IT WASN’T LONG AGO that the Green Party was generally believed to be a place reserved for the strictest of idealogues, and otherwise a place to waste your vote. People upset at the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP could vote Green to express their anger and frustration.
No longer.
This week, the federal Greens won a hard-fought by-election in Nanaimo-Ladysmith. Paul Manly handily beat out contenders from the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP, and will join Elizabeth May in the House of Commons. He’ll have to fight it out all over again in the fall general vote, but it’s difficult to imagine a huge swing in the intentions of Nanaimo-Ladysmith voters in just five months.
But Manly’s victory is not the only indication that the Green Party is picking up steam. Last month, the Green Party was elected as the official opposition in Prince Edward Island — the first time that has happened anywhere in Canada. If they vote in concert with the Liberals, who hold the balance of power, they can bring down the minority Conservative government.
And we know here in B.C. better than anywhere that the Greens, no matter your opinion of them, cannot be dismissed as politically irrelevant. They hold the balance of power here, and were the king-makers for John Horgan in 2017. A disenchanted Andrew Weaver could still throw the province into political chaos.
But back to the federal side. Elizabeth May now has a colleague in caucus, and could be angling for two more. Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott, without a political home after being turfed by Justin Trudeau, are most closely aligned with the Greens. If they cross the floor, or if they decide to run Green in the fall election, they could make the Green Party a real player.
The Conservatives are likely not too concerned, but this should be very concerning with soft Liberals not happy with Trudeau’s performance as Prime Minister, not to mention soft NDP supporters.
Elizabeth May got married this year, and if she can make these inroads in this year’s federal election, she will really be having quite a year. All indications are it could certainly happen.
