[Texgreen] New GP Leader in Canada
David Pollard
dopollard@yahoo.com
Thu, 31 Aug 2006 19:41:55 -0700 (PDT)
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May wins Green Party leadership http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060826.wmay0gree n s0826/BNStory/National/home Canadian Press Ottawa — Green party members chose a high-profile newcomer given to splashy activism at a leadership convention Saturday. Long-time activist Elizabeth May, a former Sierra Club executive director, won by a decisive victory over environmental consultant David Chernushenko, a business-friendly party stalwart in the mould of departing leader Jim Harris. Ms. May won with 2,145 votes, or 65.3 per cent of the valid ballots cast. That was a two-to-one margin over Mr. Chernushenko, who collected 1,096 votes or 33.3 per cent of the total. Jim Fannon, a real estate agent and small businessman, was a distant third at 29 votes. Related to this article Articles The federal party, launched in 1983, has run full slates in the last two federal elections but still has not come close to winning a seat in the Commons.
The Greens received just 4.5 per cent of the popular vote in the last election in January. Delegates at the weekend convention were also to vote on almost 100 policy resolutions, including ending Canada's military role in Afghanistan, stopping subsidies for seal hunting and chemical-based farming, and giving tax breaks to organic farmers. Ms. May promised during her campaign to hold policy sessions across the country and to call on experts to put together a comprehensive platform with new ideas. "The traditional parties look at polls and do focus groups and establish their priorities that way, so they are missing out on innovative new ideas," she said in an interview Friday. "We'll put a cost our proposals. We'll have solid numbers, as opposed to just saying we are committed to being revenue neutral, like we did in the last election." Ms. May, 52, former director of the Sierra Club, called for party unity and said it must build a strong platform
well before the next election. She said some voters have chosen the Greens only as a protest vote. "What we need to do is clearly build a method and a platform so that they are not voting for 'none of the above' but so that they are voting for 'all my dreams,' " May said. Ms. May said her national profile, and background as an adviser to the environment minister during Brian Mulroney's government, are important for getting more Canadians interested in the party. "I have a lot of experience working on the inside and the outside of government and working with the media," Ms. May said. "I'd be the only woman leader of a federal party, and that would also be noteworthy." The new leader said she would run in a Cape Breton riding unless there is a byelection somewhere else first. Ms. May said she will be in the gallery in Parliament during Question Period and will talk with the press. "Since (Prime Minister Stephen) Harper isn't giving interviews,
maybe some of you have some free time," Ms. May joked to reporters after her victory speech. During the speech, Ms. May criticized the recent deal on softwood lumber between Canada and the United States, saying it demonstrates why the North American Free Trade Agreement needs to be renegotiated with the U.S. and Mexico. "In signing this deal, Mr. Harper has said, 'If you push us enough we will say uncle.' We're not against trade but trade must be fair and carbon neutral." Ms. May said she would also push for compliance with the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. "We must stand up to the big lie that Canada cannot meet its Kyoto targets," she said. To give the party more visibility, Ms. May said she is already talking with supportive senators and parliamentarians about creating a "green caucus" on Parliament Hill. Since the May kickoff of the leadership campaign, Green party membership shot up to 8,694 from 5,517. Under Mr. Harris, the party
garnered 664,000 votes in January's federal election, or about 4.5 per cent of the national tally, but no candidates came close to being elected. Green candidates were fielded in every federal riding — an achievement by itself — but some in the party blamed Mr. Harris for not getting better results. Mr. Chernushenko enjoyed the highest vote percentage of any Green candidate, 10 per cent in the Ottawa Centre riding vacated by NDP candidate Ed Broadbent. Ms. May has never run for the party. The Green party was launched in 1983 and ran 60 candidates in the federal election the following year. The 2004 election turned out to be its financial breakthrough. With candidates offered in all ridings, the party won 582,000 votes or 4.3 per cent of the popular vote. Under newly enacted federal financing rules, the Greens thus gained $1.75 for every one of those votes because they had crossed the two per cent threshold set by Elections Canada. Ottawa
pollster Nick Nanos of SES Research said his polls suggest the Green party has potential to go from a movement to a real political force. Party allegiance is volatile these days and the Greens could make inroads with youth and Bloc Quebecois voters, he said. Surveys since the 2004 federal campaign suggest a third of Canadians would consider voting Green, compared with 40 per cent who said the same of the NDP, he said. "The party is particularly strong with voters under 40, and could make inroads in the west Quebec and Ontario." Ms. May said she make a special effort to reach out to youth, and noted the sector was important for her leadership victory. Acknowledging her French needs improvement, she said she hopes to take intensive lessons. "I plan to be fluently bilingual by the time of the next leadership debates," Ms. May said.
