the left and centre forces in Vancouver to unite against the right-wing NPA. Despite some legitimate criticisms of Vision, the fact is that the NPA is the party of big business and the developers in Vancouver. Only unity can bring victory in November, creating better conditions to fight for social housing, better schools, and all the other reforms desperately desired by working people. It's time to focus on the future, by electing a broad left-centre alliance to City Hall, School Board and Park Board.