James O'Grady

Yes, that’s too extreme and leaves out the fact that the issues at the federal level are different than those at the provincial level because of jurisdiction.  You’re right though that they should stay true to themselves. But it’s hard to do because there are many different shades of Green inside the party. 

Traditionally, Green Parties are centre, cente-right on the political spectrum because their balanced budget, zero waste and small-footprint policies ensure a Green government will make the most of what they have to work with. 

I joined the Green Party because they are the closest thing to a “Pay as you go” political party that exists. Or existed.  Elizabeth May has definitely moved the Green Party to the left and hurt it in the process. I made this argument on behalf of David Chernushenko who ran against her in the 2006 leadership campaign. 

Former Green Party leader Jim Harris was a businessman and as a result, he was able to make gains at the expense of the Conservative Party. Many Red Tories joined the Green Party when Stephen Harper became leader. But they left a short while later when Elizabeth May became the Green leader. 

Elizabeth is very knowledgeable and has raised the Green Party’s profile, but unfortunately for her, the media knows of the many questionable things she’s done to snuff out any opposition internally, even if they don’t write about it. Which is why you don’t see anyone internally able to replace her or many articles about the GPC any more. 

The answer lies in building a stronger ground game. The party is far too weak on the ground in almost every riding. Their focus on individual ridings has also hurt them considerably. This was Elizabeth’s strategy. In the 2011 federal election when she was elected, she sucked all the money out of the party to do so. This practice has continued ever since. If you want to win as a Green Party candidate, you need to do it yourself. The party won’t/can’t help you.

This is the same for the Ontario Greens. For Mike Schreiner to get elected, the party used all/most of the money raised in 2018 for his campaign. His promise of ads in areas outside the GTA and 519 belt never materialized because they decided to keep the money for themselves. It’s quite sad really, because it goes against the basic fundamentals of marketing and sales, which is exactly what election campaigns are all about. As I commented on your earlier piece, voters need to be talking about the Green Party in every corner of the country or province if their best candidates are going to be elected. They don’t seem to understand why this is so, unfortunately. Cutting off their nose despite their face in the process. 

Great post. Thanks for sharing.