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<PRE wrap="">May wins Green Party leadership <A class=moz-txt-link-freetext href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060826.wmay0gree">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060826.wmay0gree</A> n s0826/BNStory/National/home Canadian Press Ottawa — Green party members chose a high-profile newcomer given to splashy activism at a leadership convention Saturday. Long-time activist Elizabeth May, a former Sierra Club executive director, won by a decisive victory over environmental consultant David Chernushenko, a business-friendly party stalwart in the mould of departing leader Jim Harris. Ms. May won with 2,145 votes, or 65.3 per cent of the valid ballots cast. That was a two-to-one margin over Mr. Chernushenko, who collected 1,096 votes or 33.3 per cent of the total. Jim Fannon, a real estate agent and small businessman, was a distant third at 29 votes. Related to this article Articles The federal party, launched in
1983, has run full slates in the last two federal elections but still has not come close to winning a seat in the Commons. The Greens received just 4.5 per cent of the popular vote in the last election in January. Delegates at the weekend convention were also to vote on almost 100 policy resolutions, including ending Canada's military role in Afghanistan, stopping subsidies for seal hunting and chemical-based farming, and giving tax breaks to organic farmers. Ms. May promised during her campaign to hold policy sessions across the country and to call on experts to put together a comprehensive platform with new ideas. "The traditional parties look at polls and do focus groups and establish their priorities that way, so they are missing out on innovative new ideas," she said in an interview Friday. "We'll put a cost our proposals. We'll have solid numbers, as opposed to just saying we are committed to being revenue neutral, like we did in the last
election." Ms. May, 52, former director of the Sierra Club, called for party unity and said it must build a strong platform well before the next election. She said some voters have chosen the Greens only as a protest vote. "What we need to do is clearly build a method and a platform so that they are not voting for 'none of the above' but so that they are voting for 'all my dreams,' " May said. Ms. May said her national profile, and background as an adviser to the environment minister during Brian Mulroney's government, are important for getting more Canadians interested in the party. "I have a lot of experience working on the inside and the outside of government and working with the media," Ms. May said. "I'd be the only woman leader of a federal party, and that would also be noteworthy." The new leader said she would run in a Cape Breton riding unless there is a byelection somewhere else first. Ms. May said she will be in the gallery in
Parliament during Question Period and will talk with the press. "Since (Prime Minister Stephen) Harper isn't giving interviews, maybe some of you have some free time," Ms. May joked to reporters after her victory speech. During the speech, Ms. May criticized the recent deal on softwood lumber between Canada and the United States, saying it demonstrates why the North American Free Trade Agreement needs to be renegotiated with the U.S. and Mexico. "In signing this deal, Mr. Harper has said, 'If you push us enough we will say uncle.' We're not against trade but trade must be fair and carbon neutral." Ms. May said she would also push for compliance with the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. "We must stand up to the big lie that Canada cannot meet its Kyoto targets," she said. To give the party more visibility, Ms. May said she is already talking with supportive senators and parliamentarians about creating a "green caucus" on Parliament Hill.
Since the May kickoff of the leadership campaign, Green party membership shot up to 8,694 from 5,517. Under Mr. Harris, the party garnered 664,000 votes in January's federal election, or about 4.5 per cent of the national tally, but no candidates came close to being elected. Green candidates were fielded in every federal riding — an achievement by itself — but some in the party blamed Mr. Harris for not getting better results. Mr. Chernushenko enjoyed the highest vote percentage of any Green candidate, 10 per cent in the Ottawa Centre riding vacated by NDP candidate Ed Broadbent. Ms. May has never run for the party. The Green party was launched in 1983 and ran 60 candidates in the federal election the following year. The 2004 election turned out to be its financial breakthrough. With candidates offered in all ridings, the party won 582,000 votes or 4.3 per cent of the popular vote. Under newly enacted federal financing rules, the Greens thus
gained $1.75 for every one of those votes because they had crossed the two per cent threshold set by Elections Canada. Ottawa pollster Nick Nanos of SES Research said his polls suggest the Green party has potential to go from a movement to a real political force. Party allegiance is volatile these days and the Greens could make inroads with youth and Bloc Quebecois voters, he said. Surveys since the 2004 federal campaign suggest a third of Canadians would consider voting Green, compared with 40 per cent who said the same of the NDP, he said. "The party is particularly strong with voters under 40, and could make inroads in the west Quebec and Ontario." Ms. May said she make a special effort to reach out to youth, and noted the sector was important for her leadership victory. Acknowledging her French needs improvement, she said she hopes to take intensive lessons. "I plan to be fluently bilingual by the time of the next leadership debates," Ms.
May said.</PRE><p> 
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