Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 09/02) - A security guard who was once a Newfoundland pro wrestler called "Pete Pink the Pink Panzy" is running as the sole Northwest Territories candidate for the leadership of the Green Party.

And Jason Crummey, 36, wants to talk policy.

"I don't love politics but I love policy. Policy is the keystone to every political party and it's the keystone to our democracy. Because if you don't have a policy it's just a pretty face you're voting for," said Crummey, who works security at the Diavik Diamond mine site.

What kind of policy? Maybe not the kind you would expect from the Green Party. Among Crummey's political ideas are commercial fisheries in the North's two biggest lakes.

"There's a lot of very very important issues that include -- but are not limited to -- oil and gas, mining, renewable resources, a fishery on Great Slave Lake, a commercial fishery on Great Bear Lake, a commercial fishery up in Coronation Bay."

Three weeks ago, Crummey had the first meeting for the Western Arctic Green Party, which now has a membership list of 12. Crummey sent minutes from the first meeting to both the local library and the National Archives -- who responded with a phone call asking if his mailing was a joke.

He has been nominated to the Green Party leadership. The vote is in January. He has been with the Green Party since 1996, when he was a charter member of the Terra Nova Greens, Nfld. Since that time, he has travelled to Green conventions across Canada and the United States

Crummey marches to the tune of sustainable development, which does not necessarily exclude intensive mining. After all, he said, people have been digging holes in the ground for thousands of years.

Besides, look at the Green Party's roots.

"The Green Party came from Germany and that place has been burnt, slashed and paved. So as far as being pristine environmentalists goes, Germans are not it. But as far as creating policies for a sustainable environment or economy the Germans are in the lead. We can't stop our economy. We have to figure out how to least impact our environment."

But he has no illusions about personal power.

"It's not so important that I get elected to the federal Green Party leadership or that the Green Party forms the Government of Canada.

"What is important here is that we bring forth these important policies and hopefully other parties, the New Democrats and the Liberals, will steal our really good policies ... and our society and our democracy will be better for it."