The opportunity to “try out” a Green MLA for six months turned out not to be an appealing one as voters in Wednesday’s two provincial by-elections handed Jane Sterk and Drina Read distant third-place finishes.
Party leader Sterk wound up with less than eight per cent of the Vancouver-Fairview votes and Read got just over five per cent in Vancouver-Burrard. Both tallies represented a decrease from the 2005 totals.
“It’s pretty evident from the results that the other two parties have much more capability to get their vote out,” she said at a small house party in Vancouver’s Shaughnessy neighbourhood. “That’s something we’re going to work on.”
Damian Kettlewell, one of the party’s deputy leaders and the host of the night’s gathering, echoed the sentiment that the playing field was not level.
“Our budget is probably about three per cent of the NDP’s budget and about 1.5 per cent of the Liberals’,” he said. “That makes it tough.”
Still, Sterk felt she had succeeded in raising her profile as the new party leader and expects to do more of that in the leaders’ debate in the spring.
Forging better name recognition was the key objective for the Greens in this campaign, according to Simon Fraser University political scientist Kennedy Stewart who believes running Sterk in this by-election was a good move.
“It’s really not much of an investment for the Greens,” Stewart told the Tyee last week. “She does a couple of weeks of campaigning and gets lots of newspaper coverage and gets in a few debates.”
From here, the Greens plan to hammer out the three to five issues that will form the core of their campaign and to identify their supporters provincewide so they can mobilize them on election day.
They will also push hard for a “yes” in May’s referendum on the single transferable vote, a system that would theoretically benefit smaller parties.
Asked if the Greens could ever win a seat in the current first past the post system, Read answered cheerfully: “We can try!”
Sterk will likely fare better in May when she runs in her home riding of Esquimalt-Royal Roads and said she’d ideally like her party to win four or five seats, before tempering the statement with a dose of realism.
“We’d be happy with one and we’ll accept whatever the voters decide.”
Rob Annandale reports for The Hook.
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Budd Campbell
3 years ago
And no help from the media
“Our budget is probably about three per cent of the NDP’s budget and about 1.5 per cent of the Liberals’,” he said. “That makes it tough.”
Kettlewell is right, that kind of funding gap does make it tough. The other thing that made it much harder for the provincial Greens than their federal counterpart Adrienne Carr is that the media weren't promoting them the way the did Elizabeth May's national party.
The reason is simple.
In the federal context the media were fairly certain that Green success would be for the most part drawn from the NDP. In the provincial context they were much less certain of the impact, so they didn't extend the same degree of assistance.
MichaelT
3 years ago
I left the Greens after 4 years
I last voted for the NDP in 2004 when I lived in the the West End federally.
After that I supported the Greens up to and including the last fed election, even canvassing for Carr.
But after this last election I have totally abandoned them and even did some phone work for the Dippers in my riding of Fairview, even though I was disgusted with their anti-man policy when it was announced.
I've had enough and I think most Green supporters have as well.
Frankly Carr needs to run for the NDP and Van Center would go to the them. Byers just comes off as angry guy in public debates and will never win without working to achieve a new personality which I do not believe is possible.
And yes I am part of groups that Mr. Byers created and agree with him on most issues. Good Brain, Bad Politician. His best role is support not running for elections. I would happily recommend and see to his make over if anyone is interested.
But getting back to the Greens/NDP dichotomy Rod Love is correct in todays Globe & Mail and I only hope we all be less partisan and more real when it comes to winning elections.
dave49
3 years ago
Greens campaign
“It’s really not much of an investment for the Greens,” Stewart told the Tyee last week. “She does a couple of weeks of campaigning and gets lots of newspaper coverage and gets in a few debates.”
I live in Vancouver-Fairview and had no idea there was a Green candidate until two days before the by-election. I was surprised that the candidate was Green Leader Jane Sterk, who I thought lived in the Victoria area.
The race between the NDP and Liberals was close in both ridings and the 30 year tradition of the government in power losing by-elections has continued.
The only way for the Greens to succeed is to run up the middle when there is public unhappiness with both 'major' parties.
For example, when Gordon Wilson revived the Liberal brand with a brilliant debate performance a number of years ago...