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Michael Marshall organized the GPC-NS from scratch in early 2004 and was first to achieve a full slate? of 11 candidates in any Atlantic Canada province. He was highly effective during the Canadian federal election, 2004 at growing the Green vote to near par with other regions in Canada.

advice ignored

After that election, his advice was ignored by GPC Organizing Chair Kevin Colton who defied Marshall's advice on how to organize NS ridings using part-time staff? only. Colton tried to insist on one fulltime hire answerable only to the GPC in Ottawa. This person was in fact never actually hired and as of 2005-12, no organizers work for the GPC within NS.

Marshall had advised hiring part-timers in each region who would be willing also to work on unpaid time with the Nova Scotia Greens in time to enable a Green Party of Nova Scotia to contest an anticipated Nova Scotia provincial election? - one that is now not expected before 2006?.

Colton and provincial parties

Colton's insistence on a plan that would hire only organizer he could completely control was thought by some Greens to compete and interfere directly with GPNS organizing, and to be an attempt to control or limit a new GPNS. Colton has been implicated in at least one breach of confidential information from a provincial party, in which he possibly induced or pressured an auditor to breach professional ethics. See also Nara Manickam.

2005 attitude

Though he was entirely inactive in the GPC during the GPC Council Crisis, Marshall apparently regards Kevin Colton as a personal friend and denies that Colton's actions drove him (Marshall) out of the party. In his words:

"I've been researching a book on the war time development of penicillin. One group produced hundreds of scientific papers on penicillin. The other group - philistines - were simply content to actually produce penicillin in time for D Day."

"This research has led me to re-affirm my dislike of the chattering classes as against those who actually put their hands on a spade and get their hands dirty for a good cause."

Perhaps as evidence of this dislike of politics as usual, Marshall took a job at a hotel and began working on other projects.

2006

However, Marshall was involved with Elizabeth Perry?'s campaign for the GPC in the Canadian federal election, 2006, though not in the organizing of other candidates.

GPC-NS now organized from PEI

The GPC-NS had more or less ceased to exist as an organization after Marshall's departure from organizing and some controversies regarding various non-consultative actions of Sheila Richardson in the GPC Council Crisis. Among other effects, these prevented Green High from visiting the province, alienated Craig Hubley and Michael Oddy from the GPC, established GPC unperson status. Oddy and Hubley continue to work with to oppose the GPC centralization of power, along with some Greens who boycotted the GPNS AGM 2006 and the new GPNS constitution which Marshall and Martin Willison had supported.

As of 2005-12, GPC organizing in Nova Scotia was being conducted by Sharon Labchuk? in PEI?.

GPNS controversy

Meanwhile, the Green Party of Nova Scotia selected Michael Oddy as its interim leader, running him in a spring byelection?. Oddy spoke often against GPC Leader Jim Harris for anti-democratic tactics, including some that drove Lori-Ann Martino out of the party during the Canadian federal election, 2006. In a move widely reported by Maritime mass media?, Oddy endorsed strategic voting for the New Democratic Party of Canada to stop Stephen Harper from becoming Prime Minister of Canada in the Canadian federal election, 2006. Some radio sources briefly erroneously reported that it had been Marshall.

Marshall had been contacted by Oddy and other GPNS figures to consider running in the NS general election, 2006? but had taken no position. It became apparent why a few days after Oddy resigned as leader of the GPNS. He admitted on the GPNS mailing list? that he had retreated when "an anti-Jim motion that Michael Oddy brought forward," had been debated, whereupon he "soon realized I was the only Jim supporter in the room , so I tried to moderate the motion's language and then bailed out."

Marshall has repeatedly attempted to deny that Oddy had any support in the NS Greens despite "5-0" and 6-0" motions in favour of his speaking against Harris. Hubley has commented only that unanimity is not consensus and that Marshall retreating rather than advancing his position is proof of a sick organization, as was the likewise unanimous support of a bad GPNS constitution.

Michael Oddy quit the GPNS and the leadership as it became obvious that the people who supported him in live meetings would not do so in the GPNS, and would support Marshall and the GPC even with proof in hand that the positions Oddy had taken had been verified.

Similarly, Marshall actively advocated that GPNS be rendered unable to easily criticize the GPC, as did several other Greens in those last days before the election, notably Daniel Rainham? and Bruce Farrell?.

He predicted also that the GPC would get more votes than the NDP got in the Canadian federal election, 1993. Hubley had predicted on the same list that due to the GPC whistleblower crisis, 2006 and the publicity around it, the vote would be down. In the end the vote turned out to be more or less exactly the same.

Marshall also said that he would not be in a party with Hubley. Hubley withdrew his offer to Marshall to let him or anyone he named take over as mailing list moderator?, as Marshall was obviously not neutral between the factions involved. Lisa Budney? took over instead.

GPNS role

what is his role in the GPNS now?