Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Green Party鈥檚 victory in Monday鈥檚 federal byelection shows that Canadians are 鈥減reoccupied鈥� with climate change -- but Green Party Leader Elizabeth May wants voters to know that her platform is about more than the environment.
鈥淲e鈥檝e always had a comprehensive platform鈥e鈥檝e always pressed for pharmacare, we鈥檝e pressed for social justice, for guaranteed minimum income -- actually ending poverty,鈥� May told CTV鈥檚 Power Play host Don Martin on Tuesday. 鈥淲e have a more comprehensive foreign policy online that people can find more than any of the other parties.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know that they even know their own foreign policy to hear some of the other leaders talk,鈥� she continued.
Green Party candidate Paul Manly received 37.4 per cent of the vote in the B.C. Nanaimo-Ladysmith byelection on Monday -- a far lead over second-place Conservative candidate John Hirst, who got about 25 per cent.
鈥淧aul Manly鈥檚 campaign was terrific,鈥� said May. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a wonderful candidate.鈥�
May also wanted to be clear that while her party platform is comprehensive, Manly鈥檚 win does show that 鈥渢he voters of Nanaimo-Ladysmith are very concerned about the climate crisis鈥� among other issues such as housing, local representation and fracking.
B.C. is a prominent area for the Green Party, with John Kidder, May鈥檚 husband, getting ready to run in his riding of Mission-Matsqui-Fraser-Canyon 鈥� but May was quick to point out the results from the provincial election in P.E.I, where the Green Party is now the Official Opposition.
Professor of political science at Simon Fraser University Stewart Prest told 麻豆传媒 Channel Tuesday that this result is indicative of 鈥渧oters saying we need something else instead.鈥�
Prest said that normally when voters are unhappy with the major parties, the 鈥減rotest vote鈥� usually goes to the NDP.
鈥淰oters are clearly looking for nuanced ways to express their opinions,鈥� Prest said. 鈥淭hese big tent parties are not coming through and providing answers to questions -- like issues of social justice, issues of environmental action.鈥�
鈥淰oters are clearly signalling there鈥檚 something wanting.鈥�
May told reporters on Parliament Hill that this momentum can translate to wins at the federal level.
鈥淎nything is possible in the next federal election,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f we can as a smaller party get our message out and let Canadians know we want to go to work for them.鈥�
