Convention attendees were treated to greetings from Yohan Hamels of the European Greens Saturday morning.

"I am in politics because when I read newspapers I get shocked," Hamels began, pointing towards the number of people who are killed or seriously injured while riding a bike and calling it "a scandal." The issue of cyclist safety unites people from all over the world, he said.

Hamels brought the "admiration" of the European Greens, saying "it's nice to see that Green politics reaches the same level of organization here as in Europe, even under sometimes some more difficult circumstances. What you have accomplished is remarkable. We hope to build more intensive relations with the Greens from North America and specifically from Canada."

Switching to French, Hamels said that Greens around the world have common aspirations, but that Canada is perceived as being very close to Saudi Arabia in the upcoming COP15 United Nations climate change negotiations in Copenhagen. "We're glad that [federal Green leader] Elizabeth May will in Copenhagen" to help give another voice, he said.

Hamels encouraged Green parties in Canada to focus on economic issues, saying that the European Greens' decision to emphasize a "Green New Deal" in 2009 lead to the first ever recession-era increase in both votes and seats. "This is how we can reach many more people," he said.

Hamels also pointed to progress towards gender parity as one of the big accomplishments for European Greens in the past few years.

He concluded by presenting leadership contestant Mike Schreiner with a t-shirt that reads, "Think Big / Vote Green."

"'Small is beautiful' is still valid," he said, "but our responsibility obliges us to think big."