The Greens: Worth it, or Waste?

That is often the question people ask themselves when they consider voting Green.

And well they should. The Greens have never held a seat in Parliament or in a provincial Legislature. So why *would* you vote for them?

Well, there are many reasons. And some you may not realised.

  1. Did you know that the Green Party of Canada has a candidate running in every single riding in Canada? The Bloc can’t say that… and before the Conservative Merge… the Canadian Alliance/Reform party couldn’t say it either.
  2. They’re not the status-quo: Have you ever thought that voting is useless because all political parties are the same? They’re just out for the money and the power and the greed. Well, I’m not here to say any individual Green Party candidate is better than all the rest… but what better way to register your “protest” of the status quo then to vote for a completely different party. Not Voting is not a protest… it’s a submission. You’ll just be classed as yet another “undecided or something in the polls. You can’t participate in a protest march without actually marching.. so how can you protest your voting selection without actually voting?
  3. Take a look at their platform It’s not just a platform, it’s a discussion with Canadians.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. My point here is not to encourage you to vote for the Greens, but rather, to see that they do have a real platform. Real ideas. And they deserve to be treated as a Real Alternative.

Right now, the Media outlets are giving the Greens the cursory treatment… the bare minimum really.

They have said nothing of their platform… aside from the stereotypical “they like the environment”. And, to be fair to the Media, that’s really all the Greens are giving them right now. This election is very different though for the Greens. They were, for the first time, funded by Elections Canada. They reached the critical 2% threshold (in fact, they doubled it) and as a result, was granted around $1,000,000 dollars to fund their next, this, campaign. As a result, they will be able to put on much more advertising, and carry a much higher profile than they ever have before.

Jim Harris plans on announcing the Green Partys’ official 2005 platform next week. When they do, hopefully the media gives it the attention they deserve. But even more important will be whether the major Media outlets allow the Green Party to participate in the Debates.

As a friend of mine mentioned yesterday… you need only look at the Liberal Party of British Columbias history to see how a new, small party can grow and become a viable alternative. Gordon Wilson started the Liberal Party in BC in the 1980s. But it was not until he was granted the right to participate in the provincial debate, that voters noticed him. He was an excellent speaker, and he propelled his party into what is now the governing party of British Columbia (even though he has since left politics in shame).

The same can be said of the meager beginnings of the Reform party… however, its’ regional and grass-roots status gave it an immediate voting base. The Greens don’t have that. And that, I believe, is even more of a reason to give them the attention they deserve. They are a truly national party. They do not bend to regional interests. They will not pander to the views of a few.

So… as this election goes on, remember the Green Party. Look for them in the Media. Demand to see more of them. Because as participants in this Democracy we as voters deserve to be told the whole story from all sides.

7 replies on “The Greens: Worth it, or Waste?”

  1. The leaders of the Libs, Cons, NDP and Bloc decided to have 4 debates including – surprise – only the Libs, Cons, NDP & Bloc.

    Apparently the concepts of public interest and conflict of interest are foreign to our media.

    http://www.cbc.ca/story/canadavotes2006/national/2005/11/30/debate051130.html

    I can’t wait to hear Gilles Duceppe debate as it will have such a big impact on whether I vote for his party or not. Too bad the nearest Bloc candidate is over 1,000 miles away.

  2. I posted a blog entry about this the other night..(click here for my article)….IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING that a tax funded media outlet is BLACKING OUT another publicly funded NATIONAL party. My entry points out that the CBC website also excludes the Greens.

    Why is the bloc given any media presence outside of Quebec? There is a probability of zero that they will ever lead our government.

    The Greens are a NATIONAL PARTY with NATIONAL FUNDING.

    This is not a democracy when the bloc is given airtime.

  3. So my question is.

    Why the heck are WE standing around and just taking it?

    We know the MSM is aware of Bloggers. Why can’t we organize a blogger phone in. If every blogger in the Right and Left Canadian Blogosphere phones up the same CBC, CTV and Global phone numbers. How can they ignore us???

  4. The only way the Greens will make progress is if we get some form of proportional representation in the country. Ironically, until we do, the best thing for Greens to do is vote NDP. They are the only party who will push for PR and might even be successful if they hold the balance of power. Until then, the Greens are just in the way, and a vote for them in a riding where the NDP has a chance is profoundly unhelpful, even to the Greens themselves.

  5. I don’t really care who people vote for, I likely won’t vote for the Greens… simply because I want the NDP candidate in my riding to win.

    But I *do* think that the Greens should have a place at the Debate. They are federally funded. They have $1 Million. They are a National party which I am sure millions of voters, Conservative or Liberal have considered voting for, and as such they should have the opportunity to be better informed.

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